For Tara, depression and anxiety began in childhood — with panic attacks at just four years old following a traumatic accident. Decades later, as a mother, she still carried the weight of exhaustion, shame, and guilt, believing she wasn’t living up to expectations.

In this episode, Tara shares her deeply personal story of surviving depression, panic attacks, and stigma, and how she’s slowly learning to ask for help, accept support, and redefine what “normal” means.

Her honesty is a powerful reminder that coping with depression and anxiety is not weakness — it’s strength. Whether it’s medication, therapy, or simply choosing to keep going each day, Tara’s journey shows that recovery is not about perfection, but persistence.

Primary Topics Covered:

Childhood trauma and the onset of panic attacks
The link between anxiety and depression across her life
Struggles with college, work, and stigma around mental illness
Parenting with depression and explaining it to children
The importance of therapy and medication in her recovery
The pressure of the “supermom” ideal and letting it go
Redefining normal: small victories like cooking or getting dressed
Why asking for help is not weakness but resilience

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and opening reflections
01:22 - Why it’s hard to talk about depression and anxiety
01:42 - Guilt and shame as a mother living with depression
02:23 - The importance of asking for help
05:02 - Tara’s first panic attacks at age four
05:55 - Traumatic accident and early PTSD symptoms
07:02 - Discovering the term “panic attacks” at 14
08:04 - Relief in finally having words for her symptoms
08:56 - Depression intensifies during college years
09:39 - Loss of loved ones and impact on her mental health
10:12 - Struggles balancing full-time work with depression
11:33 - Parenting with depression and talking to her kids
12:55 - Medication, therapy, and redefining “normal”
14:17 - Choosing every day to keep going as resilience
15:16 - Closing reflections on asking for help and telling your truth

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