Breaking the Silence: Conversations on Grief, Addiction and Healing Season 2

Angelique Strang

Welcome to Season 2 Pull up a chair and exhale. Breaking the Silence is a podcast about grief, addiction, healing, resilience, and the human experience. Hosted by Angelique Strang, these conversations explore the questions that keep us stuck, the lessons hidden inside our hardest moments, and the perspectives that help us move forward. Whether you're navigating loss, supporting someone you love, rebuilding after trauma, or simply searching for meaning, you're welcome here. Some questions create cages. Better questions create doors. 988.org Linktr.ee/angeliquestrang

  1. Jan 11

    Episode 20 Matt Melvin

    When Matthew Melvin started working at a car dealership in South Burlington, Vermont, he never thought that one mistake would lead to a life-changing stint in prison.Feeling he wasn’t being paid his full commissions on car sales, he made an impulsive decision to get what he felt he was owed. He hatched a badly-thought out plot to steal a car, sell it as his own and keep the profits.However, a basic reference and background check quickly revealed that the vehicle’s title was not in his name, but still belonged to the dealership. He was arrested andsentenced to prison. While Matthew has taken responsibility for his poor life choices, hebelieves he has been treated unfairly due to his sexual orientation,religious and political affiliations, and his adult diagnosis ofautism. While he and his lawyer argued that his punishment would bebest served in a mental health facility, Matt was unfortunatelysentenced to 18 months in prison to be served in general population.Terrified and alone, Matthew began his prison term with the best of intentions—to keep his head down and serve his time as uneventfully as possible. But being a gay, Christian, Trump supporter brought him unwanted and negative attention. He was bullied by cellmates, targeted by gangs and even raped in one facility. The months he was imprisoned felt like decades and there were times he doubted he would make it out alive. Bullied Behind Bars chronicles Matthew Melvin’s life feeling like anoutcast, enduring a lonely and friendless childhood, and beingpunished for a crime that began with the honorable goal of him just trying to make a living. Website https://bulliedbehindbars.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/matthew.melvin.5621 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bulliedbehindbars

About

Welcome to Season 2 Pull up a chair and exhale. Breaking the Silence is a podcast about grief, addiction, healing, resilience, and the human experience. Hosted by Angelique Strang, these conversations explore the questions that keep us stuck, the lessons hidden inside our hardest moments, and the perspectives that help us move forward. Whether you're navigating loss, supporting someone you love, rebuilding after trauma, or simply searching for meaning, you're welcome here. Some questions create cages. Better questions create doors. 988.org Linktr.ee/angeliquestrang