Speak Shame

Monika Molander spent three decades trying to earn love through achievement: top universities, a career at Google and Meta, and relentless perfectionism. From the outside, an impressive life. On the inside, an unshakeable belief that she still wasn't enough.

In this episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie talks to Monika, self-leadership and embodiment coach and survivor, about the eating disorder she developed as a teenager, the sexual a...

Emily Jacob went on a date in 2008 and woke the next morning to find she had been raped. What followed were six years she calls "the abyss" – years of surviving, struggling, and slowly finding her way back to herself.

In this episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie talks to Emily – founder of Reconnected Life, trauma-informed recovery specialist, keynote speaker, and survivor – about the gap that exists between disclosin...

Shannon Freedman was driving to work when a freeway accident left her fighting for her life and ultimately missing a quarter of her brain. Doctors didn't think she'd survive.

In this episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie talks to Shannon – financial consultant, rapid transformational therapist, and brain injury survivor – about the two decades she spent believing she wasn't capable or worthy after her accident, and the minds...

At 13, Madeleine Black was gang-raped. For decades, shame kept her silent, but she came to realise: the shame was never hers to carry. In this powerful episode, Dr Connie is joined by two-time TEDx speaker and author of Unbroken, Madeleine Black, who made the extraordinary decision to forgive the men who raped her – not for them, but for herself.

Madeleine shares her journey from trauma, silence, and a psychiatric ward at 14, ...

What happens when the place you ran to for safety becomes the source of your greatest harm?

In Episode 32 of Speak Shame, Dr Connie Kerali is joined by Chioma Alade, UK clergy, cult and sexual abuse specialist, and founder of By Fourteen. Chioma grew up in an abusive home and found what she believed was safety in the church, only to be groomed and sexually abused by her Sunday school teacher for over a decade. She didn't recognise i...

"Where is this guy? I want to be rescued. And then I realised: No one is coming to save me."

In Episode 31 of Speak Shame, author Sacha Hughes shares her journey from self-sabotage to self-love and how she turned her pain into a published novel.

 When Sacha was 24, her mum died of cancer. She turned to Pinot Grigio to numb the grief. For years, she believed Mr. Right would rescue her from the depths of despair. When that marriag...

"You don't have to explain your ambition. You can just be ambitious."

In episode 30 of Speak Shame, journalist and author Rachel Hartigan shares her journey from feeling like an imposter in journalism to writing a book that unravels one of history's greatest mysteries: Amelia Earhart's disappearance.

Rachel spent 12 years at National Geographic covering everything from genetic potatoes to the long road to women's suffrage. But it was...

In this inspiring episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie Kerali interviews Jennifer Schroeder, who at 58 was told her skills were “obsolete” and faced systemic age bias after hundreds of rejections. Jennifer recounts a planned 15-minute meeting where she was threatened with a performance improvement plan or severance, describing shock, shame, anger, and an out-of-body feeling, followed by months of replaying the event and no...

In this episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie Kerali is joined by Dr. Jenn (Jennifer Noble), a licensed psychologist and parent coach specialising in children, teens, identity development, and the mixed-race population, and founder of Free to Be Collective. Dr Jenn shares her early life in Santa Monica shaped by diversity and international travel, and discusses her own mixed-race identity (African American and Sri Lankan Tamil) and how...

Dr Connie Kerali has a powerful conversation with the remarkable, Neelu, a business coach and single mother of four, about domestic violence, coercive control, financial abuse, and marital rape within a 17-year marriage. Neelu shares growing up in a conservative Muslim family, being pushed toward marriage from her teens, and recognising dysfunction through motherhood and learning healthier parenting. She describes escalating contro...

In this episode of Speak Shame we discuss sexual violence, attempted suicide, and eating disorders and with support links are provided below. Dr Connie interviews Poonnamme, a Sikh woman raised between the UK and Punjab, with over 35 years in health and social care, who now also facilitates Kundalini Shakti activation. She shares how being the first-born girl and only child brought intense pressure tied to family honour and communi...

In this week’s episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie Kerali speaks with Vasavi Kumar, licensed therapist, mindset coach, voice actor, TV host, and author of Say It Out Loud. Vasavi shares how she began to stop doubting herself and regain trust in her voice by developing an “immaculate” inner narrative - one that is kind, encouraging, and safe - so that external criticism no longer carries the same weight. She explains...

In this episode, host Dr Connie Kerali interviews Faith Aisien-Ezugwu, author of the poetry and spoken word book 'I Am Here' and host of the 'Re: Series' podcast. Faith shares her journey from growing up in Nigeria and overcoming feelings of inadequacy and being labeled a 'failure' as a child, to her successful career in business and events management. She discusses her struggles with dyslexia, the emotional challenges she faced, a...

In this week's episode, Dr Connie Kerali interviews Emily Silva Hockstra, a five-time author and spiritual life coach. Emily shares her journey from an anxiety-ridden child to a successful author and coach. She discusses her personal experiences, including suffering a miscarriage at 18, transitioning from a corporate career to wine tasting, and eventually pursuing her passion for writing full-time. Emily delves into the profound im...

In this week's episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie Kerali interviews Dr. Adia Gooden, a licensed clinical psychologist and expert on self-worth, self-compassion, and mental health. Dr. Adia shares her journey from growing up in Pasadena, California with professional parents, to becoming a renowned psychologist and speaker. She delves into the impact of early life challenges on her sensitivity to others' feelings, and how her academic...

In this week's episode, we welcome Rebecca Bloom, a Yale and NYU-educated patient and workplace advocate, and author of 'When Women Get Sick'. Rebecca discusses her journey from a legal career specialising in employee benefits to her long-standing role as a patient advocate at Bay Area Cancer Connections. She shares personal experiences that fuelled her advocacy, including her family's battle with breast cancer and her own high-ris...

In this episode of Speak Shame, Dr Connie interviews Gabby Long, a reproductive rights advocate, mother, and healthcare storyteller. Gabby shares her journey from growing up in central Florida to becoming an outreach organiser for 'A Woman's Choice,' an independent abortion provider. She discusses her family's background in activism and her early volunteer experiences. Gabby also opens up about her personal experience with abortion...

In this week's episode, Dr Connie Kerali interviews Dr Alison Smith, founder of Earth and Bloom, a coaching practice supporting doctors and healthcare professionals. Dr Alison shares her journey from a GP with over 20 years of experience to a coach who blends nature, creativity, and one-to-one facilitation. She discusses her challenging childhood, her initial struggles in medicine, and how coaching transformed her life, unlocking h...

In this episode of Speak Shame, we meet Kayleigh, a reproductive justice advocate, abortion storyteller, and program coordinator at Fund Texas Choice. Kayleigh discusses her personal journey from growing up in a military family and surviving domestic and sexual violence, to finding her calling in supporting Texans seeking out-of-state abortion care. She shares her own abortion experience, the ongoing struggles due to restrictive ab...