Rebecca Lazzelle understands that divide from lived experience.

A lifelong overachiever and former corporate process improvement director, Rebecca built much of her identity around achievement, responsibility, and being the person who could handle anything. At home, however, she was slowly losing herself in a relationship affected by mental health struggles, addiction, codependency, manipulation, and eventually domestic violence.

When the relationship ended, Rebecca continued trying to perform at work even as grief, trauma, panic attacks, depression, and suicidal thoughts overwhelmed her ability to function.

In this deeply honest conversation with host Kelly Poelker, Rebecca shares what happened when holding everything together was no longer possible—and what it took to begin finding herself again.

“I always knew it would get better. There was a light at the end of the tunnel—I just couldn’t see it.”

What You’ll Learn

• How achievement and perfectionism can become ways of coping with pain
• Why someone can continue functioning while their mental health quietly deteriorates
• How codependency and self-gaslighting can make unhealthy relationship patterns difficult to recognize
• What happened when Rebecca’s relationship escalated into domestic violence
• How grief, trauma, panic attacks, depression, and suicidal thoughts affected her ability to work
• Why Rebecca turned to FMLA when she could no longer work and care for herself at the same time
• The role therapy, EMDR, mindfulness, community, and other forms of support played in her journey
• Why progress after trauma is rarely straightforward or predictable
• How Rebecca began rebuilding her self-worth and learning to prioritize herself
• Why sharing the messy, unpolished parts of our stories can help someone else feel less alone

Guest Spotlight: Rebecca Lazzelle

Rebecca Lazzelle is a former corporate process improvement director turned published author, retreat host, and energy healing practitioner.

Her life and work have been shaped by personal experiences with corporate burnout, grief, codependency, addiction within a relationship, domestic violence, depression, trauma, and suicidal ideation.

Rebecca is the author of the memoir What the F*** Was That? and the year-long mindfulness journal You Can F***ing Do This!. Through her writing, online content, retreats, and other work, she shares an honest view of what it can look like to appear highly functional while privately feeling overwhelmed, isolated, and close to unraveling.

Rebecca emphasizes that she is sharing her lived experience—not offering clinical advice. Her goal is to help others recognize that their experiences are valid and that they are not as alone as they may feel.

Powerful Moments From the Conversation

Connect With Rebecca Lazzelle

Learn more about Rebecca’s memoir, mindfulness journal, retreats, writing, and other work:

• Website: RebeccaLazzelle.com
• Instagram: @RebeccaLazzelle
• YouTube: Rebecca Lazzelle
• Memoir: What the F*** Was That?
• Mindfulness Journal: You Can F***ing Do This!

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Family and Medical Leave Act and mental health:
  Learn how eligible employees may be able to use FMLA leave for qualifying mental health conditions through the U.S. Department of Labor .
• National Domestic Violence Hotline:
  Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text START to 88788, or visit TheHotline.org .
• Glow For Hope Mental Health Resources:
  Visit Glow For Hope’s Find Help page for additional mental health and crisis support.

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Support the Show

Glow For Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to making conversations about mental health more approachable and helping people feel less alone.

If this episode helped you better understand what someone may be carrying beneath the surface, please share it. One honest conversation can remind someone that they do not have to keep holding everything together alone.