In this week’s episode of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions, I discuss secrets and lies with my brother, Richard. Have you ever known that a loved one is holding back parts of themselves and essentially lying to you, but they won’t talk to you about it? This is what happened with us for over twenty years despite being very close.

We share the story of what happened when he could finally be honest with me, the impact of generational trauma, and what happened when we accidentally discovered we’d both been lied to for over forty years about a crucial aspect of our childhood. I’m so grateful to be able to share our conversation.

In this episode:

• 01:48 Setting the scene
• 03:56 The secret revealed
• 07:10 Our childhood and family dynamics
• 13:25 Navigating identity and acceptance
• 16:51 Uncovering family secrets
• 23:06 The impact of secrets and lies
• 29:56 Living a lie and the struggle for authenticity
• 30:42 Struggles with honesty and mental Health
• 37:40 The impact of bullying and discrimination in the workplace
• 47:38 Reflecting on our respective journeys navigating this
• 52:57 Embracing authenticity and self-love

Links mentioned and/or recommended resources

• The newsletter series I wrote: I Broke Up With My Mother part one | part two | part three
• Ep 204: Let’s Talk About Family Estrangement

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