How Radio Kept Me Sane

Oh, boy. New year, new reflections.

2025 was a year that cracked me open and poured me into a new life — messy, beautiful, raw. And somewhere in that chaos… radio saved me.

🌪️ The Whirlwind

June 2025: My long-term, common-law relationship ended.

August 2025: After three intense months of trying to get him out, my ex finally left. I was exhausted, heart-tired, and holding it all together by a thread.

That’s when I started calling the radio.

It began with little things — texting in answers to trivia, laughing with Darren during the morning brain buster, or hearing my name mentioned on air. Then it became a ritual. A tether. A strange and beautiful way to remind myself:

“Hey. You’re still here. You still exist.”

📻 My Secret Ritual

Some people go to therapy. Some people turn to meditation. Me? I called into the radio.

August to October: I became a regular on Mountain FM. Darren’s show felt like somewhere I was always welcome.

Afternoons: Tyler would read my texts on-air — it was fun, silly, harmless.

Mornings: If I was up by 7:40 a.m., I’d try to call in for the brain buster.

But it wasn’t just pop radio keeping me sane.

🎼 Classical Music & The Vibe of Sanity

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week, CBC Radio’s classical music programming became my background score.

String quartets while I cleaned. Vivaldi while I packed boxes. Bach while I sat in silence on the couch wondering what the hell I was doing with my life.

I always joke:

“Listening to classical music makes me feel both psycho and genius.”

But somehow, it centered me. It made me feel like I was in a movie montage of my own healing arc. Like something beautiful was being rebuilt… even if I couldn’t see it yet.

🚪 Doors Closing, Doors Opening

In the fall:

I took on temp dental work to stay afloat.

Closed my business.

Moved to a whole new town: Powell River.

It was scary, but also... a reset.

Radio followed me there, too. Darren in the mornings. CBC R&B late at night. (Shout out to Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe — your voice, your vibe, your music. 💜)

Even now in 2026, I still call in sometimes. Not as often. But enough to feel that old thread still humming.

💭 Why I'm Writing This

Because I almost forgot.

I almost forgot that I’m a writer. That writing was my first home. That when I feel lost, all I have to do is start.

And so I’m writing this — as a love letter to radio, but also to myself. To the woman who kept showing up, one call, one text, one breath at a time.

To anyone out there who's feeling untethered — maybe try tuning in. To real voices. Real laughter. Real people.

Turns out, the video star didn’t kill the radio host. Not in my world.