Season 5, Special Series |11 Life Lessons from Stranger Things – Lesson 5: We all have demons
November 1, 2025
Season 5, Special Series | 11 life lessons from stranger things- Lesson 5: We all have Demons
In this episode of 11 Life Lessons From Stranger Things, In this episode, Karen and Bill explore one of Stranger Things’ deeper life lessons — We All Have Demons.
From Hopper’s grief and guilt to Billy’s trauma and Eleven’s inner battles, the Upside Down becomes a metaphor for our own internal struggles. Karen and Bill unpack how many of our “demons” live in our minds — the stories, fears, and critical voices that whisper we’re not enough.
Karen opens up about her own “inner Vecna” — the perfectionist voice that chases the illusion of a perfect 10 — and how she’s learned to quiet it through acknowledgment, therapy, journaling, and connection. Together, they reflect on their experience attending Al-Anon, finding perspective, and realizing that everyone fights unseen battles.
Listeners are invited to confront their own inner critics with compassion, curiosity, and courage — to face both the light and the dark, because, as Dr. Brenner tells Eleven, “the mind can be a prison.”
NOTE From Karen: I am not a therapist and this conversation and the advice I give on this podcast doe is not medical advice. Please seek outside assistance from a medical professional if this conversation is triggering for you.
Call to Action:
1. Acknowledge the demon.
2. Give it a voice.
3. Seek help. No one needs to fight their demons alone.
4. Share this special series with a Stranger Things Fan!
Links:
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About Karen auld
Karen Auld is an environmentalist and mind-set coach for mission-driven entrepreneurs and activists. Karen brings pragmatic thinking to her self-help teaching and environmentalism keeping heavy topics light and digestible. She is also the co-author of Color Love and Kindness, a coloring book based on a buddhist tradition known as metta.
When she is not giving talks or coaching, you can find Karen enjoying nature with her husband or watching her favorite shows, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Stranger Things, with a cat on her lap.
