🎃 Halloween Special: The Monsters We Dated! 👻

Forget ghosts and haunted houses… some of the scariest monsters are people we've actually dated! 😂

From stolen Halloween candy to jealous witches, flying pumpkins, and an alpha male who ran from a chainsaw, we're sharing Halloween horror stories that are equal parts hilarious, horrifying, and downright ridiculous.

Grab your candy, pour yourself a drink, and prepare to laugh at the audacity! 🍬💀

want to share your holiday story

https://www.sunshinefayemedia.com

sunshinefayemedia@gmail.com

Happy Halloween from Stories We Weren't Supposed to Tell! 🎃

This episode of Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell takes us one step deeper into Krystle’s story.

Last episode, Krystle shared the experiences that shaped her life. Today, Sunshine and Krystle takes those experiences and breaks down the manipulation, trauma responses, and patterns that Krystle didn't even realize were happening.

Welcome to Krystle’s Manipulation Whisperer episode.

We start with three little letters that can control so much of our lives without us even realizing it.

FOG. Fear. Obligation. Guilt.

Krystle opens up about how fear shaped her decisions long after the abuse ended, how obligation became a way of life, and how guilt kept her putting everyone else's needs before her own.

We revisit her relationships and uncover the manipulation hiding beneath the surface. Sexual coercion, triangulation, isolation, gaslighting, blame shifting, DARVO, future faking, intermittent reinforcement, and the slow erosion of her ability to trust herself.

We talk about what happens when someone manipulates you for so long that even when the evidence is sitting right in front of you, you still question what you know to be true.

And then there's the discard.

Sunshine uses an analogy from The Manipulation Whisperer about being thrown off a boat and desperately trying to get back on, never stopping to ask whether that boat was safe in the first place.

Krystle takes that analogy even further, explaining what it actually feels like when the person hurting you is also the person you believe can save you.

But we don't stop at identifying manipulation.

We talk about people-pleasing, loving someone's potential instead of who they actually are, the difference between empathy and self-abandonment, and why healing also means taking an honest look at our own behaviors.

Krystle shares how trauma affected her ability to handle conflict, why she sometimes shuts down when confronted, and how recognizing those responses has helped her begin changing them.

And we talk about the things that helped her find herself again. Meditation, movement, caring for her body, learning boundaries, laughter, and forgiveness.

Because recognizing what someone did to you is only part of healing.

The other part is learning how to trust yourself again.

And when we return to the question Krystle answered in her original episode, what would you tell yourself at your lowest point?, her answers bring everything full circle.

From a young girl who was afraid of everything to a woman who refuses to let that darkness consume her again.

Krystle calls herself a light.

Sunshine calls her a lighthouse.

And this episode shows us why.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, sexual coercion, emotional abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, religious trauma, manipulation, and suicidal thoughts.

Want to know more about Krystle?

Follow Rooted & Wild on Facebook and Instagram.

https://www.facebook.com/share/16QPyrEQzQ5/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.instagram.com/rootedandwild_krys?stkn=ZjV1bWZxY3R2eTRp

Want to learn more about manipulation?

Find Sunshine's book The Manipulation Whisperer, along with her other books, healing resources, and tools to help you recognize manipulation and rebuild trust in yourself.

or if you have a story you want to share on the podcast?

Visit SunshineFayeMedia.com

Sunshine Faye ☀️

This episode of Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell is a little different. Krystle is usually sitting beside Sunshine helping someone else tell their story. Today, we switch seats.

For the first time on the podcast, Krystle tells hers.

We go back to childhood and talk about the experiences that shaped the way Krystle saw herself, the need to feel chosen, and how wounds we don't recognize when we're young can follow us into adulthood and relationships.

Krystle opens up about relationships, sexual coercion, sexual assault, addiction, infidelity, manipulation, religious trauma, shame, and the years she spent questioning herself instead of questioning what was happening to her.

We also talk about the darker parts of survival that aren't discussed enough, anger, revenge, losing pieces of yourself, and what it actually takes to find your way back.

But this is also a story about light.

About boundaries, forgiveness, healthy love, healing, and discovering that surviving the darkness doesn't mean you have to live there.

Krystle calls herself a light.

Sunshine calls her a lighthouse.

And when Krystle answers the question we ask every guest

what would you tell yourself at your lowest point?

well its exactly what she needed to hear at that time.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, sexual coercion, emotional abuse, substance abuse, religious trauma, and suicidal thoughts.

Want to know more about Krystle?
Follow Rooted & Wild on Facebook and Instagram.

https://www.facebook.com/share/16QPyrEQzQ5/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.instagram.com/rootedandwild_krys?stkn=ZjV1bWZxY3R2eTRp

Want to share your story on the podcast or find Randin’s books, resources, and more?
Visit SunshineFayeMedia.com

Sunshine Faye ☀️

This episode of Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell is a little different. Instead of talking about what happens once you’re already deep inside a relationship, we’re talking about what happens before the relationship even starts.

We sit down with Dave, creator of Is He Worthy?, to talk about dating, standards, red flags, relationship patterns, communication, non-negotiables, and how to take some of the emotion out of deciding who we allow into our lives.

Dave shares the heartbreak behind Is He Worthy? and how the end of his marriage and seeing the impact relationship failure had on his family, pushed him to create something designed to help people identify unhealthy or incompatible relationships before years are invested in them.

We also break down the W.O.R.T.H.Y. assessment, why defining your standards before chemistry gets involved matters, and why your list of non-negotiables should continue to evolve as you do.

We talk about why red flags can be so obvious from the outside but difficult to see when you’re the one emotionally invested, whether our past experiences can make us too quick to identify red flags, the difference between an apology and a pattern, passive-aggressive communication, and why sometimes the most important question isn’t whether someone wants you, but whether they actually match the life and relationship you want.

And when Dave answers the question we ask every guest

what would you tell yourself at your lowest point? his answer is simple:

Never give up. Pasted text

IS HE WORTHY?

Website:
https://isheworthy.com

Dave’s website includes the Is He Worthy? book, relationship tools and assessments, resources, and links to his social channels. Pasted text

Sunshine Faye ☀️

Kali grew up in a loving, safe home with a strong family, a deep connection to her faith, and absolutely no reason to believe she would ever become a victim of domestic violence.

At 21, she met a man who seemed to check every box she had been taught to look for. He was older, established, a returned missionary, educated, charismatic, and deeply involved in their faith. Within three weeks they were engaged. Six weeks later they were married.

And almost immediately, everything began to change.

What started with control, intimidation, broken belongings, and emotional abuse slowly escalated into physical violence, financial abuse, spiritual abuse, and fear that became part of everyday life for Kali and her children.

For nearly 20 years, Kali learned how to survive inside a life that looked completely different behind closed doors than it did from the outside.

Then one day, everything changed.

After witnessing an attack on her son and hearing the words that finally made something inside her snap, Kali made the decision she had spent years believing she couldn't make:

She was done.

But leaving wasn't the end of the abuse.

Kali shares what happened next — protective orders, stalking, financial control, the court system, hypervigilance, rebuilding her life, and learning who she was after spending nearly two decades surviving.

Today, Kali is a mother, professional, domestic violence advocate, survivor, and a woman who refuses to let what happened to her dictate what comes next.

⚠️ This episode discusses domestic violence, physical and emotional abuse, child abuse, spiritual abuse, strangulation, stalking, coercive control, financial abuse, and trauma.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or needs support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.

After hearing Kali’s story, you might be left wondering: How does something this extreme ever become normal?

In this episode of Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell, we go back through Kali’s story and break down the manipulation tactics that kept her trapped in an abusive marriage for nearly 20 years.

We talk about how the relationship moved incredibly fast, the future faking and image management that helped build trust, and how small acts of control slowly escalated into intimidation, isolation, financial abuse, spiritual abuse, and violence.

We also break down how coercive control doesn’t always look like someone physically preventing you from leaving. Sometimes it looks like making relationships with family so exhausting that you stop reaching out. Sometimes it’s making you question your own judgment. Sometimes it’s using your beliefs, your children, your finances, or your own sense of responsibility against you.

Most importantly, we talk about how abuse can slowly expand what a person learns to survive. Every time Kali adapted to one level, another was added until things that once would have seemed unimaginable became her everyday life.

Because the cage isn’t always built overnight.

Sometimes the bars are added one at a time until you don’t even realize you’re living inside one.

And when we return to what Kali said she would tell herself at her lowest point, her story leaves us with something worth remembering:

There are brighter days ahead.

⚠️ This episode discusses domestic violence, physical and emotional abuse, child abuse, spiritual abuse, coercive control, financial abuse, intimidation, and manipulation.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or needs support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.

This episode of Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell is a little different, but it might be one of the most important conversations we’ve had.

We sit down with Joe Tuia’ana, founder of the I Love You Bro Project, to talk about men’s mental health, suicide prevention, addiction, loneliness, connection, and what men actually need when they’re struggling.

Joe shares the moment that changed the direction of his life: an encounter with a man named Aaron on an overpass that began with four simple words — “I love you, bro.”

What happened that day eventually became the I Love You Bro Project and a growing network of support groups built to give men something many of them are missing: a safe place to show up, connect, be vulnerable, and realize they aren’t carrying everything alone.

We also talk about what Joe has learned from thousands of conversations and surveys with men, why trying to “fix” someone isn’t always helpful, how women can better support the men in their lives, and why simply being present can sometimes mean more than finding the perfect thing to say.

And when Joe answers the question we ask every guest — what would you tell yourself at your lowest point? — his answer brings the entire conversation full circle.

⚠️ This episode discusses suicide, suicidal ideation, addiction, alcoholism, trauma, and mental health struggles.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988.

I LOVE YOU BRO PROJECT

Website:
https://www.iloveyoubroproject.org

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/iloveyoubroproject

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/iloveyoubroproject

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@iloveyoubroPROJECT

Sunshine Faye ☀️

In Part 2 of Mercedes’ story on Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell, the reality she had been living in finally begins to crack.

After nearly two years of being told she was the abusive one, Mercedes started questioning what she knew to be true.

One Google search changed everything.

She began reading about abuse expecting to recognize herself as the problem. Instead, she recognized him.

Mercedes contacted domestic violence resources, packed what she could, took her daughter, and left for a shelter.

But leaving didn’t mean the control ended.

Within hours, the man she had escaped found her at the shelter.

What followed were protective orders, threats, continued messages, changing stories, court battles, custody issues, financial consequences, and years of trying to create safety while still being legally connected to the person she escaped.

Mercedes also shares the reality survivors don’t always hear enough about:

Sometimes leaving is only the beginning.

Healing can mean learning that every message isn’t an emergency. It can mean setting boundaries you never thought you’d need. It can mean recognizing what your body remembers even when your mind knows you’re safe.

And sometimes healing means finally understanding:

You can have compassion for why someone became who they are without allowing their behavior to continue hurting you.

⚠️ Trigger Warning

This episode contains discussions of:

Domestic violence
Emotional & psychological abuse
Coercive control
Gaslighting & manipulation
Stalking and harassment
Threats of suicide
Protective orders
Custody and divorce
Child-related threats
Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety and mental health
Therapy and healing

Please listen at your own pace and take breaks if needed.

Disclaimer

Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell is a survivor-led podcast created to educate, raise awareness, and encourage healing. The experiences shared reflect one individual’s personal story and should not be used to diagnose yourself or others.

This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or legal advice. If you are experiencing abuse or are in crisis, please seek support from a qualified professional or local emergency services.

Episode Highlights

00:00 – Welcome Back & Part 1 Recap
05:00 – The moment Mercedes questioned her reality
08:00 – Realizing she might not be the abuser
12:00 – Calling domestic violence resources
15:00 – Packing the car & deciding to leave
18:00 – Arriving at the shelter
21:00 – He finds her
24:00 – Protective orders & continued contact
28:00 – The “stalker” story begins unraveling
34:00 – Saying “no” & watching the switch flip
39:00 – Court, protective orders & custody
45:00 – Years of continued control
50:00 – Divorce, parenting & protecting her daughter
55:00 – Trauma stored in the body
57:00 – What healing looks like now
1:00:41 – Final Thoughts

💛 If Mercedes’ story resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need to hear it.

Leaving an abusive relationship isn’t always the end of the story. Sometimes it’s the beginning of learning how to trust yourself again.

Next week: Krystle and Sunshine break Mercedes’ story down in The Manipulation Whisperer episode, identifying the manipulation tactics hiding underneath everything you just heard.

Connect with Sunshine Faye Media
🌐 sunshinefayemedia.com