There’s something sacred about hearing someone speak from the places they’re still healing from. No shiny solutions, no “10 steps to wholeness,” just a real-time unraveling of shame, survival, and becoming.

Today’s guest, David Deane Haskell, is one of those rare voices. A writer and Substacker whose words offer raw soul-reflection and quiet courage.

David isn’t reporting from some far off Utopia of healing, he’s walking the path, torch in hand, turning toward the truth as it arises. His words meet us where the transformation is still happening, as it always is.

We speak about inner child work, addiction recovery, writer’s block, trusting the journey, and learning to receive love without attaching our worth to the response. It’s the kind of conversation that reminded me, once again, that vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s the thread that connects us when we’re most human.

I’ve noticed this again and again: It’s often those who show up with the most softness, depth, and wisdom, who’ve also walked through fire.

This isn’t a “here’s how I fixed myself” conversation.

It’s a glimpse into what it means to write through resistance. To share your voice mid-process. To keep tending to the parts that want to run, or hide, or stay small, and somehow do it with deep humility and humour, too.

Whether you’re a writer, a creator, a feeler, or simply someone navigating your own becoming, I think you’ll find there’s a lot here to exhale into. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.😮‍💨

Here’s my conversation with David Deane Haskell.

🕰️ Time Stamps

* 00:00:00 — Intro: Why these conversations matter

* 00:03:01 — David on the birth of Wounded Angel and 5 years of writer’s block

* 00:11:01 — Writing as a mirror: “I would say the writing is the healing.”

* 00:14:00 — Internal Family Systems, the “inner critic,” and renaming shameful parts

* 00:21:18 — The trap of craving praise and the fear of invisibility

* 00:26:00 — Trust, codependency, and spiritual grounding

* 00:30:02 — David’s 2020 spiritual awakening and its life-altering impact

* 00:38:00 — Survival mode, dissociation, and the power of gentle awareness

* 00:44:00 — Distraction, shame, and self-soothing with kindness

* 00:52:55 — On teachers, truth, and following your own inner compass

✨ Memorable Quotes

“I would say the writing is the healing — in a huge way.”

“I used to ask — am I doing this right? Now I just try to do the best I can to do the best I can.”

“The protective part doesn’t want you to know that it’s protecting because if you notice it, then you might not do the extreme things that it thinks you need to do.”

Connect with David’s Substack:

Buy David”s book – Wounded Angels

Check out David’s fictional writing here.

Toodles for now,

Suzy🪄✨

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