I'm a heterosexual male in my late 40s, single, childless, and unfortunately married twice and divorced.

I'd like to connect with you either on a public call-in or a one-to-one to get your perspective on your insights of how I can continue to let go of the pain and anger I have that have dictated so much of my life and move forward with hope, strength,

and authenticity. For much of my life, I've struggled with inner conflict, being deeply

introspective, yet incredibly hard on myself. I've carried the weight of decisions made out of fear,

loneliness, and a need of validation. This pattern started early, rooted in an upbringing,

rooted in an upbringing marked by a lack of guidance, feelings of abandonment, and the scars of

my father's alcoholism and abandonment of my family.

Through therapy, journaling, and listening to your shows over the recent years, I've begun to

see how these experiences shaped me.

As a child, I walled myself off from others, retreating into my own imagination and crafting

a number of false selves to protect myself from this pain.

These personas helped me navigate a world where I often felt unseen and unheard,

but they also left me with a chronic self, also left me with a sense of chronic self-doubt

and an enduring sense of being a fish out of water.

In my teens, a diagnosis of a chronic illness added another layer of complexity.

It explained many of the strange symptoms that I had experienced,

but also forced me to overhaul my life plans at an age where I had already felt left behind.

I've always felt like I was trying to catch up,

chasing a moving target that doesn't exist. Yet despite these challenges, I've achieved a good

deal of external success. I built careers in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and earned advanced degrees and developed a reputation for excellence.

Ironically, I've treated patients with the same condition that I've been diagnosed with and living

with for decades. But no achievement has ever truly silenced the inner critic that tells me

...