Episode 29

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Published on:

10th Nov 2025

Disaster Diaries: Pilates, Politics & People Who Need Help

Welcome back to Disaster Diaries from The High-Functioning Disaster.

Today starts with Sacha’s signature Miracle Morning and a full day of editing, planning, and reflecting on what really matters — movement, meaning, and compassion. She talks about connecting with Shannon Curtis, a medium and intuitive coach, and meeting a therapist for men of color, both reminding her how powerful podcasting can be for community and healing.

She dives into her No-Spend November challenge and a search for accessible fitness, discovering the YouTube Pilates channel (dog co-host included 🐾) and rediscovering how much can be learned for free. From there, the conversation expands — into food insecurity, fairness, religion, and the way our country treats its most vulnerable.

It’s not a rant — it’s a reality check wrapped in heart, honesty, and humanity. Sacha reminds us that dignity, empathy, and equity aren’t luxuries. They’re the basics.

She wraps with gratitude and excitement: a call from her best friend of 30+ years and plans for a long-overdue birthday dinner together. Because after all, connection is what keeps us going.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • Miracle Morning routine
  • Podcasting community wins (Shannon Curtis & new guest connections)
  • YouTube Pilates discovery [https://www.youtube.com/@YouTubePilates]
  • FitOn vs BetterMe apps
  • No-Spend November + budget mindfulness
  • Rant on food insecurity, living wages, and religious hypocrisy
  • The importance of compassion over judgment
  • Upcoming birthday dinner with her best friend 🎉

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🧭 Key Takeaways

  • Growth and grace can coexist — especially when we’re messy.
  • Accessibility matters: movement, wellness, and food shouldn’t cost a fortune.
  • True faith shows up in compassion, not conditions.
  • No-Spend November = mindful living, not restriction.
  • Friendship and community are the best medicine for burnout.

⚠️ Content Note:

Includes discussion of U.S. politics, economic inequality, food insecurity, and organized religion — all handled respectfully and thoughtfully. Tone moves from calm reflection to passionate advocacy, ending with warmth and personal connection.

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Keywords

Disaster Diaries, The High-Functioning Disaster, Sacha Holder, daily podcast, Miracle Morning, YouTube Pilates, FitOn, BetterMe, No-Spend November, intuitive coach, Shannon Curtis, therapist for men of color, food insecurity, living wage, empathy, compassion, religion, politics, faith, advocacy, self-awareness, humanity, mindfulness, bariatric lifestyle, community, birthday dinner, friendship

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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.