Start with the truth: a teenage girl cried for a year after the “good first day back” and a mum climbed in beside her with Harry Styles on the stereo, late‑night drives, and a plan to let light in. That’s how Just Two Girls was born—out of burnout, misdiagnosis, and the stubborn belief that honesty saves lives.

We open up about the early years—meltdowns in supermarkets, running and hiding, sensory pain around showers and hair brushing—and how a neat dyspraxia label hid what was really going on. School called Kate “a pleasure to teach” while she masked so hard she wrote “help” on sheets of paper in class. We dig into the system ping‑pong between disability teams and CAMHS, why girls are so often missed, and how a late autism diagnosis at 17 changed everything. The shift is immediate: permission to be herself, language for needs, and the confidence to say “autistic and proud” even when someone stares at curled hair and says the quiet part out loud.

There’s humour in the grit—airport assistance in pink cowboy hats, the learning hub that couldn’t compute “autistic” with “put‑together,” and the moment we asked a school to take down puzzle‑piece imagery. There’s also a practical spine for anyone navigating similar terrain: why medication became a bridge out of despair, how to design routines that regulate, what ARFID looks like beyond “picky eating,” and how sensory‑friendly hours and apartments can make travel survivable. We don’t accept “just stay home.” Access isn’t a perk; it’s parity. And advocacy isn’t branding; it’s letting someone else breathe easier because you spoke first.

If you’re a parent searching for hope, a teacher trying to help the “quiet” student, or a teenager wondering why you feel like an alien in a crowded room, pull up a chair. We’re building the thing we needed: clear language, small wins, and the courage to be seen on the bad days as much as the good ones. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and tell us: what would make public spaces kinder for you?

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Tracy Metcalfe raw conversation takes us through the remarkable highs and devastating lows of her life journey. From her humble beginnings in Darndale where "we had nothing but we had everything," to becoming a single mother navigating life's hardest challenges without consistent support, Tracy's story is one of extraordinary resilience.

The emotional centerpiece of Tracy's journey revolves around her father's passing and her spiritual interpretation of this profound loss. What began as overwhelming grief evolved through faith into an unexpected peace as she realized: "My dad went out on top." This revelation—that his death spared him from witnessing her mother's decline into dementia—provided a theological framework that transformed her understanding of loss. Her viral video featuring her father's humorous reaction to a fake designer bag purchase stands as a treasured memory that unexpectedly connected with thousands.

Tracy speaks candidly about her physical transformation journey, including weight loss surgery and subsequent reconstructive procedures. Her harrowing experience traveling to Turkey for dental work only to discover all her teeth needed extraction resulted in four months without teeth while continuing to raise her teenage daughter and work in a detention center. Despite these external changes, she reveals the persistent internal struggle with body dysmorphia—the inability to recognize her transformed appearance despite objective evidence.

The conversation culminates in Tracy's faith journey, which she carefully distinguishes from "religion." Finding community in non-denominational Christianity has provided meaning amid suffering. "I hate the word religion," she explains, "we focus on a relationship." This distinction forms the cornerstone of her spiritual practice and emerging peace.

For anyone navigating grief, physical transformation, or questioning their purpose, Tracy's story demonstrates how finding meaning in suffering doesn't eliminate pain but can transform how we carry it. Listen and discover how resilience can emerge from even the darkest places when we're open to unexpected sources of light.

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Two sisters bravely share the heartbreaking story of how they lost their father to domestic violence, revealing a devastating truth about male victims that's rarely discussed in our society.

Growing up in Dublin with a father they describe as strict but loving, Karen and Lynn never imagined they'd one day be fighting for justice in a system that failed to protect him. Their father's relationship with a younger woman from the Czech Republic raised concerns from the beginning – strange behaviour, inconsistent stories, and troubling incidents involving their children. But what started as uncomfortable family dynamics gradually revealed itself as something far more sinister.

The sisters recount the mounting evidence they witnessed: unexplained bruises their father would dismiss, disturbing late-night phone calls from his partner, and incidents where police were called to their home. Despite their growing suspicions, they struggled to believe their proud, strong father could be a victim of domestic abuse. When confronted, he would change the subject or become defensive – a response they now recognize as common among male victims trapped in abusive relationships.

What makes this story particularly powerful is how it challenges our assumptions about domestic violence. The sisters describe their shock at discovering their father had taken out safety orders he never followed through with, and how authorities missed critical warning signs. When tragedy finally struck – captured on CCTV as his partner pushed him with fatal force – the justice system compounded their grief by minimizing the pattern of abuse during sentencing and redacting their victim impact statements.

Now caring for their father's teenage daughter, the sisters have transformed their pain into purpose, advocating for legal reforms and greater awareness of male victims who often suffer in silence until it's too late. Their message is urgent and clear: domestic abuse affects people of all genders, and society must do better at recognizing and protecting all victims before more lives are lost.

Have you noticed warning signs of abuse in someone you care about? Don't wait to reach out – resources are available regardless of gender, and your concern could save a life.

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