In this episode of ROCK BOTTOM, host Mayssa Chehata sits down with therapist, teacher, and guide Flynn Skidmore, whose work in internal family systems and somatic healing has quietly supported millions online. At 18, Flynn had what he describes as a spiritual shock to the system, a violent awakening that left him dissociated, depressed, and unable to make sense of the world around him. What followed was nearly a decade-long rock bottom that forced him to confront toxic masculinity, rage, shame, and his own desire not to be here anymore.

Flynn opens up about growing up as one of the only white kids in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, navigating race and power dynamics in his neighborhood, while also surviving an explosive home shaped by generational violence and “rite-of-passage” masculinity. He shares how being jumped as a kid, watching his father battle chronic illness and addiction, and getting into physical fights with the man he loved most in the world all shaped his understanding of what it meant to be a man and why he eventually had to burn that model to the ground.

This conversation dives into toxic masculinity, celibacy, sexuality, lying as a childhood survival strategy, and what happens when you lose access to your own desire. Flynn talks about committing to radical honesty, pushing through grad school and therapy training while secretly questioning his own will to live, and the moment he realized that the only way out was to design his own value system and his own life. Today, he helps people transform self-hatred into radical self-love by treating even the cruelest inner voices as parts that are just trying (badly) to keep us safe.

If you’ve ever felt like you “now know too much,” along your own path and journey, like you’re stuck in a matrix you can’t unsee, or like there’s a version of you that might not make it out, Flynn’s story is a powerful reminder that creation is the antidote to despair, and that the parts of you that hate you are really just begging to be loved in their own way.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicidal thoughts and self-hatred. Please listen with care.

Resources

This episode is sponsored by GEM — the real food daily bite delivering 20+ essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in one delicious chew. Use code ROCKBOTTOM or visit dailygem.com/ROCKBOTTOM for 15% off your order.

Flynn Skidmore | Instagram

ROCK BOTTOM | Instagram

GEM | Website

BEHAVE Candy | Website

If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit their website for chat and resources.

Credits:

Created by Mayssa Chehata

Produced by Desta Wondirad and Wondir Studios

Production Support and Audio Recording by Johnny Simon