In the first episode of Unpacking the Mess, host Donna McClendon introduces the heart behind the podcast and opens up about grief, mental health, veteran stability, faith, motherhood, therapy, and healing.
Donna is a 17-year veteran, entrepreneur, mother, grandmother, nonprofit founder of Let’s Talk Veterans, and creator of Black Collective Experience. In this debut episode, she explains why Unpacking the Mess was created as a transparent, non-judgmental space for people to speak freely about the real-life struggles they carry.
Donna shares her own experiences with grief, including losing her mother at age nine, surviving miscarriages, navigating divorce, raising children, battling anxiety and depression, and learning how therapy, journaling, faith, affirmations, and community can help people move through pain.
This episode reminds listeners that grief is not only about death. It can come from relationships, job loss, disappointment, trauma, change, and the many unexpected waves of life. Donna’s message is clear: we may not get over everything, but we can get through it.
If you are carrying grief, struggling with mental health, supporting a veteran, or trying to find joy while unpacking the mess of life, this episode is for you.