Latest / Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano / How to Breathe While Suffocating

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How to Breathe While Suffocating · Giving Pain Purpose with Lyndsay Soprano

• This podcast explores chronic pain and trauma getting to the heart of how to heal >> Lyndsay Soprano: This is your pain game podcast where we talk about the game of living in and with chronic pain and trauma getting to the heart of how to heal. I am your host, Lyndsay Soprano. On the show, I plan on discussing with doctors, chronic pain patients, holistic practitioners, loved ones, and anybody that is interested in having their voice heard in the chronic pain and trauma world that we live in. All of our stories in our life start from the beginning, right? You open a book, it starts from a beginning. Every story. I was born to my mother and my birth father, right? Abandoned by him at around three years old. And then my mom and I lived in a car, and my mom and I ended up, by the grace of God, finding a place for us to live, this teeny, tiny place. Even with my mom's expired teaching credential and my mom figured it out, she then ended up meeting my new dad. Right. My. By literally, it's a funny story by literally running into my now father in mammoth in California. It's a ski, it's ski slopes in California. They physically ran into each other and the rest was history after that. And my mom was in the middle of a divorce with that gross dude and was sitting there smoking cigarettes and drinking. If, anybody that's listening that knows my mother, that's like, what? That's not even possible. And I was blessed with this amazing stepfather, but he had competition. You always want to long to have a relationship with your parents. In my case, I longed to have a relationship with my birth father. And you know what? He didn't want one with me. And it wasn't until about 16 years ago, I m am now 46, that I finally chose to let go of a relationship that never was and never would be. And I finally let go of a father and a stepmother that physically abused me, emotionally abused me for the last time. And I have never looked back. But those abandonment issues that I had, some from such a young age, coupled with sexual and physical abuse, started to pile up. So I chose sex, drugs, rock and roll, a little kleptomania. I lifted more lip gloss than you could ever possibly imagine. And we did that to cope, as so many of us do. And I fell into my own addictions, but I chose to fall into those addictions. But my guest today was born immediately into addiction, and it was a choice that he did not have. And his story is peppered with so much abuse, so much trauma, your heart will stop. And his story of the foster care system and the fact that social workers in his life stated that when they found him, and his four sisters was one of the worst reported cases that they had ever seen. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of his story. And I don't want to start this as a very, very sad story, because my guest is as amazingly not sad, and sorry that you could possibly imagine, but that is why we start there, because we can end where somebody like this guy shows up for us. Bruce Brackett shares his story of overcoming addiction and healing from trauma So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you today to my guest, Bruce Brackett. Hello, darling. >> Bruce Brackett: Hello, my love. Hi, Lyndsay hi, everyone. Hello. The Pain game podcast. It's so great to be here. Thank you so much for having me. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Oh, my gosh. It's been a long time coming. We haven't seen each other since January, which is like 100 years ago already. >> Bruce Brackett: I know. You know, and some things just take time to get there. >> Lyndsay Soprano: They do. Yeah, it is. Absolutely. And that's part of trauma, healing and processing all of the things that we go through. So let me give you a little shout out, and then let's get into it. So, Bruce is a social media personality. Personality is just, like, the smallest word you could use for him. He's an author, entrepreneur, visual artist, and an international motivational speaker. He's originally from Montana. Everybody can take a beat on that. Bruce moved from there to New York City at the age of 18 to pursue his dreams of being on Broadway after many distractions, making it too off Broadway and developing several addictions. >> Bruce Brackett: Whoo. Party. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Ah. Time. M meth being one of them. he found his true calling in his way back to sobriety through art and by advocating for recovery to his online audience of over 1.5 million people. And, you know, one of the things that I love about Bruce is that he chose resilience. He chose life, and he chose to be gritty about it. And now he has been on a book tour. And thank you so much for joining us in the middle of it, because I know that you're hot and heavy into it. For his new book, how to breathe while suffocating. A story of overcoming addiction, recovering from trauma, and healing my and all of our souls. So. All right, that was a long intro. Sorry, guys, but I am rolling out the red carpet for you, babe. And thanks again for taking the time out of your busy book tour for us. I would like to start talking about the beginning of your addictions Today. I would like to start talking about the beginning of your addictions and your life in the foster care system, and let's take it from there. >> Bruce Brackett: Sure. Well, I really love how you shared what you shared. Thank you for sharing that with us. And I love how you started. Every. Everything starts at the beginning, and it's so true. We have to start at the beginning. Plant those seeds, and where they grow, they grow. And it's up to us if we want to nurture them. It's up to us if we want to pull the weeds. And for me specifically, I was born into detox from drugs and alcohol. And, that was my, ticket entrance to life. Yay. So much fun. >> Lyndsay Soprano: So fun. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah, yeah. So, you know, the choices that I did not make. But way later on in life, I chose to continue down that road. So at the beginning, you know, being born into detox from drugs and alcohol and bring. Being brought home to one of the worst reported cases of abuse that the state of Montana had seen in the early 1990s. It was a very turbulent beginning. And I'm so fortunate that my guardian angels, higher power, the universe, whatever you want to call it, was with me, really, truly from the very beginning, because we survived those first three years. I'm m the youngest of four older sisters, and we all survived those first three years because of higher powers that were really with us. And we were removed by the state of Montana, which my birth mom, to this day, nothing was wrong. You weren't abused, but, you know, the pile of bullshit. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah. Especially reading your book, I'm like, that is a pile of so much. Unbelievable. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah. Ah, you won't be removed by the state if nothing happened. That's just not how that works, you know? And we. It's actually a really rare case of the foster care system experience that I had because we were removed. Went through one amazing foster home that nurtured us, loved us. I think my first real meal was a giant heap of mashed potatoes and turkey or chicken, you know, some vegetables. Truly, one of my first big nourishment meals was, in that foster home when I was three years old. And we were there for about six months and they were unable to finalize and adopt us, that, you know, they had their own issues going on, so they made the mature decision to not take us on because that would have been another damaging experience not only for us, but for them and their marriage. So we continued on by word of mouth, which I actually just learned about. This was not in the book. on a trip home recently, I went to go visit my father and he told us of how that happened. And it was a graduation. My foster mom's daughter was graduating, and it was just this casual conversation in the gymnasium. Hey, we have these kids, we don't know exactly what to do with them. And my soon to be adoptive parents were like, oh, yeah, we'll take them. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah, like, no big deal. >> Bruce Brackett: No big deal. No questions. I mean, there were some questions, but. >> Lyndsay Soprano: I mean, maybe one or two. >> Bruce Brackett: So, that's how that happened. And we, you know, we had a few meet and greets with them that I was not really aware of until recently, and they just made the decision, yeah, we're going to take in these kids. And, I mean, the whole town came together. My mom's best friend was like, you don't have enough bedrooms for all of these kids. Take my house. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Right? That was in the book. I literally. I was so blindsided. She's like, swap houses with me. I'm like, yeah, wow, that is amazing. yeah. >> Bruce Brackett: And that. That one, I think, was without question, it was just like, oh, no, just bring your lipstick and maybe some clothes, and that's it. And we'll just swap houses. And that's exactly how it happened. So I am, completely aware that that is very out of the norm for the foster care system. They took us in because they didn't want to see us get separated as siblings. They took us in because they had the provisions and the love and the means to be able to do that. So from the very beginning in their care, we were immediately placed into trauma therapy, were given everything that we needed. The whole town came together for pain or for. And it all with a lot of learning curves and struggles and ups and downs. It ended up working out. And one of the pieces of advice that my father received was guide them through with love, with dignity, with time, and with success in your heart. Get them to adulthood, and you have done your job. And that's exactly what they did. And I am forever grateful for them because I would not be who I am today without them. >> Lyndsay Soprano: No kidding. Bruce and his sweetie are fostering two nephews And, right now, my sweetie and I are in the process of. We're not, like, technically fostering. We're a guardian for two of my nephews. And I'm going through this very weird stage right now where I all of a sudden have a 13 and 17 year old in my house and boys. And I've not done the boy thing. I'm like, welcome. yeah, great. Do you guys have any way of pointing that thing somewhere straight? Like, this is weird. What happens in here at night when you go to sleep? What happened in here? So there's a learning curve, and mine is very, very. A small, minuscule thing, but I have this firsthand kind of experience of all of the sudden, I bringing in two kids that I've known, though, like, in your case, they didn't know you. So, I mean, I've known them since they were babies and they were born, but at the same time, they haven't been under my roof, they haven't been under my discipline, they haven't been under, like, my rules and the things that are important to us and our family and our structure and all of that, and it's kind of rattling our cages and it's rattling our norm, our normalcy and our life, our sex life. We're literally about. We're gonna go and get a hotel room, and we're leaving them here to babysit the dogs so that we can have sex. This is literally what's happening right now. >> Bruce Brackett: Please, please do. >> Lyndsay Soprano: She says so anyways. But the remarkable hearts that people do have when they bring children in, the foster care system, and they bring you in, and you're talking about five children, you're not talking about one, you're not talking about two, five baby dolls that need so much love. And you were the baby of the group, right? >> Bruce Brackett: Yes. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah. So, you know, here's a little Bruce like. And you wanted to protect your sisters. How could you not want to? The majority of the abuse that I experienced was in my birth home So can we talk a little bit? And I know it's an icky topic, but can we talk a little bit and just brush a little bit on the abuse that you did experience in some of the foster care systems in some of your home before that? I would like to touch a little bit on that, because that trauma plays into a lot of your behavior. >> Bruce Brackett: It absolutely does. And, I mean, the first several years of your life, those cognitive years, stay with you always. And the majority of the abuse that I experienced was in my birth home. Again, I'm very fortunate abuse did not happen in foster care with me, which I know is not the case for a lot of people. Abuse happens to be in the foster care system as well, but that's not my experience. I mean. Oh, My God. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Your abuse was before it. >> Bruce Brackett: It absolutely was. The entirety of it. I mean, from the minute I was conceived to when I was birthed to until I was three years old. And it was physical, it was sexual, it was malnourishment, not being fed, it was being abandoned up to a point of a year where my birth mom just decided, oh, I'm going to just go off with these men. And we were left with my grandparents who abused her. So, you know, the cycle wasn't broken, and she passed down. I'm not going to villainize her because she is a human and she did not understand or have the opportunities that I had to break that cycle. However, she had a whole life where she could have learned to do that, and she made the choice not to, which is why I don't have a relationship with her today. but, oh, my gosh. Yeah, very physical. And I do believe that I saw the least amount of abuse compared to my sisters, who probably had a lot worse. But I mean, there was a whipping stick, belts. I mean, just being slugged. There's moments where people won't consider this abuse, but in some way it is. And especially in those early years when everything. Children are watching. Children listen. Children observe adults and everything that they do. And, you know, something as innocent as going out and picking dandelions and thinking that we're creating this beautiful bouquet of love and just wanting to offer that to my birth mom and the level that she freaked out and threw them away, you know, screaming at us for giving her weeds. That traumatizes a kid. And I mean, yeah, sexual abuse was pretty rampant with, nondescript boyfriends or babysitters that would come and stay with us. Not all of my sisters were sexually abused, but we were all physically abused, malnourished. I mean, sharing an, uncooked packet of ramen between the five of us. And that. That's just one example, right? >> Lyndsay Soprano: And it's a horrible, horrible example because it's so simple. That's what makes it so horrible is you're talking about ramen. Everybody knows this. The top ramen stuff, right? This is what we did. We put it in water when we were in college because we didn't have any money. And the money we had, we wanted to use on, booze. Okay, because that's college, right. But, yeah, that you can visually think, like, breaking that ramen and eating it with absolutely no water like that is absolute abuse and neglect. And the malnourishment part, I mean, that's one of the things I remember in your book where you first went to the house, the first big house. Not the second big house, right, the first one. And you went to the refrigerator and you guys were just like, pile driving food into your faces because you couldn't even believe that this was happening. Like, this is what is in normal refrigerators. There's food here. My heart just dropped. My heart just dropped. >> Bruce Brackett: That is such a powerful moment. For me, that I still remember the smells. I, you know, I. Before and after I remember the smells of the empty refrigerator and how something in there was rotten and just stayed there. Or the empty cabinets, completely barrendae. To go from that to a fully stocked refrigerator. I mean, overflowing. And just to have the option to hear my, foster mom say, oh, if you're hungry and you want more, help yourself. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah. >> Bruce Brackett: What? That's an option. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Or even there are options for food. Would you like some turkey, or would you like some chicken? Like what? That's insane. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah. This green thing, that's called broccoli. You're allowed to have that. >> Lyndsay Soprano: What is this thing? >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah. So. And I do talk a lot about this in my book, but I really try and keep it light because there's so much to cover in the meat of the story. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yes. >> Bruce Brackett: That, even throughout the trauma, I really don't dive deep into a lot of details because I do want to keep it. I know it's traumatic for a lot of people who have gone through it, and it's also traumatic for someone who has no idea, and it's too much for them to understand. So I did try and keep it a little. A little lighter, but still get to the point. >> Lyndsay Soprano: And you did a good job of that. You did, absolutely. And because your story is not just that. Your story is what you overcame from that. We're talking about mental health and addiction and bullying Now, we get into that part of this interview with you, my darling. >> Bruce Brackett: Yes, yes. >> Lyndsay Soprano: And we don't want to give everything away, either, for the book, because, guys, I mean, we're talking about. And we'll talk a little bit about bullying, but we're talking about mental health and addiction and bullying and all of this. But we're also talking about being gay and how. How that coming out and being this. This gay man and your. And in the system and all of this stuff. You came out to your parents when you were around 1112 years old So I'd like to talk a little bit about that part of you, because it is so you. And you are. I mean, you're a beautiful human being. You are a beautiful specimen that has been brought onto this universe and is here with me today. And I applaud you for everything that you've been through, and I love that you're gay. >> Bruce Brackett: I do, too. >> Lyndsay Soprano: You're welcome. You're welcome. And I'm proud of you that you are, because, I mean, if I was and I'm not. I mean, I've dabbled, but it's. I mean, hell, I love that. I mean, I'm not a monster, but, you know, when it comes down to it, I am a total, total, total boy. Like, I'm boy crazy. I've been forever. But I love that you are unabashed about it. You are, unapologetic. You are who you are. And you were in a very, very small town growing up. What was it, like, 300 people or something? Bing. Everybody knows you. So not only are you going through the stuff that you've been through, through the trauma of your birth and your birth mother and all of this and the foster moms and. And now you've got this as well, that you need to not. I hate to use the word cope with, but quite frankly, it's kind of what you had to do. You had to cope with who you were. Yeah, let's talk about that a little bit. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah. There was a lot of. A lot of learning and a lot of self discovery and figuring out identity and, you know, the book talks about that, too. But in the grand scheme of things, I am proud to be who I am because of the love that my parents gave me. My, you know, they're my mom and dad, right? >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah, yeah. >> Bruce Brackett: My. Yeah. My birth people, they're just vessels that brought me into the world. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah. >> Bruce Brackett: But my mom and dad, who adopted me from day one, just so much love. And outside of the family, I mean, even my sisters, you know, I've always been glittery and love the shine and always, always have been expressive and flamboyant and I've never really been able to hide that. And my parents distilled that into me, to not hide that outside of the walls of our home, though, in public school and especially in a very small, conservative ranching town. Oh, yeah. Like, there was no hiding it. And there was just endless bullying in school. And I had to learn a lot of how to overcome and navigate that. And my mom, she did her research and she went through and she was like, how can I help my son? And got a whole bunch of tips online and we even practiced in the living room. Her tossing me around. Cause this would happen at school, but her literally pretending to be the bully and teaching me how to stand up or not react to her. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Wow. >> Bruce Brackett: Like, amazing. Amazing. Yeah. All the awards go to her. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Oh, my God. So many rainbow flags are flying at her face right now, baby. Good for her. >> Bruce Brackett: And, I mean, it helps that my parents are from San Francisco and hippies from the fifties and sixties and I. My, my uncle is, is vibrantly gay and has always been out. So I had a lot of things going for me in that regard. And when I came out to my parents, I was like, end of fifth grade, beginning of 6th grade. So I was around 1112 years old. >> Lyndsay Soprano: That's early. >> Bruce Brackett: And I knew. I knew well before that. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Right? Yeah. And they did, too. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah. Oh, and they did. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Of course. >> Bruce Brackett: I sat them down on the couch and, I was like, you know, we just got back from a skiing trip, and I was really watching the snowboarders. I mean, I was, like, following them into the bathroom. No. >> Lyndsay Soprano: So many dicks flying at me. Yes, that's a quote from our meet and greet. >> Bruce Brackett: And I'm ten. No, which, by the way, is that I actually started watching porn. I was very young when I started watching porn. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Right. That's one of my other things I wanted to talk to you about. >> Bruce Brackett: Oh, yeah. >> Lyndsay Soprano: But no, little man. >> Bruce Brackett: I sat them down on the couch and I was like, I think I'm gay. And both, immediately, both of my parents were like, yeah, we know. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Duh. yeah, yeah. You got into addiction to sex and pornography at a very young age All right. >> Bruce Brackett: But thank you for telling me. >> Lyndsay Soprano: There is actually something that you wanted to talk to us about. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah, yeah, right, exactly. So I'm. I owe everything to my. My parents and the therapists and the amount of work that they put in shows. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah, it absolutely does. And so even though you had this incredibly. And still have this incredibly wonderful support network in the middle of this, I mean, you got into, you, know, your own addictive path, and obviously sex and drugs and alcohol and all of that. So even in the midst of this happy family that has been supportive for you, why do you think you still went down that path? And I can say for myself, I was raised in a very happy, loving, giving, wonderful environment. I couldn't speak to them the way that you could, where I can openly talk about them. I still can't either. With my mom. I mean, it's getting better, but, you know, I'm 46, so what's the rush? But you're fortunate enough that you have this space that you could speak to these people and you could be who you wanted to be, but you still ended up going down a pathway that some would say, well, it's because of all of the stuff that happened to him, but he's got this great family, so why. Why still? >> Lyndsay Soprano: What is your answer to that? >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah, I. I did. I reintroduced myself to addiction, starting with sex and pornography at a, very young age. Ten years old. The amount of family computers that I ruined. Oh, my God. >> Lyndsay Soprano: I know. You say that in your book. >> Bruce Brackett: Oh, endless. And not even family computers, family friends and, like, public libraries. I mean, I went. I was addicted. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Nicely done, Pornhub. >> Bruce Brackett: Yes. Thank you. I don't even think that was a thing anyway. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Of course it wasn't. >> Bruce Brackett: No, I had to go straight to a specific website. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Right. >> Bruce Brackett: I did. I reintroduced myself to my addiction, starting with sex. And I really chose that because being so isolated as a young gay person in such a conservative area, there was no one else like me that I could relate to or feel safe to talk with. So that really left me to my own devices. And that was the first thing that I did. I actually, I did this with a friend of mine that was the same age, actually a year younger, so I guess he would have been nine. where. That was our first experience with that. And, you know, like, haha, let's sneak out of her bedroom and look at naughty things. And that's what we did. And, oh, my God, the avalanche that came from that. So totally not his fault. I take full responsibility. And when we did that, we were watching straight porn because I. I wasn't out yet. Sure, sure to him. So I was like, okay, not really what I'm interested in, but let's do this. >> Lyndsay Soprano: What are these stupid things bobbing up and down with these nipples on them? >> Bruce Brackett: These are so stupid devices. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Are they going to save me when I, like, jump off of a boat? >> Bruce Brackett: I don't think so. >> Lyndsay Soprano: No, they're not. All they're doing is falling into our armpits. That's all that's happening with us, just so you know. >> Bruce Brackett: I'm so sorry. >> Lyndsay Soprano: I know, it's terrible. why are my armpits so saggy? It's not your armpits, Lyndsay. It's your tits. >> Bruce Brackett: It's your tits. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Your tits. >> Bruce Brackett: Those things? Yes. Oh, my God. I love that. Where do we. Where do we go from there? >> Lyndsay Soprano: I don't know. It was nice talking to you. Thank you so much for being on the show. >> Bruce Brackett: Thank you so much. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yes, it's been a pleasure. Yeah. Bye bye. You've gone through so many things, and you've got health challenges on top of that >> Bruce Brackett: so, yeah, that really started the addiction process. And it wasn't until I was 16 years old where, because of being so isolated and alone and not having someone to fully identify with or check in with, you know, I was in therapy this whole time, and for years I would just lie myself silly. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Of course, that's what therapy's about. >> Bruce Brackett: Yeah, everything's good. I'm not going to work on the darker issues. Kidding me. Especially with someone that I. The amount of therapists and caseworkers and, you know, people, it. It's a high turnover rate, especially with caseworkers. I had probably 20 case workers up until the point that I was 18. So I, you know, reliving that, over and over and over again. I just. I was. I'm not doing this anymore, so I'm not going to be honest. And, you know, that did not pay off because when I was 16, I completely dissociated mentally and had. I mean, I would label it as a psychotic break. And I ran away from home, and I was missing for quite, some time. And it was my desire to be a sex toy for someone. It was my desire to get completely fucked up on drugs and just to escape and not be who it was that I. I was at that time in the town that I was living in. I just wanted out. And I made that choice. I was unwell. Nonetheless, I still made that choice. And that's when I really reintroduced myself to drugs, alcohol. I went hard from a very young age, and I still don't know how I survived that summer. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Well, you survived because you were born to have the grit. I mean, you just were. And some people aren't. You know, we. We have relationships in our lives and we meet people in our lives and we go through things in our lives, and we can either be gritty about it or we can give up. And I know that I've had moments where I have given up, for sure, but I would say that statistically, I'm about an a plus, a minus, depending upon the week on the showing up with grit and grace as much as I can. But that's not something that just you're born with at birth. You know what I find most amazing about people like yourself is you have, like I said in the beginning, everybody wakes up to a story, and it's everybody's book, and it's everybody's book to write. And there may be some shitty shit. That fucking shitty happens in your life that makes your book into a blockbuster movie, because I feel like you have a blockbuster in you. Your story is, There's so many levels to it. There's so many layers. And when you read his book and you start following in social media and you start picking up on everything that we've talked about today on this episode and just be like, fuck, yeah. And that's you. You've gone through so many things, and you've got health challenges on top of that from all of your debauchery, you know, as do I. And, you know, we. We deal with it the way that we can. I mean, what else can we do? What else can we do but be who we are? >> Bruce Brackett: The alternative is not. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> Bruce Brackett: It's not looking pretty and, you know, it. It's. It's so true. Either show up or quit. And, honestly, it can be that simple. It takes a lot of work, and it doesn't mean that you have to show up and get everything correct right now. No, it takes time. Time to be able to overcome, no matter what it is that you're facing. But you can. You can. >> Lyndsay Soprano: You can. Sure. Talk about your positivity, the side about you, what you're up to So what are you up to now? Between the book tour and all of that? Let's talk a little bit about your, your positivity side of you, which obviously is, is weeds through this episode no matter what. But talk about your positivity, the side about you, what you're up to, why you're doing your book tour, and what's coming up soon for you. >> Bruce Brackett: I'm so grateful. I love what I do on social media. I love the platform that we have created together, because my platform is not about me. It's about the community that we have built together. Whether it's someone who is overcoming from addiction or mental health or eating disorders, or they're just feeling lonely and a little bit lost. That's what my community is. And we approach it with love and positivity. And when you can do that, you start to see a way through. Because if we continually focus on the negative side of things, guess where we're going to stay. If we can replace that with a little bit of love and positivity, guess what direction you're going to go towards and what you're going to soon be attracting to your own life. It's all about that. You know, most people give up right before they get their yes. And I think it's a my responsibility now that I am on this side of things in my own life, to share that message with others. And if I can do that with a cup of love, the clap of my fan and a little high kick, or just holding someone's hands and breathe with them to show them that, hey, guess what? Yeah, this sucks, but it's not going to last forever. You can get through this. Replace that negative with positive, and it's amazing what happens in your life. And once I started to do that on social media, the amount of positivity and health and wealth, and I'm not talking money, I'm just talking about the wealth of my life and opportunities and successes that came from that. You know, I'm looking over here. You can't see them right now, but, I guess I'll show a cheer choice award, you know, and then three telly awards that came from what it is that we do on social media together. I say we because again, it's not about me, it's about us. the book. And just going to 1617, I don't really know how many cities it was. San Francisco, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin. Kansas, Ann Arbor. Salt. Lake City, Phoenix. Boston, twice, New York, twice. You know, so many different cities that I've been to over the last few months. Meeting the people that are with me every single day on social media is such a reward. And to hear what it is that they're starting to do with their life because maybe I had a little bit of inspiration or a little bit of a push for them to start showing up for themselves. That's what it's about. And it is just so incredible. And I love you all so much. If you're listening from my side of the world, I love you guys. If you're not listening from my side of the world, I still love you. I've got a few more cities left in me for this book tour to wrap up the us version of it. And then I go over to the UK to hit up a few cities over there and then this book tour is finished for my book, how to breathe while suffocating. And I am very, close, only about two weeks away. I'm looking at the calendar here, about two weeks away from being certified as a life coach, which I'm very excited about. To navigate through that and be able to dive deeper and work one on one instead of in the masses. Sure, that's exciting. And I've secured a second contract for the continuation of this story through a second book, so I'll be writing that over the next year. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Oh, my goodness, my darling, you are doing wonderful things for our world, our, communities. And, you know, it's. It really is, you know, doing, doing the. Doing the work that you and I both do amongst many other people that are sitting behind the mics and sitting behind their pens in front of their computers, putting together ways that they can help other people. It is one of the things, well, one, it is the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. When you've gone through shit, it is so nice to know that from the shit, you can be someone so amazing and you can be somebody so loving and so caring and wanting to help other people. And that is something that I am grateful for. You. You're inspiring to me and you're inspiring to everybody that's listening. And thank you so much. For being with us today. It's been amazing. >> Bruce Brackett: Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing that. And I say this exact same thing back to you. I'm so proud of you and your resiliency and how you've overcome and what you're doing with that, because your light is shining brightest from the darkest room that you've been in. So. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Well, if that ain't a quote, if that ain't a quote, it is now. It is now. Okay. Rachel, who's my social media director, get the quote. That's one of them for the. For our social media. Oh, my God. Thank you so much. Be your best friend. Have the most amazing love affair with yourself Is there anything that you'd like to leave us with? I mean, you've left us with a billion things, but is there anything that you'd like to leave us with before you hit the dusty trail here? >> Bruce Brackett: Be your best friend. Have the most amazing love affair with yourself, because that's where it's at, and that's where you're going to learn what you want to deal with and what you don't want to deal with for yourself or from outside forces. Be your best friend. No matter what it is that you are going through, where you have come from, what you think you're not able to do, all made up, it's all bullshit. Don't buy into it. Half of my brain sells bullshit, and the other half buys it. No, we're turning that side off. We need to know, and just do your best, do no harm, and do for yourself every single day so that you can do for others. >> Lyndsay Soprano: That is well said and much needed to be heard because we all forget sometimes to, love ourselves before anybody else. Because, I mean, quite frankly, if we don't love ourselves, it's hard to love others. >> Bruce Brackett: It, is. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Yep. It surely is. Thank you, my sweet darling. I am so happy to have you been here with me and my audience, and we can find you@bwbrt.com. he's on Instagram as BWB dot positivity, but I'm gonna have it all up in social media. He's got a link tree and a bunch of other things that he's got going on. Obviously, we're gonna go buy this book on Amazon immediately. It is how to breathe while suffocating. A story of overcoming addiction, recovering from trauma, and healing my and your soul. Thank you so much again for joining us. Bruce, I love you. >> Bruce Brackett: I love you, too. I love all of you. Thank you for having me. >> Lyndsay Soprano: Thank you so much. You are exclusively invited to share the show up or quit love affair with yourself. Vip pain journey together. Let's get to the heart of how to heal you by my side. Let's connect and hear stories of strength and grit. I am here to provide a, safe place to be vulnerable and honest and amazing while you share your powerful stories with us. Bruce is here. Lyndsay is here. We are both here. We'll put Bruce up in social media as well so that you can connect with him if you need him. He is here as well. Please follow the Pain game podcast. Wherever you digest your podcast content, we will be there. Visit us@thepaingamepodcast.com and follow us on all the socials. Thanks for listening to my little vip's. Catch you on the other side.