Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the intersections of survival
Welcome to Scarred, Not Silent, a podcast where I open up about life with kidney disease, the transplant journey, and the healing that comes after. I'm Rodney, a kidney recipient, life coach, and social worker who's lived through dialysis, disability, and the quiet moments nobody talks about.This space is real talk for resilient souls. Whether navigating your chronic illness, supporting a loved one, or just curious about what it means to start over with a second chance, you're in the right place.Here, we keep it honest. We keep it hopeful. And most of all, we keep going.New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.Let’s breathe deep, live rooted, and walk this journey together.
Episodes
86 episodes
The Day We Met the Man Who Saved My Life
In this episode, Rodney shares the unforgettable experience of meeting his kidney donor and his donor’s wife—alongside his own wife, who stood with him through it all. It was a moment filled with gratitude, emotion, and reflection. He also open...
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9:55
Who’s Driving My Care? When to Speak Up in the Doctor’s Office
There comes a moment in every patient’s journey when trust meets tension.You sit across from the doctor. Numbers are discussed. Adjustments are made. The visit ends… but the questions begin.In this episode, I walk through a recent...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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4:10
A little Break
Hey! I will see ya! Friday the 20th. Sorry, and thank you!
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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0:27
When Your Body Becomes the Unknown
Trust is an interesting thing. Most of us assume our bodies will do their job. Until one day they don’t.In this episode of Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the Intersection of Survival, Rodney Washington reflects on the complicate...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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10:35
Drop the Mic… After the Coughing Stops
For the past couple of weeks, I have been missing in action. A stubborn cold moved in and brought along a chronic cough for company. My voice now sounds like I stepped straight into a rap battle from the movie 8 Mile… except I might be...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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4:25
When You Don't Know the Next Chapter Yet
Sometimes the next chapter of life doesn't arrive through a grand plan. Sometimes it shows up through curiosity.After years of navigating kidney disease, survival, and rebuilding purpose, a surprising spark has appeared in an unexpected ...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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10:10
Making Peace Without Settling
It is not about lowering standards. It is about accepting reality without shrinking your spirit.In the context of Scarred Not Silent, this episode would explore the difference between:Acceptance and resignat...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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14:33
Expectation Hangover and the Aftermath
The Anger Phase. Funny thing is, I don’t remember being angry. Or maybe somebody’s algorithm filed me under a lazy label and called it a day.If anger showed up at all, it wasn’t in the middle of the surgery or the most challen...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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10:59
Grieving the Man I Used to Be
Grief for the Old Me” is about something people rarely say out loud: sometimes you are not grieving a person. You are grieving yourself.Here’s the thinking behind it.When someone goes through illness, transplant, d...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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10:07
The Version of Me People Never Met
Today’s conversation opens the door to the parts of loss that do not show on the outside. The hidden identity shifts. The silent grief. The private battles that continue long after the world thinks you are “okay.” This is an honest reflec...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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3:12
The Life I Thought I’d Have vs The Life I’m Living Now
There are moments in life when the picture we carried for decades quietly falls apart. This episode sits in that space.Today’s conversation explores the reality of living with the gap between the life you planned and the life that unfold...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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16:30
The Neighborhood Lessons That Built My Strength
Strength and resilience have always moved together in my life. I first saw strength in childhood, playing a game called “Monster” with the older boys in the neighborhood. It was rough. Drop kicks. Punches. Pure kid energy. At the time,...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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7:44
Thankful Through the Fire: Finding Gratitude in Pain
Gratitude is often framed as something we feel when life is going well. This episode takes a deeper road. It explores how gratitude can exist in ordinary days, difficult seasons, and moments that did not always feel kind or fair at the time.
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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7:36
The Core of Who I Am Never Changed
On Scarred Not Silent, I reflect a lot on identity. One thing I have come to realize is that, at my core, I have not changed as much as I once thought. I am still someone who leads with respect and kindness. I never allowed my ki...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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6:31
Before the Title: Advocacy Found Me First
In this episode of Scarred Not Silent: Stories from the Intersection of Survival, Rodney reflects on those early moments of advocacy and how they unknowingly laid the foundation for his future in social work.He then brings liste...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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15:08
You Can Train the Brain, But Some Pain Still Wins
Pain is honest. It does not whisper. It shows up loudly, unapologetically, and often without warning.In this episode, I reflect on what pain has taught me. Yes, pain hurts like hell. There is no poetic way around that. But over time, I h...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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18:55
When Life Says, “Not Yet”
“What I Learned About Waiting” opens the mini-season chapter of Scarred, Not Silent. In this series, I’m debriefing the sub-topics underneath the big themes, so I can speak more freely and go deeper than I usually do.Toda...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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18:03
The Last Kidney Chapter
This is the final episode of my kidney journey. As I close this chapter, it is not goodbye. It is a moment to reflect on what this road has taught me, and what it may have quietly taught you, too.Scarred, Not Silent will continue, just w...
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Season 2
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Episode 48
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14:33
Just Tired isn’t a dramatic episode. It’s a real one.
Today, I’m tired. The kind of tired you can’t explain with a nap. And instead of pushing through like we’re all trained to do, I’m choosing something simple: rest.This episode is a five-minute reset.No fixing. No performing. No pr...
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Season 2
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Episode 47
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3:53
My Most Important Episode Yet: The Heart Story Continues
Alert: This episode was recorded several days ago, and it continues my story of the heart valve replacement.It felt fitting to share it on a day that was cloudy, cold, rainy, and flat-out gloomy, because it took me right back to t...
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Season 2
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Episode 46
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7:27
The Gladiator’s Wisdom: When Feeling Injured Isn’t the Same as Being Injured
In this episode, I reflect on a powerful quote from a famous gladiator that stopped me in my tracks while reading a recent gift I received. On the surface, the quote speaks to injury. But when you sit with it long enough, it reveals something d...
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Season 2
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Episode 45
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9:45
More Than One Organ at Stake
This week, I move us forward to my 2023 heart surgery.You might be asking what heart surgery has to do with kidney disease. Fair question. The connection matters more than most people realize.In this episode, I break down how medi...
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Season 2
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Episode 44
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19:38
Reverting Back and Paying the Price
In this episode, I circle back before moving forward.I briefly revisit our previous conversation about the sudden stoppage of my Social Security Disability benefits and the residual effects that followed. I share how and why finding empl...
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Season 2
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Episode 43
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18:49
Birthdaaaaaay!!!!!!
In today’s episode, I close the loop on a Social Security Disability fight most people never see coming.I walk through how I uncovered a little-known loophole buried in SSD policy and procedure. Not a rumor. Not frustration. Research. Pa...
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Season 2
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Episode 42
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20:53
Mess Around and Find Out: A Flu A Reality Check
This episode serves as a real-time reminder of what happens when you take risks and find out.I was down with the flu. Flu A to be exact. Somewhere between pushing through and brushing off the early warning signs, I ignored what my body w...
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Season 2
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Episode 41
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15:52