Episode 21 - bonus

Daily Dump, Day 17: Belonging, Boundaries & Breaking Cycles

Published on: 18th November, 2025

Hey Berry Besties 💜

Today’s dump is raw, vulnerable, and deeply human. Sacha records from the floor of her childhood bedroom—now her peaceful home office—while navigating illness, exhaustion, caregiving, and the emotional fallout of family tension.

She reflects on feeling alienated by her aunt, the echoes of past hurt from her father’s family, and how Braving the Wilderness (Brené Brown) is speaking directly to where she is right now: searching for belonging while holding firm boundaries.

This entry digs into loneliness, intergenerational patterns, empathy, and what it means to keep showing up for a parent who can’t show up for themselves. There’s no gloss here—just truth, courage, and reflection.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • Braving the Wilderness & other Brené Brown books
  • Emma Lyons’ episode of The High-Functioning Disaster
  • Caregiver strain
  • Job-hunting with constraints
  • Protein goals
  • SpeakPipe link coming soon
  • Scentsy: sachasmells.com
  • Venmo: venmo.com/sachasmells

🔑 Key Takeaways

  • Belonging wounds inside a family cut the deepest.
  • Caregiving without support is mentally and emotionally draining.
  • Brené Brown’s “true belonging” hits hard when you feel excluded.
  • Empathy often grows from the exact pain you’ve lived through.
  • Rest is necessary when your body is shutting down.
  • Job-search stress hits differently when caregiving limits your options.

⚠️ Content Note

This episode includes discussion of family estrangement, painful comments from relatives, caregiving stress, job loss anxiety, and feeling like you do not belong in your own family.

✨ Connect with Life in the Bari Lane:

🪶 Keywords

bariatric journey, daily dump, caregiver burnout, family estrangement, belonging wounds, Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness, vulnerability, empathy, loneliness, job search stress, GLP-1 journey, Mounjaro, mental health reflection, Life in the Bari Lane

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

📌 Standard Disclaimer

This podcast is based on personal experience and is intended for information, education, and entertainment purposes only. I am not a medical professional, therapist, or financial advisor. Always seek the guidance of your qualified health, wellness, or financial professional regarding any medical condition, treatment, or decision. Listener discretion is advised. 💜

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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.