# E 371: You Are More Than Your Diagnosis: BPD, Childhood Trauma & Reclaiming Your Voice with Dene Dubois

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/adult-child-of-dysfunction-6619234/e-371-you-are-more-than-your-diagnosis-bpd-childhood-trauma-reclaiming-your-voice-with-dene-dubois
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/adult-child-of-dysfunction-6619234/e-371-you-are-more-than-your-diagnosis-bpd-childhood-trauma-reclaiming-your-voice-with-dene-dubois.md
Podcast: [Adult Child of Dysfunction](https://stenobird.com/podcast/adult-child-of-dysfunction-6619234)
Published: 2026-09-16T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://adult-child-of-dysfunction.captivate.fm/episode/bpd-childhood-trauma-beyond-the-label
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/8a50e549-8d21-48ee-8924-2fc15370f1d0.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/adult-child-of-dysfunction-6619234/episodes/e-371-you-are-more-than-your-diagnosis-bpd-childhood-trauma-reclaiming-your-voice-with-dene-dubois
Duration seconds: 2514

## Resource

What happens when a diagnosis finally gives you an explanation for why you've struggled—but then starts becoming another label you carry? In this jpowerful episode, I sit down with Dene Dubois, for an incredibly open conversation about borderline personality disorder, childhood trauma, abandonment, trust, shame, relationships, and what it means to take your personal power back. Dene shares his experience growing up in a deeply dysfunctional home with a mother struggling with bipolar disorder and a father dealing with alcoholism and compulsive gambling. He also opens up about receiving a BPD diagnosis at age 50 and the complicated relationship he's had with that label. We talk about something I see so often in my own work with adult children: the fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting others, intense emotional reactions, people pleasing, and that immediate assumption of “What did I do wrong?” when someone pulls away. Denis gives a powerful real-life example of how something as simple as an unanswered message can activate those old fears. But this conversation goes far beyond a diagnosis. We explore the difference between understanding a label and becoming the label , why shame doesn't create healing, and how the things we once viewed as weaknesses can sometimes become part of our purpose. Dene has taken his lived experience and created BPD Raw as a place where people can speak honestly about mental health without hiding behind clinical language or stigma. His message at the end of our conversation says it beautifully: Never let someone silence your voice. If you've ever felt defined by a diagnosis, your childhood, your mistakes, or someone else's opinion of you, this conversation is for you. 🔗 CONNECT WITH DENE DUBOIS BPD Raw Website: BPD Raw Facebook: Follow BPD Raw…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/adult-child-of-dysfunction-6619234/episodes/e-371-you-are-more-than-your-diagnosis-bpd-childhood-trauma-reclaiming-your-voice-with-dene-dubois/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/adult-child-of-dysfunction-6619234/e-371-you-are-more-than-your-diagnosis-bpd-childhood-trauma-reclaiming-your-voice-with-dene-dubois.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.