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
76 episodes
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
The Gift of Showing Up: Lessons from a Christmas Fishing Session
Even on days when my body asks me to slow down, my heart still leans toward connection.In this special holiday episode, I show up not at my strongest, but with intention. With Christmas approaching, I share a simple yet meaningful moment...
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Season 2
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Episode 40
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12:19
When the Light Flickers: Leaving SSD and Finding My Way Back
On the sixth day of the Festival of Light, I reflect on a moment when my own flame nearly went out.This episode explores what happened when I decided to come off Social Security Disability and return to work. The intention was firm. The ...
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Season 2
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Episode 39
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19:04
From Survival to Service: Building Scarred Not Silent
In this episode of Scarred Not Silent, the conversation moves beyond survival and into what comes next.ChatGPT interviews me on Sections 5 and 6 of my journey, where we explore the creation of the Scarred Not S...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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29:33
From Transplant to Purpose: A Conversation on What Comes Next
In today’s episode of Scarred Not Silent, the tables turn.I sat down for a guided interview with ChatGPT to reflect on Sections 3 and 4 of my kidney journey. This conversation centers on the transplant that changed everyt...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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17:25
Before the Mic: Chat GPT Interviews Me on the Story That Started It All
This conversation steps back into the heart of your journey—how survival shaped your purpose, how storytelling keeps you grounded, and how the hard questions build the strongest foundations. In this episode, you open the door to the real work b...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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23:39
In the Company of Fighters: Cancer, Covid, and Courage
In today’s episode, I open the door to a chapter many survivors know far too well: the long line of appointments, the heavy cycle of steroid infusions, and the steady courage it takes to sit in a hospital chair while the world outside battles a...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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11:32
Rebuilding the Body, Repairing the Mind
In this episode, I take a thoughtful walk back through the early days of Covid-19—those long months when life stood still, fear ran high, and the walls of home felt both sheltering and confining. Somewhere in the middle of that standstill, I pi...
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Season 2
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Episode 34
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13:24
The Mystery Guest Who Tried to End the Episode
This episode takes a warm walk through a quieter Thanksgiving, the kind where the meal still hits the soul even if the table isn’t full. But when things settle in, some unexpected “wild guests” crash the moment and nearly shut the whole show do...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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15:37
Locked In: The Decision That Could Have Cost Me My Life
When the world shut down, the danger outside my door was more than a headline—it was a direct threat to my life. After a year of unemployment, I was finally cleared to return to work. Job offers came quickly, but so did the rising fear of a vir...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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14:42
What November Teaches Us About Being Human
In this episode, Rodney opens November with a quiet conversation about gratitude, resilience, and the unexpected places healing can come from. He reflects on family, forgiveness, and the moments that shaped his empathy, while inviting lis...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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17:07