In this episode of Unwritten Chapters, I do something a little different: I hit play on two videos and react in real time — as a former army medic, long-time paramedic, and guy who’s watched a lot of people quietly fall apart while the world tells them to “be strong.”First up is the Monochromatic Theory: an author breaking down how pop culture, brands, and even our houses started to lose their colour. Home Alone, Taco Bell, old cars, childhood streets — all more vibrant than what we see now. I talk about why that hits so hard for people who grew up before everything turned beige, and how that muted “aesthetic” mirrors what happens to us after trauma, burnout, and years of caregiving.If you’ve ever felt more like background noise in your own life, this part is for you.Then we shift to something spicier: a clip of Andrew Wilson debating a woman about female roles in the military. As a former army medic, I give my honest take on women in the military and combat roles, drawing on my own experience, the women I served with, and what actually happens on the ground versus what guys on the internet think happens.If you’re a nurse, medic, first responder, partner of a veteran, or a woman who’s ever been told you’re “too emotional” to handle the hard stuff… you’ll probably have some feelings about this.We get into:Why so many of us feel like our lives went “monochrome”The link between nostalgia, trauma, and mental healthWhat people get wrong about women in the military and frontline rolesHow it really feels to carry everyone else’s pain and still show upDark humour, recovery, and trying to make sense of life after rock bottomThis channel is for the empathetic but exhausted — the ones who are trauma-literate, allergic to bullshit, and just want someone to say the quiet part out loud. If that’s you, you’re in the right place.🧠 New here?I’m a former army medic and paramedic turned author, talking honestly about trauma, addiction, mental health, and recovery — with dark humour, real stories, and zero motivational-poster nonsense.💬 If something in this episode hits home, drop a comment.I read them, I respond, and your stories help shape future episodes.If you want more:👉 Hit subscribe for more solo episodes, veteran reacts content, and mental health conversations that don’t talk down to you.Welcome — I’m Matthew Heneghan: Canadian veteran, former paramedic, addiction survivor and storyteller. After 17 years on the front lines — in the Forces and EMS — I now write, podcast and share stories of trauma, recovery and what comes after the worst of it.📚 My BooksA Medic’s Mind – Memoir of military medic → paramedic, trauma, loss and reinvention. Amazon: https://a.co/d/fbYbp7xTrauma and Tea: Essays on Trauma, Recovery and Growing Up the Hard Way – A collection of raw essays about hitting rock bottom, healing and telling the truth. Amazon: https://a.co/d/9GnaoDV🌐 Visit my website for more: www.authormheneghan.com Author Matthew Heneghan🎙️ Host of the podcast Unwritten Chapters – Life After Trauma (for veterans, first responders, survivors of addiction and anyone rewriting the next chapter). Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hmuMofDnEkc8Ec9MqGHmC?si=N66NaCV_RGWcOrJz9HR-nALINKS & RESOURCES– Buy my books: authormheneghan.com/buy-the-book Author Matthew Heneghan– Follow on IG / Twitter / Facebook – @matthewhenehgan_author– Drop a comment, hit Subscribe, ring the 🔔 — let’s build a community of truth-telllers, healers and story-keepers.WHAT YOU’LL FIND ON THIS CHANNEL– Talking-head reflections on trauma, mental-health work, addiction recovery– Behind-the-scenes of EMS & veteran life — what they don’t teach you in training– Practical tips to cope, heal and build resilience from the rawest possible vantage– Author & podcast updates, plus live discussions about writing your next chapterThanks for being here.