The Permission to Exist Project

06/16/2026

THIS SATURDAY.
I keep trying to write this post and finding myself staring at a blank screen.
Because this isn't just another event to me.
This is a room full of people I spent most of my life looking for.
People who know what it's like to feel unwanted.
People who know what it's like to sit alone and wonder why existing feels so much harder for them than it seems to be for everyone else.
People who have survived things they shouldn't have had to survive.
The abused. The abandoned. The rejected. The forgotten.
The kids who grew up too fast.
The adults still trying to heal from things nobody ever apologized for.
The people who learned how to laugh while carrying pain so heavy it should have crushed them.
For most of my life, I thought I was alone in that.
I wasn't.
And neither are you.
That's why The Permission to Exist Project was created.
Not because I have answers.
Not because I have it all figured out.
But because I know what it feels like to need one person to look at you and say:
"I believe you."
"I see you."
"You made it."
"You deserved better."
Next Saturday, I'll be standing in a room full of people who understand that feeling.
Not behind a microphone.
Not behind a screen.
Face to face.
Human to human.
And if you've ever listened to the podcast... If you've ever cried in your car after an episode... If you've ever sent me a message saying you finally felt seen... If you've ever stayed alive one more day because somebody reminded you that your story wasn't over...
I hope you'll come find me.
Because this project has never been about downloads.
It's never been about followers.
It's about people.
It's about the version of us that almost didn't make it.
The version that sat in the dark wondering if anyone would notice if we disappeared.
The version that needed permission to exist.
And somehow...
We're still here.
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Doors 2 PM // Show 3 PM
The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls
All Ages
🎟️ Get your tickets here:
https://mrsmalls.com/events/pgh-pride-in-the-pit/⁠
If you've ever felt like you didn't belong anywhere...
This is your invitation.
You don't have to explain yourself.
You don't have to earn your place.
You don't have to be less of who you are.
Just show up.
We'll save you a seat.
Talk about it if it keeps you here.
— Kameron

06/01/2026

🌈 Why Pride Month Exists 🌈

Every year, someone asks, "When is Straight Pride Month?"

The answer is simple: Pride Month exists because there was a time when LGBTQ+ people could lose everything simply for being who they were.

Not centuries ago.

Within the lifetimes of people who are still alive today.

People lost jobs, military careers, security clearances, housing, custody of their children, and relationships with their families because of who they loved.

For decades, LGBTQ+ Americans were considered security risks by the federal government. Many were denied security clearances, fired from federal employment, or forced to hide who they were because being honest could destroy their careers.

Until 2003, consensual same-sex relationships were still illegal in parts of the United States. Same-sex couples were not granted the constitutional right to marry nationwide until 2015 through the Obergefell v. Hodges.

Think about that.

Many of us were adults before marriage equality became law.

Pride Month traces its roots to the Stonewall Riots, when members of the LGBTQ+ community stood up against routine harassment, discrimination, and police raids. What began as a protest became a movement.

A movement built on a simple idea:

People deserve the freedom to exist without fear.

So when someone asks, "Where's Straight Pride Month?"

When was the last time someone was fired for being straight?

When was the last time someone was denied housing for being straight?

When was the last time someone was denied the right to marry because they were straight?

When was the last time someone was considered a threat to national security because they were straight?

When was the last time a teenager was thrown out of their home for being straight?

That's why Pride exists.

Not because anyone wants special treatment.

Not because anyone thinks they're better than anyone else.

Because there is value in remembering history.

Because there is value in honoring the people who fought, suffered, and sacrificed so others could live openly.

And if you take nothing else from this post, take this:

If you're struggling with who you are, if you're afraid to be yourself, if you've been rejected, judged, or made to feel like you don't belong,

You are welcome here.

My inbox is open.

My table has room for you.

You do not need my permission to exist, but if nobody has told you lately, your life has value, your story matters, and you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Before anyone heads to the comments to debate this:

This post is not a political statement.

This is not an opinion.

This is not up for debate.

These are documented historical facts.

LGBTQ+ Americans were fired from jobs, denied security clearances, discharged from the military, denied marriage rights, criminalized for consensual relationships, and treated as second-class citizens within living memory.

Whether you support Pride Month or not does not change that history.

Facts do not require agreement to be true.

You are entitled to your own beliefs.

You are not entitled to your own facts.

History happened whether we are comfortable with it or not.

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month.

"The freedom to be yourself should never be up for debate." ❤️

As always...Talk about it if it keeps you here. I'm happy you're here.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to my wife.
The best mom I know…even on the days she convinces herself she isn’t.
I’ve watched you carry so much for the people you love. I’ve watched you show up through stress, heartbreak, chaos, exhaustion, and seasons that would’ve broken a lot of people. And somehow you still continue to love deeply.
Being a mother isn’t just about perfect moments. It’s about the hard ones too. The quiet sacrifices. The worrying. The sleepless nights. The constant fight to hold people together even when life feels messy and complicated.
And I hope today you see yourself the way the rest of us do.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms in my life who stepped into that role without obligation. The women who chose to love, guide, protect, encourage, and care for me when they didn’t have to. You mattered more than you probably ever realized.
And today, I’m also thinking about the mothers I’ve lost. My grandmother. My adoptive mom. My friend’s mom who loved me like I was her own. Some people leave fingerprints on your life that never fade, even after they’re gone.
Mother’s Day can be beautiful, but it can also hurt.
So today is also for the people carrying grief quietly.
For the ones missing their mom.
For the ones estranged from family.
For the women who lost children.
For the women struggling with infertility, pregnancy loss, or the heartbreak of wanting to be a mom and not being able to.
For the people trying to survive today while everyone else celebrates it.
I see you too.
Family can be complicated. Love can exist beside pain. And healing isn’t always linear.
You are not alone.
And if today feels unbearably heavy, please stay. Talk about it if it keeps you here.
988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988

05/08/2026

The first drop of The Permission to Exist Project Store
merch is almost gone.

This is your last chance to grab the current designs before they’re permanently retired.

When the podcast returns later this year with new episodes, there will be an entirely new merch drop released alongside it.

No restocks.
No reruns.
Once this collection is gone, it’s gone for good.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported this project, shared the episodes, worn the merch, and reminded people they aren’t alone.

TALK ABOUT IT IF IT KEEPS YOU HERE.

Shop now before this drop disappears:
thepermissiontoexistprojectstore.com

05/07/2026

Some of the heaviest stories are the ones nobody ever got to tell.

I’m opening anonymous story submissions for The Permission to Exist Project.

If you’ve lived through trauma, addiction, grief, abuse, mental health struggles, foster care, identity struggles, loss, survival, or simply what it feels like to exist while carrying too much… I want to hear your story.

You can stay completely anonymous if you want.

I’ll be sharing some of these stories in short segments on TikTok to help people feel less alone and remind them that other people understand what they’re carrying too.

If you’d like to submit a story anonymously:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqsvIZzlcNeYOffBywcH-176Ul_sJPrNZr15bFsdvaahu3nw/viewform

If you’d like to be a guest on the podcast, message me directly or email:
[email protected]

Talk about it if it keeps you here.

05/04/2026

I want to be upfront about where things are at.

I’m going to be pausing new podcast episodes for now.

This isn’t about losing passion or walking away from the project. It’s about being realistic with where I am in life right now.

I just started a new job, I’ve been more involved in supporting my wife’s business, and after being off work since October, I’m not in a position to continue funding the rest of Season 1 the way I want to.

Instead of rushing it or putting out something that doesn’t feel right, I’m choosing to pause and come back to it when I can give it the attention it deserves.

The remaining 6 episodes of Season 1 will be released at a later time, possibly toward the end of the year.

The Permission to Exist Project isn’t going anywhere. It’s just shifting.

I’ll be focusing more on TikTok, community involvement, and creating space for real conversations in different ways while things reset.

If you haven’t listened yet, the first 15 episodes are available now on Patreon. Joining is free.

Also, the Permission to Exist Store will be closing in the next couple of months until new episodes are released.

When the store reopens, there will be new merch.
Anything currently in the store will not be available again.

If you’ve been thinking about grabbing something from the beginning of this project, this is your window.

No big announcement. Just a pause with intention.

Talk about it if it keeps you here.

04/27/2026

I finally did it…

I started a TikTok.

Go follow me, judge me, stalk respectfully...whatever feels right.

The Permission to Exist Project is officially on TikTok.

Check out permission2existprojectx’s video.

04/27/2026

Forgiveness doesn’t always look like reconciliation.

Sometimes it looks like distance.
Sometimes it looks like boundaries.
Sometimes it looks like never giving people access to you again.

Not everyone deserves closure.
Not everyone deserves another chance.
And healing does not require you to make peace with people who destroyed yours.

Episode 15: Forgiveness is out now.

This one is for the people who were told “be the bigger person” when what they really needed was permission to protect themselves.

You are allowed to choose peace over performance.

You are allowed to walk away.

You are allowed to not forgive.

Listen now on Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/ThePermissionToExistProject

04/20/2026

They didn’t love you.
They loved how easy you were to use.

The second you set boundaries…
you became the problem.

🎙️ Episode 14: Boundaries is out now.
👉 https://www.patreon.com/thepermissiontoexistproject

Talk about it if it keeps you here.

04/13/2026

Episode 13 just dropped.

The Cost of Being the Strong One.

Let’s be real...

Being “the strong one” usually just means
no one checks on you.

No one helps you.
No one sees what you’re carrying.
They just assume you’ll figure it out.

And you do.

Every time.

This episode is about that.

🎙️ Watch/listen now (free to join):
👉 https://www.patreon.com/ThePermissionToExistProject

Talk about it if it keeps you here.