Raw Minds

Raw minds

Raw Minds is a raw, unapologetic podcast focused on men’s mental health, grief, resilience, and the battles we fight in silence. Hosted by Erick, Raw Minds is for men who feel broken, overwhelmed, numb, angry, lost, or alone and don’t know where to put it. This isn’t surface-level motivation. This is real life. The ugly parts. The quiet pain. Each episode features honest, vulnerable conversations with guests from all walks of life sharing real stories of depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, loss, fatherhood, recovery, and rebuilding after everything falls apart. No masks. No b******t.

  1. 3d ago

    Abused at 12. At 15, He Realized Trauma Wasn't an Excuse | Lawrence Harris | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 101

    At 12 years old, Lawrence Harris was trying to survive childhood abuse, protect his siblings, navigate autism, and live with a nervous system that never felt safe. By 15, he had another realization: what happened to him was not his fault, but he could not keep using his pain as an excuse to hurt the people who loved him. In this episode of Raw Minds, Lawrence opens up about childhood abuse, autism, complex PTSD, hypervigilance, loneliness, low self-worth, therapy, accountability, forgiveness, relationships, codependency, and what it took to stop blaming his past and start changing his future. Lawrence explains how trauma can rewire the way you see people, why abuse from a parent can destroy trust, what complex PTSD felt like in everyday life, and how cognitive behavioral therapy, journaling, exercise, hobbies, fishing, and self-awareness helped him learn how to feel safe again. He also talks about becoming a content creator, author, speaker and coach for teens and young adults. At 18, he began publishing books, including Power to the People, and today he shares the lessons he learned through Lawrence C Empowers. One of the strongest lessons in this conversation is simple: trauma may explain your behavior, but it does not give you permission to keep hurting people. This is a conversation about breaking generational patterns, taking responsibility without blaming yourself for what happened, forgiving without forgetting, and becoming someone your younger self would be proud of. LAWRENCE HARRIS Website / Books / Coaching: https://lawrencecharris.com YouTube, TikTok & Instagram: Lawrence C Empowers Business / Speaking: Lawrence@LawrenceCharris.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Childhood Abuse, Autism & Survival 02:14 Welcome to Lawrence Harris 02:41 Where to Find Lawrence 04:33 Who Lawrence Was at 12 06:25 When a Parent Becomes the Source of Fear 08:20 What Survival Mode Looked Like 10:10 When He Realized It Was Abuse 13:18 The Turning Point 14:40 Taking Pain Out on People Who Loved Him 15:05 The Mirror Moment at 15 16:46 Trauma Explains It — It Doesn’t Excuse It 17:43 Men, Emotions & Generational Trauma 19:58 Changing the Ingredients Changes the Life 20:59 Be a Buffalo 21:39 Learning Gratitude for the Past 24:02 Finding the Lesson in Pain 24:36 What Complex PTSD Feels Like 26:32 Learning How to Feel Safe Again 28:14 Speaking to Youth About Mental Health 29:34 Vulnerability Without Trauma Dumping 30:12 From YouTube to Books and Coaching 31:54 Simple Tools That Actually Help 33:42 Why Coloring Helped Erick 33:56 Fishing, Presence & Mental Health 36:05 How Lawrence Started Coaching 38:26 Knowing When to Refer to a Professional 39:15 Predatory Coaching & Vulnerable People 43:06 What Lawrence Would Say to His Father 45:55 Forgiveness Without Forgetting 46:02 Understanding Why People Hurt People 49:00 Online Hate, Projection & Unresolved Pain 54:16 Who Lawrence Is When Nobody Is Watching 57:20 Love vs Codependency 59:19 Where to Find Lawrence 1:00:12 Final Message RAW MINDS PODCAST Real conversations about trauma, survival, mental health, grief, addiction, fatherhood, relationships, PTSD, accountability and rebuilding. For the ones we’ll never meet. Healing out loud. Business / Guest Inquiries: rawmindspodcast@gmail.com PARENTPATH https://parentpath.ca/ ParentPath helps self-represented parents organize family court evidence, timelines, documents and case information.

  2. Aug 21

    He Had a 13% Chance to Live. A Stranger Changed Everything | Tim McDonald | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 100

    Stage 4 colon cancer had already spread to Tim McDonald’s liver when his life changed completely.What started as pain in his side around Thanksgiving 2020 led to the words nobody wants to hear: “You have cancer.”In this episode of Raw Minds, Tim shares his stage 4 colorectal cancer story, chemotherapy, colon cancer treatment, the search for a living liver donor, liver transplant surgery, survivor’s guilt, cancer advocacy, and the stranger who ultimately gave him part of her liver.Tim says only 13% of people with stage 4 colorectal cancer live five years after diagnosis. Instead of treating that number like the end of his story, he focused on one question: what do I need to do next?He explains how becoming one of the early colorectal cancer patients in North America to receive a liver transplant gave him more time, but surviving created a new mental battle. After watching people in the cancer community die, Tim had to figure out what to do with his second chance.That journey became a mission.Today Tim is a cancer survivor, patient advocate, speaker, community builder, and author of From Patient to Advocate: Turning Survivorship Into Impact.This conversation is about stage 4 cancer, colorectal cancer, chemotherapy, liver transplant, colon cancer screening, survivor’s guilt, grief, mental health, purpose, second chances, and turning survival into something that can help someone else.TIM McDONALDBook:From Patient to Advocate: Turning Survivorship Into ImpactAvailable on Amazon — search Tim McDonald From Patient to AdvocateWebsite / Podcast / Advocacy:https://advocacyatwork.comLinkedIn:Search Tim A. McDonaldCHAPTERS00:00 Stage 4 Cancer Changed Everything02:49 Welcome to Tim McDonald03:25 Tim’s Book and Advocacy Work04:14 Who Tim Was Before Cancer07:15 The Pain That Started Everything09:20 The CT Scan That Found Cancer09:34 Hearing “You Have Cancer”10:22 How Tim Reacted to the Diagnosis11:20 What Do I Need to Do Next?13:06 The Doctor Who Changed His Direction15:17 Learning How Serious Stage 4 Cancer Was17:11 The Emotional Roller Coaster18:36 Finding Purpose Inside Cancer21:39 Colon Cancer Screening and Colonoscopy22:48 The Reality of Chemotherapy24:16 Becoming a Colorectal Cancer Advocate25:19 What Research Advocacy Means27:17 Finding the Liver Transplant Option27:41 How a Living Donor Liver Transplant Works29:21 The 13% Five-Year Survival Reality29:52 Qualifying for a Liver Transplant30:50 Searching for a Living Donor32:43 Why Finding a Donor Was Harder Than Treatment34:39 A Stranger Becomes His Donor35:43 Meeting the Woman Who Saved His Life37:25 The Mental Battle After Transplant38:34 Survivor’s Guilt After Cancer40:29 Losing Friends in the Cancer Community40:54 Turning Their Memory Into Purpose43:20 The Fear Tim Didn’t Admit During Treatment44:15 Why Mindset Matters47:17 Tim’s Final Message47:28 Where to Find TimRAW MINDS PODCASTReal conversations about trauma, survival, mental health, grief, addiction, fatherhood, relationships, PTSD, and rebuilding.For the ones we’ll never meet.Healing out loud.Business / Guest Inquiries:rawmindspodcast@gmail.comPARENTPATHhttps://parentpath.ca/ParentPath helps self-represented parents organize family court evidence, timelines, documents, and case information.

  3. Aug 15

    He Finished 10 Ironmans in 10 Days. The Hardest Battle Came After | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 99

    What happens when a man becomes strong enough to survive almost anything, but still has a battle inside that nobody can see?JD Tremblay knows what that feels like.JD grew up in northern Quebec, dealt with bullying, watched his parents separate, and joined the Canadian Armed Forces at just 17 years old. He spent more than a decade in uniform before moving into firefighting, engineering, natural health, human performance, and extreme endurance.In 2022, JD completed the Epic Deca.10 full Ironman-distance triathlons.10 straight days.Six Hawaiian islands.Only three people finished.JD was one of them.But this episode of Raw Minds is not really about medals or proving how tough you are.It is about discipline, identity, fear, faith, addiction, purpose, mental resilience, and what happens when achievement still does not fix what is happening inside you.One of JD's biggest ideas in this conversation is that everybody is disciplined.The real question is what you are disciplined at.A smoker can be disciplined at smoking. Someone stuck in a destructive pattern can become extremely consistent at repeating it. JD argues that discipline is not just about waking up early or forcing yourself through pain. It is about standards, structure, values, habits, and the things you refuse to negotiate with yourself.JD also opens up about what happened after leaving the military. For years, the military gave him structure. When to eat. What to wear. How to move. What standards to meet. Then suddenly that structure was gone.He had to learn how to build his own standards, create direction, and understand who he was outside of the uniform.We also get into Hungry Warrior Academy, the organization JD built to help men work on discipline, health, recovery, faith, mental strength, and purpose.JD explains the EPIC pillars, the DECA method, the BRAIN system, and RISE. BRAIN focuses on blood chemistry, recovery, attention, inflammation, and the nervous system.We also talk about confidence versus cockiness, addiction patterns, emotional shutdown after divorce, male loneliness, first responders, PTSD, neuroplasticity, courage, biohacking, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.JD also explains why he rejected the idea of yelling at struggling men as a way to create change. His focus is on accountability, facts, logic, science, and practical tools.This conversation is about what happens when physical strength is not enough.CONNECT WITH JD TREMBLAYHungry Warrior Academyhttps://hungrywarrioracademy.comRAW MINDS PODCASTReal conversations about mental health, trauma, addiction, grief, fatherhood, relationships, survival, resilience, personal growth, and rebuilding your life.Websitehttps://rawminds.caYouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@RawMindsInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/rawmindspodcastTikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@rawmindspodcastFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/rawmindspodcastIf this conversation hits home, share it with somebody who needs to hear it.Subscribe to Raw Minds for more real conversations about the things people carry when nobody else is watching.For the ones we'll never meet.Healing out loud.

  4. Aug 14

    He Lost Everything at 40, Then Raised 3 Daughters Alone | Robert Beeson | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 98

    Robert Beeson went from a successful Sony Nashville music executive to a single father raising three young daughters after his marriage collapsed. In this Raw Minds episode, Robert opens up about single parenting, divorce, custody, fatherhood, shame, addiction, faith, mental health and rebuilding your life after losing everything. Before becoming a single father, Robert founded Essential Records and helped develop artists including Jars of Clay, Third Day and Casting Crowns. At 40, his career ended. Three months later, his wife left. He was suddenly fighting through a custody battle and raising daughters who were nine, seven and four. Robert talks openly about betrayal, loneliness, shame and his own mistakes, including an affair early in his marriage. He also asks a question many men face after life falls apart: Who are you when the job, marriage, money, status and identity are gone? Robert spent more than eight years raising his daughters as a single father. That experience eventually led him to create Solo Parent, an organization built to give single parents the support and community he could not find during his own crisis. We also discuss raising children after divorce, family court, rebuilding confidence, finding purpose and showing up for your kids while trying to hold yourself together. I share my own experience as a single father, including walking away from a nearly 19-year construction career when the job no longer allowed me to be the father my daughter needed. That experience helped inspire ParentPath, a platform for self-represented parents to organize evidence, timelines, documents and case information. If you are a single father, single mother, divorced parent or someone rebuilding after losing the life you expected, this conversation is for you. CONNECT WITH ROBERT BEESON + SOLO PARENT Solo Parent:https://soloparent.org/ Robert Beeson Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/robertbeeson/ Solo Parent Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/soloparentsociety/ Solo Parent Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SoloParentSociety/ Book:Solo Parent: The Transformational Journey of Parenting on Your Own CONNECT WITH RAW MINDS Website:https://www.rawminds.ca YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@RawMinds-cs3ci Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2DTczix6Egs7fscQiqCpfa Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/raw-minds/id1722381518 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/rawmindspodcast TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@rawmindspodcast Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/rawmindspodcast All Links:https://linktr.ee/rawmindspodcast Email:rawmindspodcast@gmail.com PARENTPATH https://parentpath.ca/ ParentPath helps self-represented parents organize family court evidence, timelines, documents and case information.

  5. Jul 31

    He Wrote His Trauma Into a Memoir in 5 Weeks Here's Why | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 97

    Denny LaVé survived childhood abandonment, sexual trauma, poverty, shame and suicidal thoughts. He then rebuilt his life from the ground up. In this episode of Raw Minds, Denny shares the personal story behind the construction company, the United States Senate campaign and the legendary beard. At four years old, Denny was taken across state lines and separated from his mother for six months. He grew up surrounded by instability, emotional neglect and experiences no child should have been forced to process. Those early experiences created patterns of shame, compulsive behaviour, emotional numbness and self-condemnation that followed him into adulthood. Denny became a union ironworker, spent nearly two years living in a monastery in France and co-founded Precision Precast Erectors with his father. The company grew into an award-winning business employing hundreds of ironworkers. He became a husband, father to six sons, business leader, author and candidate for the United States Senate in Idaho. But success did not erase the trauma. Denny speaks openly about suicidal thoughts, therapy, faith, marriage, masculinity, fatherhood and stopping generational trauma from reaching his children. This is not a political debate. This is the story of a wounded child who became a man determined to build a better life for his family. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:42 Men’s mental health 04:17 Blue-Collar Blessed 05:17 Writing a vulnerable memoir 08:14 Earliest childhood memories 09:30 Separation from his mother 11:10 Early exposure to pornography 12:25 Trauma and the developing brain 13:57 Shame and self-condemnation 15:00 Erick’s childhood food trauma 16:49 Why shame makes addiction worse 18:45 Emotional numbness and joy 20:29 Masculinity and accountability 21:23 What real strength means 23:06 Humility and self-worth 25:18 Accepting compliments 27:03 Knowing you are enough 28:18 Burnout and recovery 30:03 Rest and high performance 33:36 Children and smartphones 35:32 Entering therapy 36:13 The therapist who predicted the book 37:11 Writing the memoir in five weeks 39:16 Reopening old wounds 41:05 Searching for purpose 43:55 Considering the Marine Corps 44:25 Heat stroke and near death 45:24 Living in a French monastery 46:16 Generational trauma 49:42 Breaking the cycle 50:10 Telling his sons the truth 51:04 His children’s response 53:08 Marriage and the past 54:38 The book’s central message 55:14 Denny’s suicidal episode 56:07 When someone says nothing 56:52 How Joey supported Erick 57:59 Holding space 58:26 Recent suicidal thoughts 59:08 The golf invitation 59:17 Erick’s mental-health struggle 01:00:47 Five ways to handle sorrow 01:03:18 Why men need permission to cry 01:03:57 Grieving the father Erick never had 01:05:29 Raw Minds around the world 01:06:07 Trauma crosses borders 01:08:15 Healing is a process 01:09:45 Recovery has no finish line 01:11:28 Final message CONNECT WITH DENNY LAVÉ Website: https://www.dennylave.com/ Blue-Collar Blessed: https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510786172/blue-collar-blessed/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denny-lave-38315a5 Precision Precast Erectors: https://www.ppe-llc.com/ CONNECT WITH RAW MINDS Website: https://www.rawminds.ca YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RawMinds-cs3ci Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3I7hBJgYDdS8UQpbMl9bdt TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rawmindspodcast All links: https://linktr.ee/rawmindspodcast Email: rawmindspodcast@gmail.com Raw Minds features honest conversations about men’s mental health, trauma, grief, addiction, fatherhood and rebuilding your life. Follow and share this episode with someone who may be suffering silently. For the ones we’ll never meet. Healing out loud. CRISIS SUPPORT If you may hurt yourself, call emergency services or call or text 988 in Canada or the United States. Canada: https://988.ca United States: https://988lifeline.org #MensMentalHealth #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaRecovery

  6. Jul 31

    You Don't Have a Relationship Problem | You Have a Pattern Problem | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 96

    Toxic Relationships | Trauma Bonds | Emotional Addiction | Narcissistic Abuse | Relationship Patterns | Men’s Mental Health | Healing After Abuse Why do intelligent, successful people stay in relationships they know are destroying them? Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards returns to Raw Minds to discuss The Venus Fly Trap 2: Enough Is Never Enough, the next chapter of his true story about desire, obsession, manipulation, emotional dependency, sex, money, power, and the slow loss of identity. The first book showed how the trap opened. This conversation explains what happens after it closes. Stephen breaks down why chaos can feel more exciting than peace, how childhood wounds shape adult relationships, why givers attract takers, and how love can become a trauma bond. He also explains gaslighting, isolation, boundary testing, emotional manipulation, self-abandonment, and why leaving a toxic relationship can feel like grieving a death. This episode is about more than one destructive relationship. It is about the patterns inside us that keep choosing the same pain in a different body. Stephen speaks openly about four marriages, wealth, status, sexual obsession, emotional burnout, therapy, accountability, and the moment he finally accepted that loving someone was costing him his mind. KEY TOPICS Why people stay in toxic relationshipsTrauma bonds and emotional addictionNarcissists, empaths, givers, and takersLove bombing and manipulationLosing your identity in a relationshipWhy boundaries disappearChildhood trauma and relationship patternsWhy chemistry is not compatibilityGrieving the relationship and your former selfRebuilding self-worth, trust, and inner peace The central message is direct: You do not have a relationship problem. You have a pattern problem. Healing starts when you stop asking, “Why did this happen to me?” and start asking, “What is this showing me about myself?” GUEST Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards Author, counselor, speaker, and relationship expert THE VENUS FLY TRAP SERIES Website and free chapters:https://vft23.com Coaching and counseling:https://vft23.com/coaching-and-counseling Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stephen_sapereaude/ TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@vft23_official Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Stephenedwards2323 X:https://x.com/vft23official LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vft23 CHAPTERS 00:00 Enough Is Never Enough03:41 Where to find the books05:14 Four marriages, one constant09:23 Money does not heal the inside13:17 Carl Jung, mirrors, and attraction15:41 How toxic partners isolate you18:33 You have a pattern problem22:56 Technical break24:39 What the mirror really means27:22 When enough finally becomes enough33:38 Manipulation and boundary testing34:02 What happens after the trap closes36:41 The Ritz Carlton story43:39 The stolen Rolls Royce key47:41 Finding the lesson after chaos56:50 Why narcissists target givers58:08 How childhood wounds repeat01:01:48 Chemistry is not compatibility01:09:52 Accepting the relationship will not change01:11:22 Why leaving takes time01:15:37 Grieving the relationship and your old life01:18:21 Books, coaching, and free chapters01:22:59 Closing RAW MINDS PODCAST Raw Minds delivers honest conversations about men’s mental health, trauma, grief, addiction, fatherhood, relationships, recovery, and the battles people carry in silence. Subscribe to Raw Minds. Leave a comment. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT Canada and United States: Call or text 988 RAW MINDS LINKS Website:https://www.rawminds.ca YouTube:https://youtube.com/@RawMinds-cs3ci Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/rawmindspodcast TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@rawmindspodcast For the ones we’ll never meet. Healing out loud.

  7. Jul 19

    The Dad Deficit: Why Young Men Are Angry, Addicted and Lost | Raw Minds S2 Ep. 95

    MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH, YOUNG MEN IN CRISIS, PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION, GRIEF, MASCULINITY, BROTHERHOOD, FATHER WOUNDS, FAITH, DISCIPLINE, MENTORSHIP, PURPOSE, DEPRESSION, TRAUMA RECOVERY Why are so many young men angry, addicted, isolated, and searching for purpose? In this episode of Raw Minds, Erick sits down with Colonel Jesse Boulden, Commanding Officer of the International ALERT Academy, for a raw conversation about grief, addiction, masculinity, faith, brotherhood, discipline, mentorship, and the crisis facing young men. Jesse grew up as one of six children in a military family. His father served as a submarine commander, and Jesse moved 18 times before turning 18. Constant change, dyslexia, bullying, insecurity, and his father’s time away left him searching for identity and belonging. When Jesse’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, his family entered a 15-year battle that ended with her death in 2015. Jesse explains how pain, fear, loneliness, and anxiety contributed to a long struggle with pornography addiction. He opens up about the cycle of secrecy, shame, and using the same behaviour to numb the pain it created. Jesse joined the International ALERT Academy in 2008. What began as a search for adventure and direction became an 18-year journey through discipline, service, brotherhood, and leadership. He eventually became the first graduate of the academy to reach the rank of colonel and serve as commanding officer. Erick and Jesse discuss the “dad deficit,” father wounds, male loneliness, masculinity, gangs, addiction, aggression, and hopeless isolation. They also discuss what healthy masculinity should look like. Real strength includes self-control, responsibility, honesty, service, emotional maturity, and the courage to ask for help. The conversation becomes deeply personal as Jesse describes losing his mother and the men who drove through the night to support him. Erick shares his experiences with depression, suicidal thoughts, losing his best friend, his dog, and his fiancée. They discuss why grief cannot be rushed, why holding space can matter more than giving advice, and how helping someone else through pain can give suffering a new purpose. Jesse also explains ALERT Academy’s training in Christian discipleship, emergency response, trades, leadership, and disaster relief. This episode is for young men who feel lost, fathers worried about their sons, families dealing with addiction, and anyone trying to understand what becoming a healthy man requires. CONNECT WITH JESSE BOULDEN AND ALERT ACADEMY Official website: https://alertacademy.com About Jesse: https://alertacademy.com/about/ Apply: https://alertacademy.com/apply/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ALERTAcademy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alertacademy/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alertacademy/ CONNECT WITH RAW MINDS Website: https://www.rawminds.ca YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RawMinds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawmindspodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rawmindspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawmindspodcast RAW MINDS Raw Minds creates honest conversations about men’s mental health, trauma, grief, addiction, fatherhood, faith, recovery, and rebuilding your life. Healing out loud, for the ones we’ll never meet. If this conversation helped you, share it with someone who needs to hear it and subscribe to Raw Minds. Canada and the United States: Call or text 988 for immediate suicide crisis support.

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Raw Minds is a raw, unapologetic podcast focused on men’s mental health, grief, resilience, and the battles we fight in silence. Hosted by Erick, Raw Minds is for men who feel broken, overwhelmed, numb, angry, lost, or alone and don’t know where to put it. This isn’t surface-level motivation. This is real life. The ugly parts. The quiet pain. Each episode features honest, vulnerable conversations with guests from all walks of life sharing real stories of depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, loss, fatherhood, recovery, and rebuilding after everything falls apart. No masks. No b******t.