Parenting Through the Darkest Days—Cheree's Story

For parents & carers living the reality of what it feels like to be the parent when your child attempts to un-alive themselves, or holding their child and family through crisis. This episode is for you if:

You're the parent who checks if they're still breathing in the middle of the night. Who can't relax unless you know they're safe. Who feels guilty for not seeing it coming, not doing enough, not being enough.

You're carrying a weight no one sees. The anxiety that lives in your chest. The fear that follows you into every phone call, every silence, every moment they don't text back. You're trying to hold it together while falling apart. Supporting your child while drowning in your own trauma. Showing up when you don't know what to do.

You're absolutely not alone. And you're certainly not failing some invisible parenting test.

In this episode Cheree offers a unique perspective on The Truth About the 5% You'll Never Get Back.

She speaks the truth no one else will. That you'll never be 100% sure again. And that that's not weakness, that's the reality of loving someone through crisis.

This episode will validate that ongoing fear AND gives you permission to support yourself through it. We talk about:

The Guilt That Freezes You – that moment perceived as a parent from the ambulance officer's judgmental look to the constant "what if I'd done something different,". In this heart-felt conversation Cheree unpacks the guilt that sits in every parent's chest. She shows you it's not about blame. And she emphasises that it's about learning to support yourself while supporting them

What Happens When Your Ducks Explode - Cheree's metaphor of trying to control everything, only to have it all scatter, will resonate deeply. She shares how she learned to navigate a new normal where control isn't possible, but that love and presence still are.

The Invisible Strength of Showing Up - This episode honours the courage it takes to keep breathing when your worst nightmare becomes real. To stay present when you're terrified. To love fiercely when you feel powerless.

Cheree and Mel talk about:

- How-to have the conversations you're terrified to have with your child

- Why asking "are you safe?" isn't weakness, and that in fact it's necessary self-support

- How to navigate the judgment from others while protecting your own mental health

- The difference between supporting your child and abandoning yourself

- Why some fears are valid and deserve space, not dismissal

- How to find your needs when you've spent a lifetime putting everyone else first

Cheree offers a unique perspective shift. Her story isn't about fixing or saving. It's about the reality of parenting through the unthinkable. About learning that true support means acknowledging what you can't control while fiercely protecting what you can - your presence, your love, your commitment to keep showing up.

This episode will break your heart open. But it will also show you that you're stronger than you know.

Content Note: This episode discusses an un-aliving attempt, parental trauma, and ongoing anxiety. It's raw, honest, and deeply validating for anyone who's loved someone through mental health crisis. If you're in this space right now, please support yourself appropriately. You matter too.