Releasing Trauma; a Survivor's Podcast

Dream in a Suitcase from Domnica Radulescu is a fast-paced, true story of survival, resilience and the power of love, told from the perspective of a female Romanian-American survivor of the worst communist dictatorship behind the former Iron Curtain.The story opens against the backdrop of 1983 Bucharest. The food lines are interminable, the secret police are omnipresent, and college student Domnica Radulescu is reluctantly preparing for a daring journey that will take her first to Rome, and eventually, the United States.Domnica traces the defining moments in her life, beginning with her traumatic escape to Italy in 1983; back to several pivotal events in the her early childhood and adolescence in her native Romania; her arrival and first years as a fresh political refugee trying to adjust and survive in Chicago; and the saga of her resettlement in a small Southern town as a single working mother. With uncompromising irony, self-deprecating humor and unapologetic feminist rebelliousness that calls to mind Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, Dream in a Suitcase is a powerful memoir that immerses readers in the mind of a woman who makes the bold but heartbreaking decision to leave behind her family and country to pursue the illusory American Dream. 

More than 140,000 children in the United States have experienced the death of a parent or grandparent from COVID-19.Many families have also lost jobs and had vital supports, such as school, health care services, and other community programs, interrupted and put on hold, putting a mental strain on children, whether or not they realize it.According to research, 71% of parents said the pandemic had taken a toll on their child's mental health and 69% said the pandemic was the worst thing to happen to their child.A national survey of 3,300 high schoolers conducted in spring 2020 found close to a third of students felt unhappy and depressed much more than usual.Even after the pandemic subsides, its mental health effects on children will be around for much longer.Stephanie Bolster McCannon is an author, teacher, self-development expert, and creator of the BolsterUP Method. She lives a life dedicated to helping people improve their productivity and happiness. Stephanie shares:The reasons why children's mental health is suffering.How to tell if your kid is suffering.How to foster a social setting for your child, even as we feel more disconnected than ever.

Childhood abuse and trauma powered an alcoholism that would nearly defeat Jewels.Yet Jewels assures us that even when we lose those things that give shape to our soul, such as belonging, the need for touch, and safety in our own home, we can go on to devise a new way of being that surpasses our childhood haunts.Jewels was seven years old when her father attempted a family suicide, so her mother whisked her away to the arms and family of another man.Ruled by her mother's delusional survival aspirations and the ignored evidence of her suffering at the hands of her new relatives, survival became a daily struggle for Jewels.But when the truth could no longer be hidden, the family split, leaving Jewels to navigate a new world, not of her making.Deciding to use her earlier trauma to enter recovery, sexually liberate herself, and enter the competitive world of professional bodybuilding, Jewels created a life that inspires others to push forward no matter the details.In this uncommon ode to survival, Jewels creates a quite unexpected career from her truth-underscored by her complicated relationship with the allure of sexuality.Through a tangle of forgiveness and understanding emerges an elevated journey of the mechanisms for survival, of pain and joy, and of discovering that family is what you make of it.

Motherhood is such a blessing. But it can come with pain and loss. The loss of a child is a pain no person should have to endure, especially the mother carrying that baby. But it happens, and we persevere. Charity Majors was called to create the "Meant For More" movement after going through the journey of losing a child...after journeying through the dark night of the soul and finding true healing.Her mission is to impart that each of us are divine miracles, that we are each here on purpose for a purpose. 

Being a caregiver is tumultuous. There are many highs and lows. But being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia takes that to an entirely new level. And when that person is your mother, well there is nothing more rewarding and painful at the same time as being able to care for the woman who cared for you as a child. But along with that comes trauma. And so much of it. Watching someone you love turn into someone you don't know, and who doesn't know you is heartbreaking. Lisa Zawrotny's story —and the reason she does what she does now — started when she was a caregiver for her mom who had Alzheimer's.She moved her mom into her home when she was pregnant with her son and then had also had her daughter all while still caring for her mother.What Lisa went through to keep her mom children safe (including her children safe from her) was something she didn't label as trauma for years, but realizes now that's exactly what it was.It impacted her physical and mental health and changed how she viewed the world. Those life lessons make Lisa the coach she is today.

As we settle into 2022, it becomes apparent that we are facing another year of the unknown.But rather than focusing on what you cannot control, let's flip the script and begin to discuss how to make 2022 an ethical and fulfilling year by making small simple choices.Dr. Gilbert discusses:3 simple, small and effective choices to make in your daily life to feel more fulfilled in 2022The value of selflessness & how to incorporate tools into your daily routineWhy there is no right way to do the wrong thing – Easy ways to assess if a decision is worthwhile to pursue if you are feeling weary

For those of us who have survived a background filled with trauma, it may seem like becoming a well-adjusted adult seems like we made it out on top.Come to find out, there's another, deeper layer that needs to be penetrated in order to truly come out on top.It's not enough just to survive. In order to really thrive, you have to understand the beliefs you derived from the trauma that are informing your life today.Against all odds, Jenna Banks pivoted from the self-loathing survivor of a traumatic childhood and a nearly fatal suicide, to a fully empowered woman who knows her worth.

Trauma can cause a lifetime of damage to health and wellbeing—for both those suffering from it, and the people around them. Additionally, children growing up in an environment with toxic stress are more likely to have difficulty in their adult relationships. Often, unresolved trauma results in many life challenges such as overworking, anxiety, overeating, difficulty sleeping, and physical pain. And, sadly, unintentionally passing along trauma to others including our children.Sara Church, author of the new book Mending My Mind and an advocate for mental health, says that this damage can easily be transmitted from one person to the next. And it can lead those affected to hurt others, causing more pain and more trauma.Then, in a vicious cycle, just like Covid, it spreads…Sara has experienced this. While suffering unknowingly from C-PTSD, a condition caused by a series of events that occurred repeatedly over an extended period of time, Sara found herself sabotaging relationships that hurt those she loved—including her wife. She writes about this in her book.Today Sara's mission is to help stop the spread. Doing so could help heal many of the problems in our world.The first step, she says, is to talk about it. Share your story about what happened, whether it was abuse, oppression or—as was Sara's case—poverty and parental addiction and abandonment.

When you are challenged – how do you tap into your moment of joy?We all have the ability to manifest a day based on joy and understanding by beginning with a transcendent moment.Author and counselor Susan Lax offers such moments to get your day started in her gorgeous collection of stories, poems and insights, A HEART'S LANDSCAPE: An Invitation to the Garden of MomentsThe seeds for Morning Inspiration were planted when Susan Lax learned that one of her closest friends was diagnosed with cancer and she was determined to find a way to bring light back to their bond.Respecting her friend's desire to keep her illness confidential, Susan began sending her friend an email each morning at 6 a.m. designed to bring a moment of joy to her day.This daily tradition continued for five months until one morning Susan awoke with the flu and did not send her morning email.By 7:30 a.m., she received a phone call from her friend, “Where is my morning blessing? Why didn't you send it today?”This would be the only moment in which the two friends discussed the emails aloud.For the rest of the year, Susan sent a short morning blessing and eventually, her friend regained her health. Although the emails were only spoken about once, Susan understood the support they provided.Right now, especially with ongoing COVID, Susan and her book offer deep reminders with words and warm visuals - to take a moment – and just pause - get away from the inundation and put the chaos away.

In a culture that does its best to run away from grief whenever possible— even though grief is an inevitable part of life and loss—Edy Nathan provides a practical, sensitive guide to surmounting the pain and regaining your soul.An experienced psychotherapist and grief expert, Edy is author of  It's Grief: The Dance of Self-Discovery Through Trauma and Loss. The book unravels the complex world of grief and helps to transform the dark mystery into one of life's most important teachers.While other therapists emphasize universal quick fixes to “get over it,” Edy says it doesn't work that way. Like a fingerprint, everyone's experience of trauma, abuse, or the loss of a loved one is unique, and in truth, you never really get over the resulting grief but learn to integrate it into your life.She speaks candidly from her own personal experiences as one who has danced with grief in many forms from a young age. Her ideas are not theoretical!Grief, trauma and loss can strike in a moment, today, or from a long past memory retrieved—and disrupt the norms in every part of your life.Edy Nathan's practical insights can help you get your life back—even though the world you live in has forever changed. 

What do you do when your confidence tank is on empty?How do you feel?How does it affect your daily life?Much like letting your car's gas tank run dry, when your confidence tank is empty, nothing moves forward. Thankfully filling up your confidence gas tank is much cheaper these days than filling up your car's gas tank!Graig Robinson is no stranger to lack of confidence. He comes on the show to remind us, "Who better than you?"

When the unthinkable happens, you don't expect it to happen twice, but for Marci Savage, widowed twice by suicide, it did. Marci is now coming forward with her story and emerging as a fierce proponent for eliminating the harmful social stigmas attached to mental illness which keep many individuals battling depression and anxiety from seeking help.On August 13, 2014, Marci found Paul, her beloved husband of thirty-four years, dead by suicide. No warning. No explanation. No final good-bye.Less than five years later, on March 15, 2019, Michael, Marci's second husband of only eight months, was found dead by suicide as well.In the grip of unrelenting pain, Marci courageously meets grief head-on and, with dogged determination and sets out to expose the ill-conceived and biased attitudes toward mental illnesses and suicide.And No One Saw It Coming is full of grit and candid insights and opens the door into a personal story of lost love, betrayal, abandonment, shattered dreams, unanswered questions, judgements, and harmful social stigma.

Can something as simple as a story change the lives of others?Do you ever wonder if your life — your story — matters?“Of course, it does,” says international speaker and sought-after story expert, Linda Olson. “Everyone has a story, and your story can bring transformation and impact into the word today.”In Linda's latest book, Story Matters! Empowering Your Hope When Going Through Tough Times, she provides real-life examples of seven ordinary women who faced major challenges.These women embraced their stories and learned to rise above nearly insurmountable obstacles.They did it through strength, courage and their faith in God, and they are sharing their stories to light a path forward for others facing difficult circumstances.Story Matters! shares seven true, powerful stories from women who each took a long look at her life and decided to change her story. And when she changed her story, she changed her world.

For generations, we have looked at addiction from a black and white perspective. Either someone is okay, or they are at rock bottom; there is no in-between.In reality, there is a large percentage of Americans who fall into that in-between area and are overusing and highly functional who need resources.Tara Schiller is the CEO and visionary behind SoberBuddy, a virtual drug and alcohol recovery coach transforming the sobriety industry. She developed SoberBuddy with the vision of creating an approachable, shame-free, easily accessible path to recovery.Tara's goal is to design a culture that works to erase the shame and embarrassment around addiction via a digital safe space.Tara has always been an “anti-shame” crusader who's passionate about helping others live in their truth and assisting them find the tools needed to create a better life.No stranger to deep shame, Tara uses her past experiences to fuel her mission and break down barriers to getting the care we need in highly stigmatized struggles.Recent reports have shown a steady increase in consumption of alcohol as the pandemic has dragged on specifically affecting mothers of children under the age of 5.More and more people are curious about exploring a sober lifestyle change without disrupting and uprooting their life. Virtual sobriety resources allow someone to make an informed choice about their lifestyle and choose how and when they want to address it.Tara provides insight and education around what the various spectrums of addiction look like and why people who fall in that in-between area need resources that cater to their needs.Tara also provides actionable tips for how to explore your sobriety and how you can support those around you and the importance of having a plan.

Although his talent and technique has brought him to perform with among the greats, jazz legend, Kenny Werner has also struggled internally.Faced with grief after losing his daughter to a car accident and then he himself survived a separate car incident – he was diagnosed with trauma – and no stranger over his lifetime to anxiety, bouts of depression or even drinking.He has much to say about the power of music and healing. He didn't see his diagnosis as trauma but a way to work on himself to move forward.When we hear music, we often experience how the physical flirts with the spiritual in profound and moving ways.But what we don't realize is that this confluence is possible not just in music, but in life, and it's easier than you think.Kenny shows us how musicians, artists or even businesspeople can allow their “master creator” within to lift their performance to its highest level, showing us how to be spontaneous, fearless, joyful and disciplined in our work and in our life.Whatever you are trying to master, Kenny says the key is learning how to slip into The Space, the place beyond the conscious mind that allows us to effortlessly embody whatever we are doing.As Kenny points out: “Mastery is not perfection, or even virtuosity. It is giving oneself love, forgiving one's mistakes, and not allowing earthly evidence to diminish one's view of oneself as a drop in the Ocean of Perfection. And here is the good news: You don't have to be a musician to have the experience!”

The Take the Pill ApproachAdam Weber's father was an old school doctor who was taught to give patients a pill for everything, and everything would be just fine. That is an old and tired approach to practicing medicine and helping people.The Meditation ApproachA former corporate warrior with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis, Adam turned to meditation to help reduce his stress levels. Meditation is a natural, drug-free, cost-effective solution to address your stress. It requires just minutes per day. Many practitioners report a deeper sense of inner peace, much less stress when using meditation.Easy to MeditateToday Adam helps others learn to deal with their stress through his proprietary form of meditation called, Easy to Meditate.

You dove head-first into a new phase in your life … you're a stepparent.Your stepchild keeps you on your toes. It's thrilling!You deserve to be happy and proud of the family you've built.You get to watch them grow into their best self, but these positive moments come with multiple obstacles … conflicting opinions and differing emotional needs.How can you manage everyone's demands, keep your sanity, and enjoy yourself?Well, it's not throwing in the towel and walking away!And it's not about strong-arming them to do things your way.It's time to gain clarity about your role, define boundaries, and improve communication so that everyone feels heard and understood.

Trigger Warning: Graphic DetailsThis is a story of one man's fight for survival in a world of trauma. David Smith was going to work one day with his brother in Opa-Locka, Florida when they were cut off by an angry driver. As they got out of their vehicles to figure out what the problem was, the driver of the other vehicle shot Dave's brother in the head. What was just another day going to work, turned out to be one of Dave's worst nightmares. "I held my brother in my arms while he fought for his last breath and I felt his last heartbeat."A year prior, his dad died while Dave was holding his hand. As if that wasn't enough, Dave was in a horrible Harley-Davidson accent that broke his jaw in three places and twisted his right leg completely backwards causing him to have to relearn how to walk.Since his brother's death, Dave has experienced many phases of grieving, survivors' guilt, and feeling as though he was just plain losing his mind.Dave has survived multiple suicide attempts and now wants to share his story to let others know that despite how horrible life can be, there is always something to be grateful for. Dave has learned that it doesn't matter what you've gone through or how much you've gone through, what matters is whether you bounce back or not.

As a young girl, Agota Gabor's dream of becoming a professional ballerina in Budapest is shattered when she contracts polio.Through gruesome therapy and iron willpower she learns to walk and dance again, making a living as a dancer in Canada after her home country erupts in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.​​Agota forges ahead to achieve a successful and dynamic life, working as a chorus girl in Montreal casinos and nightclubs.But she wants more than just the glitz and glam. After going back to school, Agota becomes a TV journalist and works with her foreign correspondent husband as they live the expat life, travelling across the world from Hong Kong to Jakarta to Cairo and London.Agota's rollercoaster life continues as a mother and businesswoman, as she runs a successful communications firm and makes a killing in real estate.

Are you trying to cope with life's struggles?Are you in need of more support?Do you want to learn how to use your spirituality to cope with life's stressors?Dr. Joanne Frederick's new anthology discusses how to deal with grief and loss, being a black man in the world today, disabilities, surviving Covid-19, infidelity, anxiety and fears, trauma, and single parenting.In this episode we discuss coping with things such as:Survivor's guiltSelf-reflectionNegative self-talkLoss and griefDepressionAnd so much moreMost importantly, we are reminded that no one is perfect; so, allow yourself room to make mistakes. You are only human!

In her late twenties, Rylee Tuggle was diagnosed with a rare disorder: hypokalemic periodic paralysis.She applied her diagnosis to her work providing well rounded resources to children with medical disorders.Her newest book, The Trusted Trio, is designed to be a support tool that identifies and defines trusted and safe people. It then validates your child's emotions while providing tools to help safely express them. Your child will learn different coping skills to process their trauma.Rylee shares her journey and tips for thriving after a diagnosis.

Olivia Swindler found herself shattered and grieving at the conclusion of an abusive relationship. Starting life over, she packed up and moved to France. And then COVID hit. Alone in her apartment, with roommates trapped in America, Olivia learned a lot. About the noises her apartment makes, the fact that her roommate doesn't do dishes, and more importantly about herself. Olivia shared her story on Releasing Trauma in November 2021. She's back on the show to check-in and let us know what life is like as an American living in France. 

You've probably had a thought (or many thoughts) that has stopped you from asking for help.Maybe it was, "I don't want to bother people."Or, "Everybody is busy, too."Or, "I should be able to handle this myself."Or, "I don't want to make someone feel guilty if they have to say no."You can see how those beliefs might stop you in your tracks, right?You might even think to yourself, "Why would someone want to help me, especially if it doesn't benefit them?"Knowing how to extend a helping hand or ask for assistance when needed is one of the best ways to build trusting, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues, clients, family and friends. And yet, for far too many folks, “help fluency” remains elusive.Deborah Grayson Riegel teaches concrete strategies to help others get better at offering, asking for and accepting help — and explores the ways in which “help fluency” builds better relationships both professionally and personally.We discuss how to change our mindsets and behaviors from avoiding asking for help to leaning into it and asking without fear or guilt.

As a child your spirit has been broken. Many years later, in sweeps that special someone and soon that relationship spirals out of control.Can you escape from someone that "Loves you" one minute then hurts you the next?How do you empower yourself to heal from the shame, guilt of keeping your children in a violent situation and alienation from loved ones?Releasing intimate details of life as an unwilling participant in situations and events, was very lifechanging for Melinda Kunst from being abused, raped, BD/SM, a swinger, hooked on pornography, and at times suicidal.The battle she was fought was spiritual, legal, emotional, and mental. Feeling at times worn out, bullied and grasping for self-preservation, knowing you can thrive and have renewal from brokenness may seem unbelievable.Melinda shares how she was able to leave and create a new life for her and her children.

Holly Dunn shares her personal story of survival and how it has motivated and inspired her to reach out to others.The only known survivor of a serial killer, Holly refuses to let it negatively affect her life by using her tragic experience for the good of others.Her personal mission and intense passion to be an advocate for women who have been victims of similar violence has led her to a life of public service and outreach.Holly lends insight into her personal healing process and explains how she was able to continue her education and use her experience to jump full steam into a life of advocacy and community involvement.

Sibling sexual abuse is a silent epidemic throughout the world today.In fact, it is one of the last remaining taboo subjects in our current public discourse.Sibling sexual abuse is up to 5 times more common than other forms of childhood sexual abuse yet too many don't even know what it is and certainly do not the heavy toll that is taken on survivors.Brad Watts discusses how survivors are impacted, what sibling sexual abuse is, how to recognize and respond to it, and how to aid survivors and families.

When Maria De Luna was 19 years old, she moved to Vancouver BC with her partner at the time.They had a great life; cars, money, and business. But what people did not know is behind closed doors, Maria was getting abused mentally and emotionally, along with the drug abuse.Maria struggled so much with self-worth and what love was. She stayed because he always told her while they fought, ” No one will ever love you like I do!”Not knowing better, Maria believed him, thinking this was normal all couples fight and have arguments.Until one day he physically pushed Maria, 8 months pregnant, and ended up killing their unborn child. Naturally Maria fell into a dark depression until she realized she no longer wanted to live that way. She began her healing journey.As Maria continued her journey, her mom became very sick. Moving to Edmonton, Maria cared for her mother until she passed. Leaving Maria alone and distraught. Maria continued turning to light work and to this day continues to heal herself and others with her work. 

Dr. Paul Zeitz shares a lifetime of struggles and hard-won lessons as a doctor, activist, father and son.His complex dance between healing others and healing himself ultimately transforms his inexplicable anger into a full-throttled, open-hearted, soul-satisfying action.Waging Justice is his personal story and yet also a universal one: a story of action, of courage and also of forgiveness. It is also a rallying cry to wage justice in our own lives, speak the truth, be bold and serve justice for all by taking action in our world today.Waging Optimism offers a personal philosophy and political vision for addressing the major challenges facing humanity.With persistent optimism, we can each make commitments and build movements, so together we can usher in a new era of justice.

In 2002, Jesse Crosson was a recent high school graduate with a rapidly worsening drug problem. His mother had tried to intervene, but by Thanksgiving that year, she felt helpless. The child she'd raised, kind and eager to fit in, was now out of control.Things got worse, quickly. A week later, high on drugs, Jesse and three other people committed a home invasion and robbery. And a week after that, he got into an altercation that ended when he fired shots into a car that was chasing him. He hit and injured the two men in the car.Jesse pleaded guilty to multiple felonies. Sentencing guidelines called for 11 to 16 years, but Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Paul Peatross doubled that time to 32 years.Jesse received a conditional pardon on his sentence and was released in August 2021, almost 19 years after being incarcerated.In prison Jesse turned his life around. He earned a college degree in psychology. He's trained as a cook and electrician. He teaches yoga and Spanish. And he's a mentor to other inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues.

Ann Marie Balkanski's mom was an addict.This caused Ann Marie to move around a lot, live with friends and random people her mother knew, and eventually end up in foster care at 10 years old.Her father got her out of foster care at 12 but was absent in the majority of life, and Ann Marie eventually found herself moving around again. Ann Marie got her GED at 19 and got accepted into pre-med program at university. She made it into med-school early but battled financial instability and lack of support, a lot of comparison, self-doubt, tons of limiting beliefs, and low self-worth.Searching for help, she got into meditation during medical school, went to traditional therapy, read lots of self-help books during and after med school, but still felt like a fraud after medical school.The major pivot in her life was the passing of a childhood friend.This woke her up and she became very aware of self and life and what she had manifested at that time. Traveling across US in travel trailer searching for answers, she found a hypnotherapist which transformed her life.She went to school for hypnotherapy and dived even deeper into meditation.Never looking back, her profound awareness of her limiting beliefs has healed self-neglect, abandonment issues, low self-worth, feeling like a fraud, major depression, and anxiety.The moral of it all...Ann Marie learned how to get out of her own way and not be defined by her experiences.

Leticia Francis grew up in Bermuda with parents who didn't really want her.Growing up with emotional parental abandonment, Leticia entered into an abusive relationship at the age of 14.She eventually became free of that relationship, but then spent years of turning to the bottle for comfort.It wasn't until Leticia was in a relationship with an addict that led to her getting arrested that she woke up and changed her life. She realized that just surviving, wasn't really living. Today she coaches women through their limiting beliefs and into creating amazing lives of their own.

Can Lyn reclaim her sanity in the midst of chaos and confusion?A happy wife and mother who loved nothing more than taking care of her brood, Lyn Barrett was knocked off course by a family crisis that triggered her inner world to crumble.Her diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, now known as dissociative identity disorder, threatened her life as she knew it, her family, and her future.With the knowledge that DID is a coping strategy young children use to protect themselves from chronic trauma, Lyn embarked on a journey to discover her true self.Lyn's story is a life-changing gift for all the survivors of trauma and those who love them, and for anyone who wants to educate themselves on trauma-induced dissociation particularly as it manifests as DID. 

Why do some people who experience the worst that life has to offer respond not by breaking down but by shifting up, into a higher-functioning, awakened state, like phoenixes rising from the ashes?And perhaps more importantly, how can we emulate their transformations?Over many years of observing and studying the phenomenon of life-changing awakening through extreme suffering author Steve Taylor coined the term “transformation through turmoil,” which is what we'll be discussing today.

When did we come to believe the best thing, you can do with death is ride off from it?In ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry,' Mark W. Schutter tells his story of living a life with grief that began in his mid-twenties. The death of his young wife left him alone, and although life was tough, he vowed to show the world that he was tougher.Remarrying and having a daughter, to onlookers, from the outside, life seemed happy again, until in an anguished night of prayer, Mark heard the words that to be the husband and father he wanted to be, he must:• reconcile the past• embrace the present• redeem the future‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry' is a story that will challenge you with questions thatoften have no answers about death, life, love, and the way we think about grief. In thismemoir of love, loss, grief, and healing, Mark shares his experiences, trying to be who hethought everyone expected him to be.This account, written from the unique perspective of a man, questions what societydeems acceptable behavior for grieving men and their healing.This journey is one we all must face, full of deep love, painful loss, and the healing of the soul.Mark pulls back the curtain to show how death is only the beginning. You will carry yourgrief; the joys and sorrows occupy the same space because healing is never perfect, andthat is okay because there is always hope. Grief is not something you just get over, andeven the toughest cowboys may sometimes cry.

Healing trauma can come through taking the time to focus on your wellness every day.Creating new habits or changing old habits can help survivors get back a sense of control. Whether it's learning to slow down and quiet the noise so that you can open your mind to what might be holding you back, or simply drinking more water, it's time to get back that sense of self-assuredness.When you've experienced trauma, you are usually holding on to the suffering, but when you focus on your daily wellness you can eliminate that over time!Philip Mangan is a health coach who shares his 3-step method to creating lasting change. 

Amy Berry is the spouse of a veteran.He was and still is honestly the man of her dreams.18 years after she said, "I do in sickness and health, for better or for worse, till death do us part...." PTSD reared its ugly head.For three years Amy fought to get her husband, the man she fell in love with back, and sometimes it was very lonely. Amy felt they were abandoned at times, but just when they would be at the brink of giving up, God would send a stranger into their lives to help them.Because of all the strangers who became angels Amy wants others to know they are not alone.The mental health system is a nightmare, a beast, and a dragon that will swallow you, but if you have an advocate, mentor, or coach, you can survive it and navigate it.Is it easy? Hell no, the system will try to break you, but you can do it and you can support your loved one through it, one day at a time, sometimes one second at a time...There is hope...and Amy's husband, family, and herself are walking, breathing, living proof that you can come out on the other side and when you do, you will be a better, stronger person because of it.

Life can drastically change in the blink of an eye. A car accident. A heart attack. A global pandemic. Every one of us, at some point, will experience some traumatic event, sudden life change, loss of a family member or other such event. The issue is, will that moment be even more stressful and cause increased distress or will you be ahead of the game and have all necessary details organized by having some emergency kit tips? Let's face it, in times of tragedy we are already in distress so the last thing we need is to enter another level of overwhelm trying to deal with looking after the affairs of someone close.Especially if that person hasn't prepared for this and has left nothing behind to help take care of things.Tina Ginn is the founder of Your Back Up Plan and is an emergency preparedness expert. Learn why it's so important to be prepared just in case. 

Change initiatives have a track record of a 70% failure rate.This is rooted in the fact that leaders don't clearly understand their change leader roles but also are not in touch with how their personal life experiences – both positive/negative) impact their ability to effectively lead change.It was not until Tricia Steege began to realize how her own trauma experiences were impacting her ability to effectively build trust with her clients and help them lead change that a true freedom set in.She now uses her personal story coupled with evidence-based neuroscience research to help build change leadership capabilities and incur confidence in her client leaders.

Though the #MeToo movement is not at the forefront of our minds anymore, its reckoning continues, as we deliberate on what responsibility the enablers carry for crimes they helped perpetrate or cover up (i.e., Ghislaine Maxwell and Chris Cuomo) and whether or not a longtime offender should go free (Bill Cosby).We're in muddy waters at this point, confusing waters, even—and those are the ones that author Jessie Kanzer knows all too well. She's a rape survivor who didn't acknowledge that she was a rape survivor until many years after the fact, being that hers was a date rape, murkier than a clearcut assault but non-consensual nonetheless, with power dynamics at play that she later recognized made her a clear victim.Still, “I didn't want to be a victim,” she says, “I still don't, which is why I wrote about my shame-spiral of an experience with the hope of helping others in my forthcoming book, Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING: Healing, Chilling, and Living with the Tao Te Ching. Since I was sexually assaulted by a supervisor at a film production company with close ties to Harvey Weinstein, I had to grapple with the fact that I was yet another fly in the never-ending Weinsteinesque net.”Jessie says she continued to put up with lascivious men as an actress, describing hilarious but damaging scenes in her book, including having to film a pilot with a bare bottom that a male producer photographed with his phone, just for fun.She has reckoned with her past, though, and now as a middle-aged mom, she has advice for other women navigating their way in a not-yet-safe world.

An award-winning journalist, Leia's life looked amazing on paper. But inside, it was crumbling. After a troubled divorce, Leia Baez found herself facing the lowest point of her life…losing custody of her daughter because of her alcohol addiction. Back in her childhood bedroom one night, Leia looked at the ceiling and saw the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars that once gave her hope. That night, changed the trajectory of her path. “I was determined to empower myself so I could become the best mother, the best professional and the best leader possible,” she said. “My struggles and my dark times have made me so much stronger. Fearless, even. I have learned so much about myself, about overcoming adversity and about always trusting God's plan.“I know that stars don't shine in the light – and neither do we. It is during the darkness that we are forced to grow and learn who we are.”After spending most of her career telling other people's stories, it's time for Leia to tell her own. 

Trauma can be passed down from generation to generation. It has been said that our inherited traumas can be traced back as far as 17 generations. It is only when we become aware of this cycle that we can stop it from continuing.How?By healing ourselves so we don't pass our traumas onto our future generations. Stefanie Fernandes specializes in Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). Using a form of hypnosis, Stefanie can help her clients go deep into their subconscious to find the traumas and heal them. They learn that they are not their past, and that they can let go of holding onto those limiting thoughts and beliefs. Come listen and learn about this amazing modality.

Our world can be a very dark and broken place that causes us to question whether or not we even have a purpose.A survivor of sexual assault, Emily Bernath's life quickly turned away from having everything and toward feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.She hit rock bottom, thinking her body had been tainted and that her worth had been taken from her.It was in being open about her experience, that it became apparent to Emily just how many other people experience similar feelings of shame and disgust and allow things that aren't true about them to define them.Through rediscovering her faith and identity in Christ, Emily has found freedom from the shame and condemnation in this world, and she hopes to be able to help others find that same freedom for themselves.Together we talk about having faith, finding a higher power, whatever that looks like for you, can help you on the path to healing and wholeness.

At the tender age of 13, Kate Vrastak had a premonition. Unfortunately, her premonition came true resulting in the death of her family. Orphaned, survival skills became her weapons against a world that seemed empty and alone.Kate spent much of her life believing it was her fault the family died. As Kate entered adulthood, she found forgiveness and turned her pain into purpose.Today, she guides trauma survivors to find their voice and the strength to forgive.She uses the acronym forgive:F - "Freedom" to let go of past emotions.O - With an "Open" heart to create self-love and toR - "Reach" out to receive help.G - Believe you are a "GIFT" to the world and that your light needs to shine to help others RISE up and follow yourI - "Intuition" by following yourV - "values" in first giving yourselfE - "empathy" then spread that to the world through the eyes of LOVE!FREE GIFT: Text in to 1-718-701-3820 the words "Roadmap" and "hungry" for a NLP Forgiveness worksheet.  https://bit.ly/3FXiiKN Join the Forgiveness Tribe on Facebook

Despite the fact that grief is one of the most universal experiences, as a society, we're not adept at talking honestly and openly about grief and loss.As a result, people who are grieving often feel isolated in their grief and surprised by the many forms it can take. They may wonder if their feelings and actions are “normal” and valid, especially if it's their first time losing someone important to them.When Janine Kwoh was in her twenties, her partner unexpectedly passed away.At the time, Janine was one of the only people she knew who had experienced such an intimate loss at such a young age.Feeling isolated, she started to write and illustrate cards as an outlet for what she was feeling and what she felt she needed to hear.Little did she know, those grief cards would quickly become the most popular products from her stationery company, Kwohtations, and now she has brought the same signature warmth, inclusivity, and humor to her book, Welcome to the Grief Club, through a mix of narrative text and illustrations about the grief experience.In this episode, we discuss, love, loss, moving forward, grief, and so much more. 

Educators have a tough job. They are overworked, underpaid, and very under-appreciated. These men and women are tasked with the job of teaching our children. Helping mold them into who they will become as adults. But they also have to face our children at their best and worst behaviors. Educators are being trained to understand the impact of chronic stress and trauma on students' development, behavior, and learning.Schools are making great strides in becoming trauma-informed, and trauma-sensitive, but they have a long way to go. In an article on Psychology Today, Dr. Stuart Ablon writes:"...traditional school discipline revolves around rewarding students when they do what we want and revoking privileges when they don't: a toxic dynamic that many traumatized kids are already all too familiar with in their past relationships with adults. In other words, traditional school disciplinary strategies are about as trauma-uninformed and trauma-insensitive as it gets!" Together we discuss the changes needed to our school systems, how parents collaborate with teachers, and better ways to respond to children in the classrooms. 

We are no strangers to grief. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship...grief is real.In the early days of grief, support can come flooding in. But there are still those who hold back because they simply don't know what to say or how to help those who are grieving.When Victoria Wilson-Crane suddenly lost her niece after battling COVID for sixteen days, she found herself lost. She found herself in a situation where she was needing support, and also was being called upon to support people who were closer to her niece than she was.During her early days of grieving, she turned to books and found there were many books for bereaved parents and partners, but few for those on the slightly outer circle of grief.This prompted her to not only write her book, Sixteen Days: A Sudden Death, What to Say? but to also become a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. Together, we discuss what to say to those who are grieving and what not to say.We talk about overcoming grief, moving past the loss, finding yourself, and so much more.  

When Shannon Moroney married in October of 2005, she had no idea that her happy life as a newlywed was about to come crashing down around her.One month after her wedding, a police officer arrived at her door to tell her that her husband, Jason, had called 911 and confessed to having kidnapped and brutally assaulted two women. He was arrested, held in prison, and set to be tried as a Dangerous Offender-–Canada's highest sentence.In the aftermath of these crimes, Shannon dealt with a heavy burden of grief, the stress and publicity of a major criminal investigation, and the painful stigma of guilt-by-association, all while attempting to understand what had made Jason turn to such violence.Her new book, Heal For Real, walks you through a proven curriculum that has helped thousands to make peace with the past, and achieve post-traumatic growth.Through hands-on activities, reflections, and inspirational stories and quotes, Shannon takes you through the steps of defining what forgiveness means—and doesn't mean—to you and provides practical strategies that will help you offer and receive it.

When you have endured a betrayal or trauma, even though life has moved forward, often times our mindset and emotions are stuck in t he past.In order to fully move forward, it's important to become aware of the beliefs we accept as truth, the labels we have given to ourselves and allowed others to give us. Our beliefs are what direct our daily decisions and emotions.In order to experience greater love, connection, and empowerment, it's paramount to uncover what's inside.

Lena Cebula is a wife and mother of three beautiful children. She is the author of a spiritual autobiography called Miraculous and is a drug addiction and human trafficking survivor.Lena was raped numerous times and had a baby at 14, who died 3 months later.Today Lena is a social justice advocate, blogger, speaker and host of Love&BLoved Podcast.Her mission is to encourage, inspire, and to give hope. To let others know that there is a chance to have love, joy, peace, and wholeness again after everything you've seen and done!

Trauma has a tendency to cause us to forget who we truly are. In toxic relationships, we often pretend to be whoever they want us to be. Or they have beat us down so much, we just don't have an identity anymore. Sandra Cooze takes us on a journey back to self. We discuss relationships, triggers, how to heal, and how to find your true authentic self again. With time, self-love, patience, and determination, you can uncover your identity. 

After nearly a decade of sobriety, Pam Gaslow relapsed into a life of dependency on marijuana, a devastating downward spiral that shattered her.From bongs to pipes to flavored vape pens, she dove into a two-year-long 24/7 stoned void: a protracted journey to nowhere.Ultimately becoming sick from marijuana toxicity, Pam eventually finds the willingness to save herself and seek treatment.Her book, Don't Bring Your Vibrator to Rehab, is an emotionally raw memoir that reveals the terrifying and lonely world of addiction.She tells all with honesty, intelligence, wit, and a remarkable degree of self-deprecating humor.