The following podcast is a deer media production.

Hey, this is Alexis Haines and welcome to Recovering from Reality,

where I illuminate the messy and magical path of coming home to yourself.

Whether you're on the road to recovery, seeking self-care techniques for surviving the

capitalist machine, or just need a moment to remember that you're not alone in your loneliness,

we're serving up the ultimate truth. Your challenges don't define you, how you deal with them does.

So are you ready to recover from reality?

I know it might seem like vulnerability is something that comes easy to me,

but it's not. It's not. This is going to be the most vulnerable episode that I've ever

done on the podcast. It's not one that I ever thought that I would do, and yet here I am,

talking about the status of my marriage with Evan. I'm recording this from my

closet floor in my home that currently has a foresale sign outside, and I can't believe that I'm here.

You know, Brenne Brown says, we don't get into the vulnerability ring, right? Imagine that,

like, this is like a boxing match with people who aren't willing to be as vulnerable as we are.

So I'm just going to ask my community and any listeners to listen to this podcast with

an open-minded and open heart and to reserve judgment. It's sad that I've had to say that

before I've talked to anybody and everybody about this, because the amount of, I told you so,

or I knew that was going to happen, that I've come my way, is honestly jarring to me,

because it just speaks volumes to our collective ego. And I'm going to talk about mine. I'm going to

talk about my ego, probably first and foremost on this podcast. But Brenne also talks about how

vulnerability is our superpower, and about how avoiding our triggers isn't healing, and that how

healing really happens when we are triggered, and when we are in the mud,

...