Reframing is critical in healing from trauma. As I said in this interview, "If I'm going to live for decades more after my trauma, it's not useful to just think of how it destroyed me. It's not going to allow me to be successful in any aspect of my life. So I have to shift how I look at my experiences so that they don't hold me back."

Everything changed the moment I was able to start focusing on the gifts I've received from my trauma. Instead of focusing on all that I lost from my trauma, I focused on the strength, resiliency, and compassion I've gained, and it's not an overstatement to say that it transformed my life.

It's not useful for me to carry around the idea that my traumas only caused me pain and suffering. When I did, I was depressed, bulimic, promiscuous, and suicidal. But when I started focusing on what I've gained from my trauma, I was able to see a way out of my suffering.

I also said, "This is a very harsh world that we live in and none of us will escape its wrath. We...

I feel blessed to have been interviewed by Whitney Walker on The Women Waken Podcast. We discussed how important it is to change the meaning behind our story. We cannot change what happened to us but we can change how we think about what happened to us. We can move from a place of feeling stuck and weak when we think about our trauma to a place where we feel empowered and strong enough to move forward. Sometimes it requires just a shift in the language we use to describe our experiences. A major part of the work I do with my clients is to help them rewrite their story so that every time they think about their story they don't get filled with sadness and loss. So they can see that they not only survived, but they are now stronger than ever before.  

I had the opportunity to share that I'm no longer ashamed of all that I did to survive after my traumas. I can now look at the fact that I survived with pride. I am grateful that my harmful coping mechanisms kept me alive just a...

The Victim 2 Victor podcast was such a good fit for me. The host, Anu Verma, and I discussed post-traumatic growth and not letting our perpetrators win after they tried so hard to keep us small. Anu is a beautiful, bright light. I felt so connected with Anu. Just like me, she loves to smile and laugh, and refuses to let her victimizers steal one more day of joy from her. Some people believe that it was just a fluke that I was able to thrive after my traumas. Anu is just one of the many examples of people like me that have truly embraced post traumatic growth. 

We also discussed the healing properties of nature. I was glad that we also had the opportunity to discuss why it may take years for us to even acknowledge our trauma and why the healing timeline looks different for everyone.

I think the episode came out great and you’ll find value in listening! 

You can also find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and other major podcast platforms. The title of our...

You can also find this episode and other great episodes on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Google Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms. The title of our episode is, "Episode 50: Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth."