There are women whose love is measured by how much they endure. Women who were taught that staying was strength, silence was loyalty, and keeping the peace mattered more than naming the pain. In this episode of Born Tired: Where Survival Meets Healing, I share the story of the women in my family who stayed — especially my paternal grandmother, the matriarch who held everyone together with warmth, devotion, and sacrifice. Her home was the center of our family: the laughter, the food, the gathering place that still felt like “family,” even when the truth underneath it was heavy.

This episode is about what happens when survival becomes the definition of love. When enabling is mistaken for compassion. When women are expected to endure harm quietly, and leaving — even when it means safety — is treated like betrayal. Because in families like mine, silence doesn’t only protect the men who cause harm… it also traps the women who carry it. And the truth is: love without accountability isn’t love, it’s survival. And survival, no matter how strong it looks on the outside, is not the same thing as peace.

This episode is for anyone who grew up watching women sacrifice themselves in the name of loyalty, for anyone who was taught to prove love through endurance, and for the daughters who are learning that strength doesn’t have to sound like silence. You can honor the women who stayed… without repeating what it cost them.

This podcast is rooted in lived experience. In growing up in survival mode. In breaking generational patterns that were never meant to be carried forward. I speak openly about family trauma, estrangement, identity, C-PTSD, and the slow, intentional work of building a life that finally feels like yours after trauma. Every episode is created for those who carried too much, too early. For the ones who learned to stay quiet to stay safe. For the ones who became strong before they ever felt protected.

Born Tired is a space for cycle breakers, truth tellers, and anyone learning how to rest after a lifetime of bracing. A place where your story is not minimized, your experience is not questioned, and your voice is allowed to exist without explanation.

You don’t need to fix yourself to be here.
You don’t need the right words.
You just need to arrive as you are.

Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
And you are not alone.

Gentle Reminder:
This podcast includes conversations about trauma, family dynamics, mental health, estrangement, and lived experiences. Listener discretion is advised.

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Credits:
Written & narrated by Eirene Torres
Audio production by Carlos Torres
Original music by Carlos Torres

Disclaimer:
Born Tired is a personal storytelling podcast based on lived experience. This content is not a substitute for professional mental health care and does not provide medical or clinical advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please consider reaching out to a qualified mental health professional or local support services.