Episode 11

full
Published on:

27th Oct 2025

Becoming the Warrior: Swearing, Surviving & Starting Over with Zulma Williams

Zulma Williams — better known as The Swearing Therapist — is living proof that it’s never too late to start over. After immigrating to the U.S. from Argentina at 31, she earned her bachelor’s degree at 42, her master’s at 50, and built a thriving therapy practice that helps people face anxiety, depression, and trauma head-on.

In this candid conversation, Zulma and host Sacha Holder talk about reframing “Why me?” into “Why not me?”, surviving breast cancer, refusing to live as a victim, and why self-discipline matters more than motivation. Expect humor, heart, and a few f-bombs of truth.

✨ Content Note: This episode includes adult language and candid discussion of topics such as abuse, depression, cancer, and suicidal thoughts. Listener discretion is advised, and please take care of yourself while listening.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you’re not alone. In the U.S., you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 for free, confidential support 24/7.

Key Takeaways

  • 💪 “Why not me?” — shifting from victimhood to empowerment.
  • 🧭 Discipline and determination will outlast motivation every time.
  • 🩷 Healing isn’t about perfection; it’s about persistence.
  • 🔥 You’ve already survived 100 % of your hardest days — you can do it again.
  • 💬 Authenticity connects — swearing included.

Connect:

Where to find Zulma:

✨ Connect with The High-Functioning Disaster:

Keywords

Zulma Williams, The Swearing Therapist, trauma healing, resilience, breast cancer survivor, women’s mental health, motivation vs discipline, anxiety relief, depression support, authentic therapy, empowerment, mindset shift, overcoming adversity, mental health podcast

🎧 Next Episode: In Episode 2, Zulma dives deeper into anxiety and depression in real life — what they actually look like day-to-day, how to interrupt the spiral with simple grounding techniques, and why going to therapy is an act of strength, not weakness.

👉 Subscribe now so you don’t miss it.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for The High-Functioning Disaster

About the Podcast

The High-Functioning Disaster
High-functioning on the outside. Hot mess on the inside.
You’ve got the color-coded calendar, the competent job persona, the “I’m fine!” mask down to an art—and a mental load heavy enough to throw out your back. Meanwhile, life? That's a hot mess express—total chaos with zero chill and a full tank of emotional baggage. And what makes it even worse? Nearly no one’s talking about it.

Welcome to The High-Functioning Disaster, a podcast for people who are doing their best to hold it together while navigating burnout, grief, trauma, anxiety, caretaking duties, family drama, body image issues, and a to-do list that never quits.

Host Sacha Holder isn’t the disaster (neither are you!)—life is. And this show is about making space for that truth and giving ourselves permission to say it out loud. Every week, Sacha explores what it means to be deeply human in a world that keeps demanding more. Sometimes she’s flying solo, sometimes she brings along guests and friends—but the vibe is always real, raw, unfiltered, and grounded in radical self-acceptance and permission to be human.

We talk boundaries. Body image. Mental health. Emotional labor. The moments where everything feels like too much—and the ones where we catch our breath and keep going.

This isn’t a self-help podcast. It’s a self-permission podcast.
Permission to be exhausted.
To not have it together.
To be honest about what’s hard—without needing to package it as a “lesson.”

Because you don’t need fixing.
You need space to fall apart—and still be seen.
Because some of us are just trying to make it through the day.
And here? That’s more than enough.
New episodes every Monday. Come as you are. Seriously.
Support This Show

About your host

Profile picture for Sacha Holder

Sacha Holder

Sacha Holder is a project manager, podcast host, and bariatric patient who’s not here to pretend it’s all perfect. With over a decade of professional experience and a whole lot of lived experience, she creates podcasts that tell the truth about what it means to live, heal, and grow — through chaos, and curveballs, while keeping it together (mostly).

She’s the voice behind Life in the Bari Lane, a bite-sized bariatric podcast for real people navigating post-op life, and The High-Functioning Disaster, a show about showing up even when everything feels like too much. Through humor, honesty, and zero judgment, Sacha builds community through conversation — because no one should have to figure it out alone.