09/17/2026
https://youtu.be/HWPQwW2ANqA?is=uibvgr6KxSx_2OJy
I was honestly planning on taking some serious time off from the microphone. My head has been really heavy. I actually started recording a couple of different episodes over the last two weeks, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn't have any vision, and nothing was hitting my heart.
Those couple of different episodes I tried recording, I just wasn’t feeling any of them. So I figured maybe I needed to leave Cracked Open alone for a while.
Then this past weekend I had the opportunity to play at a suicide-prevention benefit.
Something about that night stayed with me.
I talked with Joel Baptiste afterward. I thought again about Tyler. I thought about the interview Joel and I did and the reason I released that episode immediately instead of waiting for my normal Monday release.
And this subject just wouldn’t leave my heart.
So I sat down behind the microphone again.
Seeing the community come together and seeing the raw reality of what people are fighting completely shifted something inside me. It gave me the spark to finally step back up to the mic.
I sat down and poured my entire soul into a raw, unedited episode called "Yeah, I’m fine. No, I’m not."
But the story didn't stop there. Right after I finished recording, I went to sleep, woke up from a strange dream in the middle of the night, and opened Facebook. The very first thing on my timeline was a live, anonymous post from a complete stranger pouring out her heart, saying she was smiling on the outside but dying inside. It completely blew my mind. It was a direct sign that this message couldn't wait. I immediately went back, added that midnight experience into the intro, and decided to just put the whole raw video right out there today. No heavy edits. Just pure truth.
That’s exactly what this episode is about.
“Yeah, I’m Fine. No, I’m Not.”
The people who go to work.
The people who laugh.
The people who take care of everybody else.
The people who say they’re fine while privately fighting like hell just to stay here.
This one isn’t polished and perfect. I didn’t want it to be. I decided not to overthink it or publish something else. I added what I felt needed to be added, and said screw it—put it out there.
Because maybe somebody needs it today.
If you are fighting a silent battle, if you are trapped in a toxic situation, or if you are the "strong friend" who is quietly drowning while keeping everyone else afloat—this one is for you.
This isn’t about getting another view or another subscriber. If you listen and somebody comes into your mind, send it to them.
Check on your strong friends.
Ask the uncomfortable question.
Listen to the answer.
And if you’re the person saying “Yeah, I’m fine” when the truth is “No, I’m not”—please tell somebody.
You don’t have to figure out the rest of your life today.
Stay. Rise later.
🎙️ Cracked Open — Season 3, Episode 17
YEAH, I’M FINE. NO, I’M NOT.
CRACKED OPEN — Season 3, Episode 17“Yeah, I’m Fine. No, I’m Not.”...
