“My earliest memory of violence was in Grade 5. One moment, we were seated with my parents, and the next, my father hit my mother. I ran to the kitchen, trying to stop the bleeding while she cried on the floor.” These are the words of Theopoline Hofeni, a lawyer and mental health advocate whose story forms the heart of this deeply emotional episode of Sex Talks Podcast.

In a conversation,Theopoline sits down with host Selma Ndasilohenda Iyambo to share her journey of growing up in a home marked by dysfunction and abuse, and how those experiences shaped her mental health. She recalls her first encounters with depression and the ways self-harm became part of her life, shedding light on what is so often misunderstood about the coping mechanisms young people turn to when they are overwhelmed by pain.

Theopoline speaks openly about surviving suicide attempts and about how sexual assault deepened her silent battles. She reflects on the difficulties of healing, reminding us that recovery is not a straight line but a process of both crushing setbacks and freeing breakthroughs. At its core, her story is one of survival, courage, and resilience, and through it, she offers a message of hope to any young person who feels like they are drowning in silence.

This episode is more than a conversation; it is a call to break the silence surrounding mental health, to acknowledge the battles fought behind closed doors, and to remind us that no one has to face this alone.