Episode 2

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Published on:

8th Sep 2025

Big Feelings, Messy Lives: Jacintha Field on Parenting Through Chaos (Part 1)

Episode Notes

Family & Child Counsellor and Art Therapist Jacintha “J” Field knows what it’s like to walk through fire. From surviving a 15-year abusive relationship to solo parenting through a pandemic, she’s turned her pain into purpose as the founder of Happy Souls Kids—a global platform helping children regulate their big feelings through play, storytelling, and creativity.

In this first part of our conversation, J shares:

  • How her early relationships shaped her self-worth and healing journey
  • What changed when she became a parent
  • Why “present, not perfect” parenting matters most
  • The perfectionism trap and learning to let go
  • Real talk about parenting during separation, betrayal, and COVID chaos

Her story is raw, honest, and full of hope for parents who are doing their best in messy, unpredictable circumstances.

Content note: This episode mentions domestic violence and grief. Please listen with care.

Disclaimer:

The content shared on The High-Functioning Disaster is for informational and conversational purposes only and is not intended as professional, medical, or mental health advice. Everyone’s situation is unique, and what we talk about here may not apply to your specific circumstances. Please do what’s right for you, and always consult with a qualified professional for medical, mental health, financial, or legal guidance. You take care of you, boo.

🔗 Resources:

  • Happy Souls Kids — [https://www.happysoulskids.com/]
  • Connect with Jacintha on Instagram — @jacinthafield [https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield/]

New episodes every Monday. Come as you are. That’s enough.

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💜 When I’m not podcasting, I’m also a Scentsy Consultant of 10+ years. If you’re into fragrance and cozy vibes, you can find my shop here: [https://sachasmells.com]

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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.
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About your host

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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.