Episode 12 - bonus

Daily Dump, Day 11: Mental Health, Ghosts & Gratitude

Published on: 11th November, 2025

Hey Bari Besties 💜

Birthday episode vibes: reflective, honest, and a little spooky. Sacha starts with her Miracle Morning (so resonant she replayed it) and opens up about living with anxiety since her teens, how daily meds + nervous-system tools keep panic at bay, and why mental health is central in her home — for her, for Brandon, and for her mom, who’s navigating deep depression.

Caregiver reality shows up in appointment logistics, tough conversations, and holding space without losing yourself. There’s also paranormal mischief in the house (items moving, a YouTube tab randomly playing mid-record), which Sacha chooses to treat like background noise with firm boundaries. The day stays low-key: editing, a canceled meeting that may lead to a future collab, a reset nap, and texts from friends — including a birthday dinner plan with her best friend that brightens everything.

If you’re a bariatric patient who wants to share your story — or someone living “high-functioning” on the outside while life feels chaotic inside — Sacha would love to talk. Check the contact details in these notes.

✨ Mentioned in this episode:

  • The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
  • Anxiety & panic tools (meds + regulation practices)
  • Caregiving through depression; honoring autonomy with boundaries
  • Editing workflows for The High-Functioning Disaster and Life in the Bari Lane
  • Unsilenced Grief (YouTube) as a resource for loss
  • Birthday reflections, best-friend dinner plans
  • Scentsy: sachasmells.com

💜 Support & Connect:

🔑 Key Takeaways

  • Mental health is health — tools + meds can change everything.
  • Caregiving is heavy; compassion and boundaries can coexist.
  • It’s okay to keep days low-key when your nervous system asks for it.
  • Community (texts, dinner plans) softens hard birthdays.
  • Weird house energy? Set firm boundaries and keep it moving.

⚠️ Content Note

Candid discussion of mental health (anxiety, panic disorder), caregiver stress, depressive symptoms in a loved one, and light references to spiritual/energetic experiences at home. Supportive, non-graphic, reflective tone.

✨ Connect with Life in the Bari Lane:

Keywords

bariatric surgery, gastric bypass, Life in the Bari Lane, Daily Dump, anxiety, panic disorder, mental health, depression, caregiving, Miracle Morning, nervous system regulation, birthday reflections, grief support, Unsilenced Grief, paranormal activity, boundaries, self-care, podcast editing, authenticity, post-op life, bariatric community, Scentsy consultant

👉 Make sure you’re subscribed to Life in the Bari Lane so you don’t miss my next dump.

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About the Podcast

Life in the Bari Lane
Come along for the ride — it's no fun going alone.
Life in the Bari Lane is your 30-minute dose of real talk about life after bariatric surgery — the good, the hard, the weird, and the “nobody warned me about this” moments. No fluff, no “just follow the plan” nonsense — just honest conversations about what it’s like to change your body, your habits, and your whole damn life.

This podcast is a space for the highs and lows of the weight loss journey. Because here’s the truth: bariatric surgery is a tool — not a magic fix. It’s still work. It’s still messy. And it’s still life — with a different GPS.

Whether you’re pre-op and researching, post-op and thriving, or somewhere in the “what the hell did I just do?” stage, you’re in the right lane. This show is about building community — the kind that gets it, supports you, and doesn’t sugarcoat the process.

I’m Sacha — a real-life bariatric patient navigating this wild ride — and I’m here to keep it honest, funny, and deeply human.

You’ll hear:
💥 Unfiltered talk about the hard days
🥗 Nutrition talk that’s actually realistic
🧠 Mental health, body image, and identity shifts
👯‍♀️ Support systems and “friendship fallout”
💪 Motivation that doesn’t suck
🙃 Oops moments, progress wins, and honest reflections

New episodes drop weekly — short enough to fit into your day, but packed with the good stuff to keep you going.

About your host

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Sacha Holder

Sacha Holder is a project manager, podcast host, and bariatric patient who’s not here to pretend it’s all perfect. With over a decade of professional experience and a whole lot of lived experience, she creates podcasts that tell the truth about what it means to live, heal, and grow — through chaos, and curveballs, while keeping it together (mostly).

She’s the voice behind Life in the Bari Lane, a bite-sized bariatric podcast for real people navigating post-op life, and The High-Functioning Disaster, a show about showing up even when everything feels like too much. Through humor, honesty, and zero judgment, Sacha builds community through conversation — because no one should have to figure it out alone.