Becoming Me with Alana Wilson

We’ve seen him on 90 Day Fiancé.But we haven’t heard his side of the story.In this powerful and vulnerable conversation, Riley opens up about growing up surrounded by addiction, navigating unresolved childhood trauma, and the grief that changed his ability to say “I love you” after losing people he cared about.He shares the emotional toll of being portrayed negatively on reality TV, the depression that followed the show, and what it felt like to return home without support once the cameras stopped rolling.This episode goes beyond reality television.It’s about trauma, attachment wounds, grief, public shame, and what happens when pain is edited for entertainment.If you’ve ever struggled with loss, identity, or feeling misunderstood — this conversation is for you.

In this powerful episode of Becoming Me, I sit down with Ben for an unfiltered conversation about trauma, incarceration, healing, and redemption.Ben opens up about growing up privileged, chasing money, and surrounding himself with the wrong influences. A lifestyle that led to repeated run-ins with the law, time spent in jail across multiple states, and exposure to violence, overdoses, suicide, and death. Prison became his wake-up call, forcing him to confront who he was and who he wanted to become.He shares the turning point that changed everything, the emotional toll incarceration took on him and his family, and how his mother’s visit while he was locked up became a source of strength. Ben also speaks honestly about anger, emotional triggers, and how trauma affected the people he loves. Especially his motivation to become fully present for his child.After release, just as life seemed to be falling into place, Ben survived a devastating semi-truck accident that nearly took his life. Multiple surgeries, severe complications, and medical dismissal left him fighting for survival once again. Through it all, he turned to meaning, connection, and purpose. Staying in touch with people still incarcerated and veterans who understand what it means to live in constant survival mode.This episode explores logotherapy, resilience, accountability, and the belief that trauma doesn’t have to define you. It can sculpt you into something stronger.⚠️ If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support.Connect with Alana: Instagram: @becoming.me.podcastFacebook: Becoming Me with Alana WilsonConnect with Ben: Instagram: human_intelligence_ledgerFacebook: Ben FreedlandLinkedin: Ben Freedland#prisontopurpose #lifeafterprison #traumarecovery #mentalhealthawareness #healingjourney #secondchances #Becomingmepodcast

In this episode of Becoming Me, Alana sits down with Intervention's Ginjer to share her raw journey through generational trauma, addiction, and doing what it takes to survive. From growing up without love to hitting rock bottom, Ginjer opens up about survival, accountability, and choosing healing over the past.

In this powerful and honest episode, Mandy opens up about growing up with an alcoholic father who cheated on and abused her mother before ultimately disappearing from her life altogether. His absence left Mandy’s mother to raise her alone as a single parent, and Mandy reflects on the deep resentment, grief, and unanswered questions that followed her into adulthood.As the conversation unfolds, Mandy confronts the painful reality of generational patterns—particularly the heartbreak of watching her own child experience abandonment by their father, mirroring her own childhood wounds. She shares how never witnessing healthy, stable love shaped her understanding of relationships and led her into toxic and, at times, physically abusive partnerships.Together, we explore how unhealed trauma repeats itself, how abandonment shows up in parenting and intimacy, and the difficult work of breaking cycles that were never consciously chosen. Throughout the episode, I offer guidance, reflections, and practical advice on healing—on learning what healthy love looks like, reclaiming self-worth, and creating a different future for both herself and her child.This episode is a raw exploration of generational trauma, resilience, and the courage it takes to stop the cycle and choose healing, even when it feels overwhelming.

In this deeply moving episode, Leticia shares her story as a first-generation American born to Brazilian parents and the complex family dynamics that shaped her early life. As a child, Leticia witnessed domestic violence between her parents—an experience that deeply conflicted her loyalty as a self-described “daddy’s girl.” When her mother threatened to leave, young Leticia begged her to stay, not yet understanding the cost of that choice or the trauma it would leave behind.Unable to process the anger and fear she carried, Leticia learned to bottle her emotions, leading her into therapy at a very young age and later into anger management. As she grew older, her perspective shifted. She began to see her parents not as larger-than-life figures, but as flawed humans—recognizing her mother as a tireless, hardworking single parent caring for three children, and coming to terms with the painful reality that her father was not a good man.The episode explores how these early experiences fueled Leticia’s deep fear of abandonment, impacted her romantic relationships, strained friendships, and contributed to her feeling treated differently than her brothers. Throughout the conversation, I find myself becoming emotional as Leticia’s abandonment wounds mirror my own, creating a powerful and vulnerable moment between host and guest.Together, we unpack the healing work Leticia has done, the realizations that changed her patterns, and how she ultimately built a healthy, secure relationship. We also discuss her years in the restaurant industry, the ways she felt stuck and afraid to move forward with her life, and how negative influences around her fed a fear of success. The episode closes with Leticia reflecting on her hopes, aspirations, and the future she is now brave enough to envision.This is a raw conversation about trauma, resilience, healing, and what it means to finally choose yourself.

In this episode, Clarissa shares the story she never imagined she would survive—let alone speak out loud.What begins as an ordinary moment turns into a nightmare when Clarissa is kidnapped and subjected to brutal sexual violence. Trapped, terrified, and stripped of control, she reaches a moment where instinct overrides fear—and she makes a life-or-death decision that changes everything: she jumps out of a window to escape.But Clarissa’s story does not begin—or end—with the attack.Long before the kidnapping, Clarissa grew up under the control of a mother she describes as a monster—an extreme narcissist whose emotional abuse, manipulation, and lack of protection shaped her understanding of love, safety, and self-worth. In this episode, Clarissa reflects on how being raised by a parent who centered herself above all else left her vulnerable, unheard, and conditioned to survive chaos long before the violence ever occurred.This conversation is not about sensationalizing trauma. It is about connecting the dots.Clarissa speaks openly about the psychological warfare of captivity, the moment she realized no one was coming to save her, and the split-second choice that saved her life. She also shares the aftermath—the silence, the blame that was wrongly placed on her, the retraumatization, and the painful realization that even after surviving unimaginable violence, she still lacked the maternal protection she deserved.We talk about what happens after survival: how trauma lives in the nervous system, how narcissistic abuse compounds sexual trauma, and how the world often expects survivors to “move on” without ever acknowledging the lifelong impact of being unprotected as a child. Clarissa reflects on reclaiming her voice, breaking cycles of abuse, and learning—slowly and deliberately—what safety actually feels like.This episode contains discussion of sexual violence, kidnapping, and childhood emotional abuse and may be triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening.Clarissa’s story is devastating, courageous, and unflinchingly honest. It is a reminder that survival is not just about escaping one moment of violence—but about unlearning a lifetime of harm, and choosing to speak anyway.

In this deeply powerful and emotionally raw episode, we sit down with Katy Guaman, Miss Danbury 2021, to tell the story that exists far beyond the crown. Katy is an Ecuadorian woman whose life has been shaped by survival, endurance, and extraordinary resilience.Katy begins by sharing her early childhood, marked by the absence of her father and the lasting impact of child sexual abuse—a trauma she carried in silence for years. Long before she had the language to understand what had happened to her, she learned how to survive, how to compartmentalize pain, and how to move forward while carrying wounds no one else could see.Years later, as a young woman, Katy found herself in a domestically violent relationship that lasted three years. During that time, she experienced repeated abuse that slowly eroded her sense of safety, autonomy, and self-worth. In this episode, Katy speaks honestly about how domestic violence doesn’t always begin loudly or obviously, how it creeps in gradually, and how staying can feel less like a choice and more like survival. She reflects on the psychological toll of enduring violence for years, the isolation it creates, and the complex reasons victims remain—fear, hope, love, and the belief that things might eventually change.Katy also shares another defining part of her story: as a child, she was severely burned, leaving her with a large, visible scar that she still lives with today. For years, that scar carried shame, questions, and painful memories. Over time, it became something else entirely—a symbol of survival, truth, and reclamation. In a world that demands perfection, Katy chose visibility. She chose honesty. She chose to stand on a public stage not in spite of her scars, but with them.Winning Miss Danbury 2021 was not about beauty alone—it was about presence, courage, and redefining what strength looks like. Katy opens up about how her experiences with abuse shaped her relationship to her body, her confidence, and her voice, and how healing is not linear. She discusses the long road to reclaiming herself after trauma, learning to trust again, and understanding that survival itself is an act of resistance.This episode is not just Katy’s story—it is a reflection of so many untold stories. It is a conversation about generational trauma, cultural silence, endurance, and what it means to rise without erasing the past. Katy’s voice is steady, brave, and unapologetically real as she reminds listeners that survival does not require perfection—and that scars, both seen and unseen, deserve to be honored.Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of child sexual abuse and domestic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

In this gripping and deeply honest episode, MilknHoney shares a journey marked by abandonment, instability, and ultimately, incredible resilience. Adopted through parental consent, she always knew who her biological parents were—but never understood why they gave her up. That unanswered question shadowed her childhood, shaping her sense of identity and belonging.Life took another painful turn when her adoptive mother—while hiding behind the guise of strict Christianity—kicked her out in her early teens. Overnight, MilknHoney found herself homeless once again. She moved from couch to couch, overstaying her welcome where she could, trying to navigate survival with no real support system. The constant instability eventually pulled her into the street life, where she made choices rooted in desperation rather than desire. Crimes, drugs, and risky environments became a means to secure temporary shelter and safety—choices that eventually led to legal trouble and consequences that would follow her into adulthood.But this episode is not defined by the darkest parts of her past—it is defined by her rise from them. MilknHoney speaks candidly about the emotional and spiritual work required to rebuild herself. She reflects on facing abandonment wounds head-on, breaking free from survival patterns, and finally choosing healing over harm. Her story is not polished—it’s real, raw, and full of the kind of truth that can’t be manufactured.Today, MilknHoney stands in her power. She has fought her way out of the cycles that once trapped her and has done the self-work to create a life rooted in stability, self-love, and purpose. Her journey from homelessness to healing is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the possibility of transformation, no matter how impossible it once seemed.This episode is a reminder that even when life begins with pain, your story doesn’t have to end there. Healing is possible. Becoming yourself is possible. And MilknHoney is living proof.

In this powerful episode, Joselyne opens up about the realities she faced growing up in a family marked by instability, trauma, and survival. Her story begins in a home shaped by her father’s addiction, where she learned to adapt quickly, stay alert, and take on responsibilities no child should ever have to carry. That early chaos became the backdrop for another profound trauma: surviving sexual assault. Jocelyne speaks candidly about how that experience changed her sense of self, her relationships, and her understanding of safety.Her journey doesn’t stop there. Jocelyne also shares the additional emotional weight of her family dynamics—her mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis, her sister running away as a teen, and her brother’s repeated cycles through the criminal justice system. These experiences weren’t separate chapters; they overlapped, collided, and shaped her daily reality. She grew up navigating crisis after crisis, often feeling like the glue holding everything together even while silently falling apart.But what makes Jocelyne’s story extraordinary is not just what she survived—it’s how she rebuilt her life. In this episode, she describes the process of healing that unfolded slowly over the years: therapy, self-reflection, learning to set boundaries, and finally giving herself permission to feel what she had suppressed for so long. She talks about how she unlearned shame, found language for her experiences, and reclaimed her identity from the weight of generational trauma.Jocelyne’s voice is both grounded and vulnerable as she reflects on who she has become—someone resilient, self-aware, and committed to breaking cycles. Her story highlights the emotional reality of being the “strong one,” the caretaker, and the survivor all at once, and what it means to finally choose yourself after years of survival mode.This episode is a testament to courage: the courage to speak your truth, to confront pain that once felt unspeakable, and to believe in a future beyond what you lived through. Jocelyne reminds us that healing is not linear, but it is possible—and that becoming yourself often starts with telling your story out loud.

In this episode, Serena opens up about what it was really like growing up in a traditional African household—beyond what people see from the outside. She shares the pressures, the unspoken expectations, and the emotional weight that comes with navigating culture, identity, and generational patterns. Together, we explore how she’s unlearning old narratives, healing from what she carried as a child, and reclaiming her voice as a woman. This conversation is raw, eye-opening, and a reminder that behind every strong woman is a story she had to survive.

In this episode, Jon Mendonca opens up about his journey—from teenage years marked by struggle to battling addiction and finding the strength to rebuild his life from the ground up. Jon reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped him, the mindsets he had to unlearn, and the habits that carried him forward. With honesty and depth, he shares how his upbringing, his darkest moments, and his relentless belief in himself all played a role in becoming the man he is today. This conversation is raw, inspiring, and a powerful reminder that your past doesn’t define you—your transformation does.

Becoming Me with Alana Wilson is a raw and heartfelt interview series where guests open up about their childhood experiences, the wounds that shaped them, and the healing journeys that followed. Each episode explores how people transform pain into purpose, revealing the resilience, growth, and self-discovery that come from facing our past. These are real stories of becoming—one layer, one truth, one breakthrough at a time.