Social Leopards

47. After the Divorce, I Started Over With Nothing

If you’ve ever wondered what it truly takes to begin again at the end of a marriage when life seems to be literally falling apart all around you, this episode is for you. Beth shares a story of raw, unfiltered reality of starting over after divorce—no tidy bows, just the honest truth behind survival, strength, and the quiet heroism found in everyday moments. Featuring the deeply personal writing of Substack creator Salwa, this story dives into the messiness of rebuilding with nothing but hope and resilience.
Listen in for a powerful reminder that strength can be quiet, victories can be small, and sometimes just showing up is enough. Whether you’re in the middle of your own journey or supporting someone through theirs, you’ll find validation, encouragement, and a sense of community here.
Don’t miss this moving reflection on loss, growth, and the courage to move forward. Hit play and join the conversation—because sometimes, the most important steps are the ones no one sees.
About this week’s featured contributor:
Salwa is the writer behind Quietly Becoming, a Substack publication where she explores life after breaking points - divorce, motherhood, mental health, and quiet resilience. Her writing is raw, reflective, and deeply personal, often making space for the messy middle of healing and becoming.
Website: salwanotes.substack.com
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

46. Why I Started Dreading Lunch with My Best Friend

Host Beth reads and reflects upon Mary Jackson's essay about a client, Lisa, who dreads lunches with her friend Monica because conversations are one-sided and emotionally draining. It’s a truly relatable episode for many of us who struggle to achieve a mutually fulfilling friendship.
The episode explores emotional labor, the importance of reciprocity in friendships, and a simple boundary technique Lisa uses to shift the dynamic toward mutual care.
About our featured contributor:
Mary Jackson is the Life Upgrade Specialist helping high-achieving women break up with old patterns and upgrade to the life they've always envisioned. As a licensed mental health counselor with over 13 years of experience, Mary offers what she calls "individualized reflection" - deep, authentic connection that honors each woman's unique story while guiding her toward real transformation. Her signature "Life Upgrade Method" takes women through four phases: Recognition, Reflection, Renewal, and Rise - moving from pattern awareness to purposeful living through creativity and connection. Mary became a counselor because she found safety and transformation in her own therapist's office. Her personal journey through trauma led her to "make something beautiful out of something ugly," using her lived experiences to provide clients exactly what she needed during her own healing. What sets Mary apart is her magnetic ability to help women see their own potential through authentic connection and community. She's the friend who asks hard questions, celebrates wins without reservation, and reminds you that your worth is non-negotiable. Through her newsletter "The Inner Glow Society" on Substack, she continues this work of helping women upgrade their lives. Her core belief: "If you want something different, you're going to have to do something different." Mary Jackson is proof that your old patterns served you, but you don't have to stay stuck there. Your life upgrade is waiting.
Website: maryjackson.online
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

45. Healing After Emotional Abuse

In this episode Beth shares Vera Hart's essay on healing (What Real Healing Looks Like: Rewiring the Body After Psychological Abuse), exploring how trauma rewires the body and the steps toward real recovery: naming harm, rebuilding safety, recognizing trauma bonds, and resisting societal shame.
Through personal reflection and simple practices—setting boundaries, creating calm spaces, and allowing grief—listeners are invited to shift from survival to peace and to claim permission to heal.
About this week’s contributing creator:
Vera Hart MD PhD is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in trauma recovery, narcissistic abuse, and the neurobiology of power. She writes under a pseudonym to maintain separation from her clinical work while sharing unfiltered insights to empower survivors. Her writing blends neuroscience, psychology, and lived truth to illuminate hidden patterns of harm, and pathways to freedom.
You can find Dr. Hart’s work on Substack: substack.com/@verahartmdphd
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204
 

44. Low-Key Habits that Improved My Mental Health

This episode explores low-key, gentle habits that support mental health—you’ll have to listen for the details! Drawn from Karun Pal's "The Introvert Letter," the host reflects on how these small rituals create calm, reduce pressure, and honor individual rhythms.
Listeners are invited to slow down, subtract the noise, and embrace peaceful, sustainable self-care routines that work for them.
About this week’s featured contributor:
Karun Pal’s Substack account is written to share observations & insights, helping introverts grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. His page is titled, The Introvert Letter, and he drops one “deep dive” each Sunday. Here’s how to connect with him:
Substack: karunpal.substack.com
X: karunpal
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

43. Reclaiming Your Voice: The Subtle Tyranny of Coercive Control

In this compelling episode of Social Leopards, host Beth delves into the intricacies of coercive control with insights from survivor and writer Samara Knight. Samara shares her journey through emotional abuse, highlighting how victims often lose their sense of choice and autonomy in relationships where control doesn’t leave physical scars. Through testimonies and personal reflections, the episode sheds light on the profound challenges of reclaiming one’s decision-making ability and the silent battles faced by survivors.
This poignant discussion explores the ways coercive control affects everyday decisions, from mundane choices to life-altering ones, often leaving a lasting psychological impact even after the relationship ends. Samara's story is a powerful reminder of the resilience required to regain personal agency and the importance of offering support and space to those healing from such experiences.
Tune in for a deeply moving narrative that underscores the silent erosion of autonomy in abusive dynamics and emphasizes the empowering journey of reclaiming the right to decide in one’s own life.
About our featured contributor:
Samara Knight is a writer, researcher, and survivor advocating for awareness and freedom from coercive control and emotional abuse. Her personal experiences in a cult and a 12-year coercive marriage fuels her work. With a BSc in Psychology and ongoing MSc studies in the Psychology of Coercive Control, she runs a Substack page and Shadows of Control, a website dedicated to sharing personal narratives and professional insights into coercive control.
How to find Samara:
Website: shadowsofcontrol.com
Substack: @shadowsofcontrol
Threads: @shadowsofcontrol
X: shadows_control
Facebook: shadowsofcontrol
BlueSky: shadowsofcontrol.bsky.social
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

42. Escaping the Upside Down: The Reality of Gaslighting

In this episode of Social Leopards, host Beth dives into the complex world of gaslighting, a psychological manipulation tool where individuals distort reality to gain control. Beth shares the experiences and insights on identifying and dealing with gaslighters, featuring a powerful article from Substack author Anton Volney. Volney's piece, "The Upside Down," explores the heartbreaking reality of living with manipulation, reminding listeners of the power of honesty and self-belief. Join Beth as she encourages listeners to embrace their truth and break free from the emotional distortions imposed by others.
About this week’s featured contributor:
Anton Volney is an Agora-trained copywriter who’s written million-dollar campaigns for Tony Robbins and other leading voices in personal transformation. But behind the marketing mastery is a deeper story—of a man who’s spent years in therapy, meditation, and the quiet discipline of a Buddhist monk. He’s a dancer. A writer. A seeker. His work isn’t just about persuasion—it’s about truth. He doesn’t just move markets. He moves people.
Anton’s Substack: https://substack.com/@antonvolney
Anton’s website: antonvolney.com
X: x.com/findinnerpower
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

41. Discovering Awe: The Surprising Power of Feeling Small

Get ready to dive in with Beth on this episode of Social Leopards, where we unlock the incredible power of awe in our everyday lives. Inspired by Caitlin McColl’s thought-provoking letter, "The Psychology of Awe, Why We Crave What Makes Us Feel Small," Beth unpacks what awe actually does for us, how it shakes us out of routine, connects us on a deeper level, and helps melt away stress and self-doubt.
Discover the science and stories behind those moments that make you say “wow,” and find out why seeking out the extraordinary in the ordinary can be life-changing. Tune in for practical tips, inspiring insights, and a challenge to notice awe wherever it shows up. Because sometimes, a shift in perspective is exactly what we need to rediscover just how magical life can be.
About this week’s featured contributor:
Caitlin McColl is a writer, yoga and mindfulness teacher, and the writer/creator of Dose of Wonder—a Substack publication that blends awe, psychology, and gentle reflection. With a deep love for both neuroscience and soulfulness, Caitlin explores how small moments of wonder can shift our inner landscape. Her work invites listeners to slow down, tune in, and rediscover the magic woven into everyday life.
You can find Caitlin’s work at substack.com/@caitlinmccoll.
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

40. Embracing Uncertainty: Stephanie's Journey to Self-Discovery

Join Beth as she kicks off Season 4 of Social Leopards with a powerful theme of reflections. In this episode, she shares an inspiring story by Stephanie Clemons from her Substack, "Stories - A Journey to Self, Peace and Love." Stephanie's impactful narrative, "There is Safety in Uncertainty: How I Learned to Let Go," delves into the struggle with life's transitions and the discovery of lessons learned along the way. Through her own experiences of facing uncertainty, letting go of a safe but unfulfilling career, and embracing the unknown, Stephanie offers profound insights into finding true fulfillment beyond the boundaries of security and control. Tune in to explore how embracing the unpredictability of life can lead to growth and personal peace.
About this week’s featured contributor:
Stephanie Clemons is a sociologist who is currently on a Sabbatical/path to self-renewal. Her passions include books, music, museums, fashion, exotic cuisine, travelling, writing, critical reflection, the sea and, as an Anglophile, anything and everything that has to do with the UK. Her page is called, Stories - A Journey To Self, Peace & Love.
You can find Stephanie’s work at substack.com/@stephanieclemons1.
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:Beth responds personally to all communications received. 
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 

39. Season 4 Sneak Peek

Welcome back, Social Leopards! As we gear up for an exciting new Season 4, we are sharing several show-changing announcements as we continue to explore the complexities of adulthood, loneliness, and the journey to embracing our authentic selves. Expect real stories and insights from diverse individuals, creating a unique auditory experience blending audiobook and podcast. Get ready for a season that's introspective, reality-inspired, and, most of all, fun! Happy listening!
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 
NEED HELP?
Support is available if life is getting too hard to bear. If you feel you may harm yourself or others, please seek help immediately:
Visit your local hospital emergency room.
Call 9-8-8.
Visit 988lifeline.org and access the online chat feature.

38. Embracing a Child-Free Life: Kristin Lawson's Journey

In this insightful episode, hosts Beth and Bea engage in a heartfelt conversation with Kristin Lawson. Kristin opens up about her experiences and challenges living as a child-free woman, navigating societal expectations, and making choices true to herself. With personal stories, including her battle with cervical cancer and the decision to undergo a radical hysterectomy, Kristin shares her journey of empowerment and self-discovery. This discussion sheds light on the importance of understanding, acceptance, and the freedom of making life choices that align with one's truth. Join the conversation and explore the nuances of living a fulfilled, child-free life.
ABOUT KRISTIN:
Kristin’s Instagram handle is @knl.creations
We Are Childfree - https://wearechildfree.com/
We are Childfree Instagram handle is @wearechildfree_
Stats on Americans without children - https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/the-experiences-of-u-s-adults-who-dont-have-children/
Childfree History Museum - https://childfreehistory.com/
CONTACT US AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Many thanks to Anthony Church, who composed the music featured in Season 3. Please check out his content here: linktr.ee/anthonychurchmusic.
Our Book Recommendations: 
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk
The Deepest Well, by Nadine Burke Harris, MD
It Didn't Start with You, by Mark Wolynn
Walking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter A. Levine
I'll Have What She's Having, by Chelsea Handler
Engage with Beth Butram on social media:
     Instagram: instagram.com/podcastsbybeth
     YouTube: youtube.com/@PodcastsByBeth
Read the FREE weekly blog and connect on Substack: substack.com/@bethbutram
Want to help keep this podcast thriving? Buy host Beth Butram a coffee at ko-fi.com/bethpodcast. Never required but always appreciated! 
Finally, check out Affirmations and Micro-Meditations, a moment of calm podcast, available on most podcasting platforms, or use this link:  spreaker.com/podcast/affirmations-and-micro-meditations--6793204 
NEED HELP?
Support is available if life is getting too hard to bear. If you feel you may harm yourself or others, please seek help immediately:
Visit your local hospital emergency room.
Call 9-8-8.
Visit 988lifeline.org and access the online chat feature.