For The Hayters: The Stories We Survive

Trigger warnings: abortion, miscarriage, NICU and infant medical emergency, pediatric surgery, chronic pain, vision loss, panic attacks and alcohol use, parental infidelity and anger, family estrangement.Bree was born visually impaired. By the time she was five, she'd had six or seven eye surgeries. For twenty-two years, nobody could explain why her body worked the way it did: the cataracts, the glaucoma, the hole in her heart, the dental problems dentists had never seen before, and the daily pain she assumed everyone had.At 22, genetic testing finally gave her a name for it: oculofaciocardiodental (OFCD) syndrome, a rare genetic disorder she could pass on to her children. For someone whose biggest dream was to be a mom, the answer didn't feel like relief. It felt like one more thing to grieve.Bree talks about growing up with a mom who fought for her at every turn and a dad who mostly wasn't there, the losses that came before her daughter, a NICU stay nobody could fully explain, and what it's like to sit on the other side of the exam table now, advocating for a little girl who shares her diagnosis.For The Hayters is a podcast that normalizes hard conversations. Listener discretion is advised.Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal.Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light.🔹 New episodes drop every Sunday!🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters🔹 Submit your story: [email protected]🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Confession: I took out a personal loan this month. After working SO hard to get where I am, I had to go back ten steps because our old house has not sold and the credit card interest was starting to scare me. I'm telling you because this show is about being honest about money, even when it's embarrassing. I'm also telling you because Alex has opinions about how to do it right.Then we get into the conversation nobody wants to have until they're forced to. What happens when your parents retire and realize they don't have enough? Are you supposed to help? And how do you do that while you're paying your own mortgage, raising kids, and trying to save for your own retirement? Alex and I have lived this one with our own family, so we're getting real about it.The SolutionMedicare is not free: Part B alone runs about $202.90 a month in 2026, before deductibles, coinsurance, prescriptions, dental, vision, and hearing.Long-term care is a need, not a place: Whether it's assisted living (median cost around $6,200 a month) or someone checking in on Mom once a day, it costs money and someone has to provide it.Three questions before you help: Is this an emergency? Is there a sustainable solution? Can you actually afford it without wrecking your own future?Don't create your kids' problem: If you sacrifice your retirement to fund your parents', you might be handing the same crisis down a generation.If you're 50 and behind: Know your numbers, estimate what retirement will really cost, plan for healthcare and housing, and have the family conversation now.This week's homeworkPick one parent, partner, or even just yourself and ask three questions. How much is saved for retirement? What happens if someone needs long-term care? What do you expect from family financially? Write down the answers, even if they're scary. Especially if they're scary.Patreon members get Alex's full retirement expense checklist and the complete list of questions to ask your parents.Connect with usJoin the Hayters on Patreon for early episodes, bonus content, and the full checklist: patreon.com/beckyhayterQuestions for Alex? Email us at [email protected] is emotional. And you deserve to feel safe with it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trigger warnings: cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy, hysterectomy and invasive medical procedures, brief discussion of intimacy after surgery, chronic illness and chronic pain, medical dismissal and weight bias in healthcare, a partner's severe anxiety, divorce and custody court, separation from children during COVID, and fear around losing health insurance.Kristin's surgeon walked out of the operating room and told her family everything looked fantastic. A week later, a nurse handed her an envelope at her follow-up. She didn't open it. Then the doctor walked in and asked if she'd read it.Kristin grew up an only child outside Detroit, sure of one thing: she was going to be a mom. Life got her there in unexpected ways. She became a stepmom to a four-year-old in her twenties, moved across the country and back, and ended a 16-year marriage to a man she still has love for. She came out during the pandemic while running a memory care facility in lockdown. Then her body started keeping score. There were years of "normal" lab results, a Hashimoto's diagnosis, a rare ovarian cancer called granulosa cell tumor, and a fibromyalgia diagnosis that came only after one specialist sent her a message that said, "I wish you luck."This is a conversation about medical gaslighting, coming out later in life, and the things nobody tells you before surgery. It's also about what happened when Kristin finally shared her story and realized she wasn't as alone as she thought.For The Hayters is a podcast that normalizes hard conversations. Listener discretion is advised.Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal.Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light.🔹 New episodes drop every Sunday!🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters🔹 Submit your story: [email protected]🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses financial trauma, debt, foreclosure and eviction, childhood dysfunction, the death of a family member, substance use, and a dark period of anxiety and self-blame. Listener discretion is advised.Shannon has a master's degree. She was a teacher. On paper, she had it together. And for two years, she hid thousands of dollars of debt from the man she was about to marry.It didn't start with a reckless swipe of a card. It started in childhood, in a house where money was a secret and "rob Peter to pay Paul" was the family motto. By 14, she was keeping her mother's financial secrets. By her late twenties, she'd bought a house alone, in her name only, and learned that asking for help made her physically sick.In this conversation, Shannon walks me through the split mortgage payments, the predatory loans, the late notices in the trash, and the foreclosure letter she opened by herself. She tells me how the lie almost cost her the house, the marriage, and the person she thought she was, and what it finally took to stop hiding and say the two words that changed her marriage: same team.For The Hayters is a podcast that normalizes hard conversations. Listener discretion is advised.Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal.Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light.🔹 New episodes drop every Sunday!🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters🔹 Submit your story: [email protected]🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TW: This episode discusses secondary trauma, child abuse and neglect, substance use and addiction, overdose loss, suicidal ideation, stalking, and a mention of gun violence.Morgan is a social worker and therapist in the same small town she grew up in. She testifies in court about things clients told her in a room they believed was private, she carries a caseload of names she already knows, and for one stretch of her life the hardest year of her job ran at the exact same time as the hardest year of her marriage. We talk about what it costs to be the only person everyone assumes is fine.For The Hayters is a podcast that normalizes hard conversations. Listener discretion is advised. If you are struggling, you can call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal.Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light. 🔹 New episodes drop every Monday! 🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters 🔹 Submit your story: [email protected] 🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com 🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everyone is talking about the Trump accounts, and honestly, the information out there is all over the place. One video says every kid gets $1,000. Another says run, don't walk, and open one today. So I called Alex, because I was confused too.In this episode we break down what these accounts actually are, who qualifies for the free $1,000, how to sign up in about 10 minutes, and how they stack up against a 529, a brokerage account, and everything else we've covered. No politics, just the facts, the math, and what it could mean for your kid's future.Money is emotional. You deserve to feel safe with it.Connect with us:Join the Hayters on Patreon for early access, our Wallet Therapy lives, and direct access to Alex on Discord: patreon.com/beckyhayterQuestions, debates, or money confessions: [email protected] you, mean it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TW: PTSD, suicidal ideation, self-harm, alcohol use, and war. Tim was told he was stupid before he was old enough to argue, and spent the next thirty years proving he could survive anything: underground cage fights, Special Forces selection, Afghanistan. Then he came home, and the hardest fight of his life started at 2 AM with nobody shooting at all. Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal.Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light. 🔹 New episodes drop every Monday! 🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters 🔹 Submit your story: [email protected] 🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com 🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.comIf you or someone you know needs support, please visit:988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org | Call or text 988See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TW: pregnancy loss, medical trauma, premature birth, surrogacy complications. Sara drove six and a half hours to tell me what surrogacy actually took from her, and it was nothing I expected. This is a conversation about wanting something so badly you'll carry it for someone else, and what happens when your body makes a decision your heart didn't agree to.Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal.Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light. 🔹 New episodes drop every Monday! 🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters 🔹 Submit your story: [email protected] 🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com 🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.comIf you or someone you know needs support, please visit:988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org | Call or text 988See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.