Sometimes an ordinary moment touches an ancient wound, and suddenly we find ourselves wondering where we belong, whether we are truly wanted, and who would choose us if they didn’t have to.

In this deeply personal episode of Untamed Voices, Lizzi shares the story of Ann—a woman who came into her life through a relationship but continued loving her long after that relationship ended. Ann made belonging feel effortless. She made room. She included. She loved Lizzi’s son. And every year, she took them to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Years after Ann’s passing, during a moment when old feelings of abandonment and exclusion resurfaced, Lizzi found herself unexpectedly thinking about her. Then a song appeared on her music feed: Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Dreams of Fireflies.

What followed was a powerful reminder that the places where we weren’t chosen are not the whole story.

This episode explores the people who become unexpected family, the difference between being included and truly feeling wanted, the way old wounds collect evidence of every abandonment while forgetting the people who stayed, and the possibility that love continues leaving little lights behind long after a person is gone.

Because perhaps fireflies don’t come to eliminate the darkness.

Perhaps they simply glow long enough to remind us:

There was love here.

There was a place for you here.

You belonged.

And that love still counts.

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Until next time — stay free, stay human, and keep listening to your untamed voice.

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Podcast Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or professional mental health treatment. No client information or session content is ever shared. Any examples discussed are generalized, composite, or drawn from the counselor’s personal experiences and do not represent individual clients.

Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapeutic relationship. The counselor does not provide individualized advice through public platforms and maintains professional boundaries with current clients.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911, go to your nearest emergency room, or contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

What if every painful thing happening around you isn’t actually yours to fix, heal, or learn from?

In this episode of Untamed Voices, we step into the story of two ancient forests growing side by side—connected by roots, wildlife, and years of shared history. But when one forest begins to burn, the other becomes consumed with trying to save it, until an unexpected groundskeeper appears with a very different lesson.

Through the metaphor of fire, boundaries, and renewal, we explore what happens when compassion turns into over-responsibility, when someone else’s discomfort becomes our emergency, and when helping begins to interfere with another person’s path.

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is put down the bucket, tend to our own forest, and trust someone else with theirs.

Because not every fire is ours to extinguish.

And we do not have to become collateral damage in someone else’s learning.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love for you to share it with someone who might need these words today.

To stay connected, follow along for upcoming Untamed Voices episodes and reflections.

Remember: your story matters. Your truth belongs.

Until next time — stay free, stay human, and keep listening to your untamed voice.

Join Untamed Voices Community group of FB https://www.facebook.com/share/g/178tQDFCLb/

Follow me on Insta @ https://www.instagram.com/untamed_voices_lvr?igsh=dWJuZnR0dDQwbjhv&utm_source=qr

Podcast Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or professional mental health treatment. No client information or session content is ever shared. Any examples discussed are generalized, composite, or drawn from the counselor’s personal experiences and do not represent individual clients.

Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapeutic relationship. The counselor does not provide individualized advice through public platforms and maintains professional boundaries with current clients.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911, go to your nearest emergency room, or contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

For years, when Lizzi looked back at her childhood, the pain was easy to find. The kindness was harder to see.

In this deeply personal episode of Untamed Voices, she remembers the people scattered across countries, classrooms, kitchens, and gymnasiums who offered her something they may never have realized she needed: joy, dignity, belonging, protection, encouragement, attunement, and the simple experience of being genuinely enjoyed.

From a woman in Brazil who wrapped a towel around her wet hair and called her a queen, to a classmate who made room beside her, coaches who learned how to believe in her, teachers who saw beneath her struggles, and a woman who was simply happy she existed, these small moments became far more significant than they appeared at the time.

Lizzi explores why complex trauma can make love difficult to recognize, how the belief “my existence isn’t valid” shaped the way she remembered her life, and what happened when healing allowed those old memories to take on new meaning.

This episode is a reflection on the quiet ways people change us without ever knowing it—and the tenderness of realizing that while pain left fingerprints, love did too.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love for you to share it with someone who might need these words today.

To stay connected, follow along for upcoming Untamed Voices episodes and reflections.

Remember: your story matters. Your truth belongs.

Until next time — stay free, stay human, and keep listening to your untamed voice.

Join Untamed Voices Community group of FB https://www.facebook.com/share/g/178tQDFCLb/

Follow me on Insta @ https://www.instagram.com/untamed_voices_lvr?igsh=dWJuZnR0dDQwbjhv&utm_source=qr

Podcast Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or professional mental health treatment. No client information or session content is ever shared. Any examples discussed are generalized, composite, or drawn from the counselor’s personal experiences and do not represent individual clients.

Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapeutic relationship. The counselor does not provide individualized advice through public platforms and maintains professional boundaries with current clients.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911, go to your nearest emergency room, or contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.