The Healing Poetic Podcast

Send a textHealing does not make you unworthy of love.In this special free episode of the RISE podcast, Keya McClain-Goodwin explores a powerful truth many people struggle to believe: you do not have to be completely healed, perfect, or finished with your personal growth to deserve love.Through reflection, personal insight, and grounded wisdom, Keya discusses how healing and love can exist at the same time, and why waiting until you are “fully healed” can keep you from experiencing connection, support, and genuine care.This episode invites listeners to release the pressure of perfection and embrace love as a space where growth, honesty, and healing can coexist.If this conversation resonated with you, you're invited to continue the journey inside the RISE subscription series, where we explore healing, self-trust, relationships, and personal evolution with depth and honesty.Subscribe to access the full RISE podcast experience.Support the show

Send a textPopular but Insecure — When Applause Doesn't Heal YouIn this soul-stirring episode of The Healing Poetic Podcast, Keya McClain, The Hardcore Healing Pen Coach, gets real about the hidden truth behind popularity and public perception. She opens up about a time in her life when she was visible, celebrated, and surrounded — yet silently struggling with insecurity, emptiness, and disconnection from herself.Keya explores how seeking validation from others can become a mask for unresolved pain and how healing requires choosing authenticity over applause. Through powerful reflection, she reminds listeners that peace will always outlast popularity and that true confidence is found in stillness, not in the spotlight.This episode is a gentle yet powerful invitation to stop performing and start becoming. Because the most magnetic version of you isn't the one that's liked — it's the one that's healed.Support the show

Send a textIn this heartfelt episode of The Healing Poetic Podcast, Keya McClain, The Hardcore Healing Pen Coach, dives into the difficult truth about knowing when it's time to move differently in friendships and relationships. Growth often brings clarity — and sometimes that clarity reveals disconnection.Keya shares three powerful signs that it's time to pivot: 1️⃣  2️⃣  3️⃣ This episode is a reminder that healing isn't just about letting go of pain — it's also about letting go of people who no longer align with your peace. Through reflection and personal insight, Keya explores how to release with grace, pivot with purpose, and honor the version of yourself that's evolving.Tune in for real talk, spiritual grounding, and poetic truth that helps you heal, detach, and move forward with love.Support the show

Send a textYour spirit already knows what your mind keeps questioning.In this episode, Keya McClain, The Hardcore Healing Pen Coach, dives deep into the sacred art of trusting your inner knowing — that voice that whispers before evidence shows up. Instinct for Strong Insight explores the tension between what you feel and what you fear, reminding listeners that intuition isn't insecurity — it's intelligence.Through storytelling, spiritual reflection, and bold truth, Keya breaks down how ignoring your instinct can delay your destiny, and how listening to it can protect your peace, purpose, and power.

Send a textIn this deeply personal and transparent episode, Keya McClain, The Hardcore Healing Pen Coach, opens up about the life experiences that shaped her, broke her, and ultimately birthed her healing.From her roots in St. Louis, Missouri, to her family's move to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, Keya shares how love, struggle, faith, and survival collided to form the foundation of her becoming. She reflects on childhood lessons, family secrets, anger management, faith transitions, and the powerful awakening that led her to walk away from religion and into an authentic relationship with her Creator.This episode isn't just her story — it's a reminder that healing isn't a single moment; it's a lifelong devotion. Through raw honesty and poetic reflection, Keya invites listeners to see how pain can become purpose, and how unlearning can lead to liberation.

Send a textSometimes, freedom doesn't come from breaking habits — it comes from breaking attachments.In this episode, Keya McClain, The Hardcore Healing Pen Coach, unpacks the sacred process of becoming free from your fellowship. What happens when your spiritual circle no longer aligns with your soul's evolution? When loyalty starts to feel like a leash?Keya takes us through the quiet heartbreak of outgrowing people you once prayed with, trusted, and walked beside. This conversation is about releasing community without bitterness, detaching from expectation, and understanding that peace sometimes requires distance.You'll hear reflections on spiritual manipulation, emotional control, and the courage it takes to walk alone — not in isolation, but in alignment.

Send a textIn this episode, Keya McClain explores the power and complexity of honest communication—what it takes to speak truth without harm, to listen without defensiveness, and to protect your peace without silencing yourself.Once a woman who communicated primarily through her pen, Keya reflects on her evolution into someone who now stands confidently in her voice. She shares how healing, self-awareness, and boundary work transformed the way she shows up in conversations, relationships, and moments of conflict. This episode examines when honesty builds connection, when silence becomes self-protection, and how emotional intelligence allows us to communicate with both clarity and care.This is not a conversation about winning arguments—it's about cultivating understanding, honoring yourself, and choosing authenticity over performance. Honest communication, as Keya reminds us, is not just about what we say, but how aware, grounded, and intentional we are when we say it.Speak with love. Stand in truth. Protect your peace.Support the show

Send a textIn this episode, I honor the life and legacy of my uncle—the man who showed up as a father figure when I needed one most. When I became a mother at 18, he met me not with judgment, but with pride, love, and celebration. His presence affirmed my worth at a time when I needed it deeply.Thirty years ago, his passing marked my first encounter with profound grief. It was a loss that shaped my understanding of love, absence, and the long road to healing. Today, I reflect on the lessons he left behind, the ways his spirit continues to guide me, and how his love became a foundation for the work I now do around grief, peace, and legacy.This episode is not just about loss—it's about remembrance. It's about unconditional love, chosen family, and the truth that those we love never truly leave us. Their legacy lives on through who we become and how we choose to love others.Support the show

Send a textIn this episode, I get raw about the tension between hate and healing. I've been on this healing journey for years—doing the work, facing my shadows, and choosing love. But healing doesn't mean hate disappears. It shows up in people's actions, in systems, and in the very air of this country right now.I open up about the exhaustion of carrying anger and disappointment, the frustration of watching religion used to justify hate, and the confusion of seeing whole communities treated as “less than.” I also share the ways I've refused to let that hate infiltrate my spirit—by clinging to what's healthful, by grounding myself in healing practices, and by holding on to love as resistance.If you've been feeling overwhelmed, angry, or heartbroken about the state of the world while still trying to honor your own healing, this conversation is for you. Let's talk truth, rage, resilience, and what it really means to heal in the face of hate.

Send a textCousins are often positioned as built-in siblings—sharing childhood memories, family traditions, and deep emotional bonds. But when jealousy, competition, and unresolved family dysfunction take root, those relationships can quietly turn harmful.In this episode, I reflect on my lived experience with cousin betrayal, toxic comparisons, rumors, and the pain of being misunderstood within my own family system. I explore how early exposure to family conflict can normalize emotional abuse, distort self-worth, and teach us to tolerate mistreatment in the name of loyalty.This conversation challenges the idea that “blood is thicker than water” and reframes it through a healing lens—one that prioritizes safety, discernment, and peace. It's about recognizing when family becomes an opponent instead of a protector, releasing what no longer serves you, and choosing to break generational cycles rather than repeat them.This episode is not about blame. It's about truth, protection, and choosing a healthier way forward—for yourself and for the next generation.Support the show

Send a textForgiveness doesn't always mean what we've been taught it should mean.In this episode, I share why I don't forgive my sisters—not from a place of bitterness or resentment, but from a place of healing and self-respect. For me, forgiveness is not about excusing harm, restoring access, or rewriting the truth. It's about releasing myself from the weight of what happened and choosing peace without denial.This conversation explores toxic family dynamics, the pressure to forgive prematurely, and the freedom that comes from redefining forgiveness on your own terms. If you've ever struggled with the idea that forgiveness must look a certain way, this episode offers a new perspective—one rooted in clarity, boundaries, and choosing yourself.Support the show

Send a textIn the final chapter of this four-part series, Keya McClain centers what healing actually looks like after betrayal—not reconciliation for appearance's sake, not forced forgiveness, and not silence disguised as peace. This episode is about integration: taking everything that was revealed and choosing a way forward rooted in self-respect, discernment, and emotional truth.Keya reflects on what it means to release attachment without hatred, to honor grief without becoming consumed by it, and to redefine sisterhood in ways that feel safe, reciprocal, and aligned. This is where boundaries are no longer reactive but embodied. Where clarity replaces confusion. Where self-worth no longer requires external validation.Episode 4 is not about closing a chapter neatly—it's about standing firmly in who you've become because of it.This isn't about bitterness. It's about sovereignty. It's about intentional connection. It's about becoming whole.Support the show

Send a textIn Episode 3, Keya McClain reaches the turning point—the moment where pain can no longer be ignored, minimized, or rationalized away.This episode centers on recognition: recognizing patterns that once felt familiar but were never safe, recognizing how grief exposed the cost of staying connected to what continuously harmed her, and recognizing that endurance is not the same as loyalty. Keya reflects on the emotional toll of fractured sisterhood, the quiet self-betrayals made in the name of belonging, and the clarity that arrived when she stopped explaining her pain and started honoring it.Episode 3 is where grief deepens, illusions fall away, and the work becomes internal. It's about sitting with the truth long enough to let it change you—without rushing to forgiveness, reconciliation, or resolution.This isn't about bitterness. It's about awareness. It's about choosing self-respect over survival. It's about becoming whole.Support the show

Send a textIn Episode 2 of this four-part series, Keya McClain moves deeper into the emotional terrain of fractured sisterhood and family betrayal—where loyalty becomes complicated, trust is quietly violated, and survival instincts are mistaken for strength.This episode explores how early wounds shape the way we seek connection as adults, including the pull toward spaces and relationships that promise empowerment but lack true safety. Keya reflects on why male friendships often felt more secure, how grief exposed the cost of emotional self-abandonment, and the moment she realized that staying connected was no longer synonymous with staying aligned.This conversation is not about blaming others—it's about recognizing patterns, honoring discernment, and choosing self-worth over attachment. Episode 2 is where awareness sharpens, boundaries begin to form, and healing shifts from endurance to intention.This isn't about bitterness. It's about clarity. It's about alignment. It's about becoming whole.Support the show

Send a textIn this raw and revealing four-part series, Keya McClain peels back the layers of her lived experience with fractured sisterhood, family betrayal, and the complicated search for safety and belonging among women.From childhood wounds and broken trust within family systems, to the false comfort of empowerment spaces that weren't as empowering as they appeared, this series explores what happens when the people who are supposed to protect you become sources of harm. Keya reflects on the unexpected refuge she found in male friendships, the grief that cracked her open, and the clarity that came from choosing alignment over attachment.Each episode moves through the roots of betrayal, the moment of recognition, and the courageous work of reclaiming self-worth, discernment, and intentional connection. This is not a story told from bitterness or blame—but from honesty, healing, and hard-earned wisdom.This series is not about tearing anyone down. It's about telling the truth. It's about learning when to detach, when to grieve, and when to choose yourself. It's about becoming whole.Support the show

We have free will to decide what we want out of life. Choosing to heal was a decision I made because I decided to change my experiences through changed behavior. Understanding the importance of doing something different for a different outcome. The decision was complicated because I knew there would be difficulty in making those changes, however I was committed to doing something different for the first time. I share my experiences about healing vs. non healing and what that experience has been. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Trust yourself despite what others may think or perceive. You have discernment and intuition to protect yourself and identify things that are pertinent to your health and well being. Honor your feelings and trust that. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

In this episode, I read from a collaborative book I co-authored entitled "#BossMoms" and my chapter is Purposeful Boss. This chapter sums up how I began a journey of loving myself, creating the life I wanted to live and navigating in this new and amazing space despite the obstacles, losses and devastation. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

We are often living a life that is not ours. We are trying to please others and live up to others standards or desires for us. Be the individual you want to be and feel happy to be. No labels, no requirements and no need to be defined by other people's standards. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Family Dynamics is an interesting topic of conversation. We allow people to mistreat us and not see our worth and when they are family we add even more disrespect allowance. I do not have the space for those energies any longer and I believe my listeners may want to listen to this approach. Eat the fish and throw the bones away. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

True love came in my life when I began to truly love myself. Love is such a beautiful thought for many of us before we experience it. We believe that love has to come from an external source, rather than internal. The internal work is the most vital and necessary work to attracting love into our lives. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Have you ever held on to anger and bitterness and recognize that you are alone or unhappy? I used to experience this and I had to make a change. We can shift out mindsets and perspectives. Practice gratitude for the shift! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Hope has carried me through my amazing journey. Hope is amazing when you know, understand and honor the work in hope. You must work towards the goals that hope generated from. Push. Go. Walk. Run. Continue. Connect. Forge ahead. Keep going. Hope requires our movement to fulfill our purpose. Don't give up on yourself. Keep hope alive! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

The horrors of healing is about healing the intense fear of fear, shock or disgust. I've had to power through healing some intense fear, embarrassment, shock, doubt, shame, etc., and it is not the prettiest experience. Healing is a hot topic these days. I have been on a healing journey for many years (over 7 years) and it is now a popular hashtag. I want to share my journey and that it is not a beautiful experience many assume. Your journey is yours, however, be prepared for pain and obstacles. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

When you commit to a healthy lifestyle it means more than just eating a well balanced diet. A desire to be healthy completely includes a number of changes in our life. We often times believe that only working out does it or only eating healthy does it, however, it is a holistic approach to a real healthy life. My relationships should be healthy, eating healthy and being physically active. My mental should be healthy as well. Discovering the healthy life you deserve will be met with some possible obstacles, but you deserve a healthy life with healthy people. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Start over and extend grace to yourself. We will ultimately have to start over and how we take the lessons --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Staying on track can be a challenge. You begin to get comfortable and feel open to exploring things you've already elected to stop. It is ok to pivot and pursue your purpose again. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

We need to be so obsessed with our own paths that we do not exert the energy, time or effort into others journey. Evolving happens when we concentrate on ourselves and create boundaries with ourselves and others to pivot and do what is necessary for our growth. We are limited in time so do what you need to do to take measures to be your best possible self. The benefit to being better than you were yesterday is the competition is close, yet we look outside. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keya2/support

Defining where you are will get you to where you want to be. Do not present as a dark side, be the full version of yourself and do not walk in other's shadow. You are wrapped with so much skill, gifts and expertise, yet you are not presenting your authentic self to the world. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

Prior to the pandemic I was taking moments of silence and solitude to isolate myself for myself. I created a schedule to meditate and afterwards just have silence. No outside noise or distractions to take me away from anything I needed to focus on. I became focused and intentional and throughout the pandemic I continued to do just that. The clarity I received during this time cannot be put into words, but I attempted to do that. Practice silence and solitude. This year I am committed to soaring in silence. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

Happily Evolving And Loving Happily doing the healing work to evolve and love in a healed space. Identifying triggers, pain and trauma to be healthy and healed. It is important to become self-aware so that we can do our best and be our best. Evolving is work that is worth it and in this podcast I talk about the journey and leave some tips for you to do the work necessary for your journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

Be careful who you allow in your space. Watch how they treat others and talk about others. They will surely do the same to you, It is our own fault though. Be accountable --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

Friendship is something that we aren't taught to do. We meet people and call them friends through proximity, a few similarities and mutual interests. Many of us weren't taught to foster good friendships and how to identify ones that may be unhealthy for us. I am thankful for my friendships. The ones that have ended and the ones that continue. It is essential to go back to the root to see why some of the issues may arise and do the work to heal to recover and/or foster the existing friendships. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

I have had my share of relationship/friendship/partnership woes. As a result, I went deeply within to soul search, obtain therapy and become more self-aware for myself and those I choose to encounter life with. The things that came out of this has been life altering. I find myself having healthier connections and releasing quicker when it doesn't align with my spirit. A huge shift has happened in my life due to various life happenings and I wanted to share how I am now in the healthiest relationship I've ever had and have some of the most amazing friendships/partnerships with others. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keya2/support

I was so tired of feeling powerless, hopeless, resentful, depressed and as if I was a victim. Although I woke up one morning knowing it had to come to an end soon I had no idea the journey this would take. I was confident at least that this was necessary to experience joy, healing, peace and abundance. I have been pleasantly surprised that the beginning darkness would lead me to the brightest of light. Life has become lighter, more joyous and peaceful. I still have struggles from time to time, however, I have tools to maneuver through those moments. I am hopeful that this episode brings clarity and direction for you. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

We all come with innate and easy gifts. Do not compare or judge others who grow in their gifts to educate and empower others. It takes skill, education, dedication and a lot of work to teach/coach others. When you become confident and assured in your niche you can train others and it is true that most successful professionals have had coaches to aid them to higher levels of performance and skill. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

In knowing who you are you must go back and/or inward. I was able to go back and acknowledge that my uncle instilled a spirit of self-love, image and awareness that I didn't understand early in life, but I remembered what he poured in me. Delve deeper into who you are and be your authentic version to live a full, thriving and happy life. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

Warning and emergency signals are alerts that prevent us from entering a danger zone. When we feel uncomfortable, triggered or as if we are in danger our body, spirit and awareness warns us. Why do we ignore? Why do we question our ability to honestly feel it and trust it. This podcast talks about my own experiences and why it is important to trust your instincts to prevent repeat lessons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

Forgiving yourself is vital to forgiving others. As I continue to evolve and shift I recognize more easily what is necessary for my healing journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

In a world full of trendy things are we tied to our traditions due to the "trend" to stay connected to it or are we in fear of creating our own traditions. The question is do you feel like your traditions should be forced upon others and is that your business to get involved in. Creating your own traditions can be liberating and connect you deeper and create more peace and happiness. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

The Secret to peace, growth, healing is actually simple from my perspective. I share parts of my journey that revealed things about me in my evolving. What is your Secret? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

Take a listen to this episode about our unique and varying paths in life. Deciding to do what is our best and best for us individually. Creating a life that is best for us in different seasons of our life. Adapting to change, shifting and honoring yourself. This episode is a true message for those that struggle with hard decisions. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

How often have you blamed or pointed the finger outwardly before examining or checking yourself? We all have said "they did it!" However, what did you contribute or do. Is your ego holding you back from growth and transformation? Hear some thoughts I have about ego and accountability. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

Are you walking around with the juice, the secret, the thing that is within you that will change the trajectory of your life. You were born with some innate gifts and qualities and it's time you reveal the secret. Let the cat out the bag!! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

Forced solitude was COVID-19, however, selective solitude is necessary.  Take moments to be alone and reflect, decide and determine what's next.  Often times, we do not take the necessary time to just sit alone and create a list of who goes and who stays.  This includes you for other people so you are not being selfish about what is important for the journey.  While in solitude you can embrace being alone, learning and becoming more self-aware and reflective. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

As a young girl and woman there were thoughts of this fairy tale love. The desire to just be swept off my feet without any issues and in a blissful love that only he and I existed. Let's just say that I learned to do some healing, inner work and accountability as it related to relationships. Never ask for what you cannot give. Being aware of what you desire and understanding your love language is vital. It will save so much time and a few tears. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

We all want someone to love us right?  Well, most of us.  What are you doing in the meantime as you await the arrival of your lifetime love? Doing the inner work and understand the things that are important to you are a great way to start the wait.  Write it down and make it clear so that you are being intentional about your desires. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

This podcast discusses my personal journey to feeling attacked or disliked for no reason.  Have you ever had someone dislike you or discredit you for no reason at all other than they just don't like you.  I let my frustrations out on paper and wrote this particular poetic piece that I share.  Being a positive and empowering person can be seen as a negative for others and I share that in this podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

Is raising our children challenging sometimes? Yes.  But, it is also rewarding and fulfilling.  Our children can make us shed a tear or two sometimes.  We continue to love, nurture and coach them through this thing called life though.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message

As we face a pandemic, we also face trauma.  Trauma of witnessing unarmed black men and women be murdered at the hands of the "serve and protect" law enforcement.  We are not collateral damage.  We go to jobs that often are not aware or concerned about the trauma we are experiencing on a daily basis.  What can we do for ourselves to create healthier dialogue, change and outcomes for those that follow us. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keya2/message