Advertise on podcast: Trauma Uncensored

Stop people-pleasing to survive. Learn how childhood trauma recovery can help you reclaim your voice after decades of silence.Author and somatic healing advocate Bradley (Brad) L. Gabbert joins Brooke to share what happens when early childhood trauma goes unprocessed for sixty years. Hear how putting others on pedestals in his second marriage and his daughter's estrangement brought Brad to therapy in his sixties, where a 4-7-8 breath exercise unlocked sixty years of stored body memory in tears. Together, Brooke and Brad unpack why physical recovery and emotional healing are two separate things, and how breathwork, Sankalpa, Chair Yoga, and Yoga Nidra quiet an overactive nervous system at any age.If this episode helped you feel less alone tonight, please follow, leave a review, and share it.SPONSOR CREDITWell Haven Health Collective: https://www.wellhavenhealth.comConnect with Trauma UncensoredWebsite: traumauncensored.comInstagram: @traumauncensoredYouTube: @traumauncensoredTikTok: @traumauncensoredEmail the team: [email protected] Brooke: [email protected]:00 - : People-Pleasing as a Way to Disappear00:59 - Welcome & Introducing Brad Gabbert03:01 - Hit by a Car at Age 2.5 While His 8-Year-Old Sister Watched03:54 - Two Weeks in a Coma & Taking a Full Year to Speak Again05:56 - WWII Stoicism, Infant Loss & Emotional Neglect08:57 - Screaming at the Window & His 8-Year-Old Surrogate Sister10:44 - Putting Others on Pedestals & People-Pleasing to Disappear13:50 - How a Non-Verbal Year Trained Him to Be a Quiet "Yes Man"14:55 - Breaking Point in His 60s: Marriage & Daughter's Estrangement15:35 - First Therapy Session: Releasing 60 Years of Grief in One Breath17:07 - Finding Sanctuary in an 1880s Yoga Studio19:31 - Pairing Somatic Release with Journaling21:05 - Sankalpa Vows, Yin Yoga & Yoga Nidra23:56 - Hands on the YMCA Floor: Remembering His Father's Love24:40 - Quieting the Mind & Hugging Himself for the First Time28:03 - Practical Tools: 4-7-8 Breath, Chair Yoga & "Two-Chair Paul"31:40 - Physical Recovery vs. Emotional HealingAbout the HostBrooke Scherer | Creator and HostBrooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila.In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission.Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: A space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone.She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives.IF THIS EPISODE HIT HOME:Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who should listen. It helps more people find these conversations.WANT TO SHARE YOUR STORY?Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected] RESOURCES:If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or text "START" to 88788.

What happens when you spend every ounce of energy keeping it together in front of the world, only to collapse into an empty shell the moment you close your door at night?If you are awake at 2:00 AM carrying a devastating family loss, a secret nobody talks about, or the exhausting weight of pretending you are fine, this conversation is for you.Three-time suicide loss survivor, crisis counselor, grief group facilitator, and author Lisa Sugarman joins Brooke to share what happens when childhood grief goes unspoken for decades. At age nine, Lisa lost her cousin to suicide, though no one in her family used the word. A year later, at age ten, her father died suddenly, and she spent 35 years believing he died of a heart attack. Only after asking her mother one unexpected question over lunch did Lisa learn the truth her mother had lovingly protected her from as a ten-year-old child: her father had taken his own life.Together, Brooke and Lisa unpack how unspoken grief hides in the body, why suicide is the outcome of acute mental pain rather than a selfish choice, and how naming the truth out loud helps you set down the armor you carry every day.00:00 - No One Is Immune00:48 - Meet Lisa Sugarman: 3-Time Suicide Loss Survivor02:50 - Losing Her Cousin at Age 9 & Family Silence07:05 - Losing Her Father at Age 10: Untreated Trauma11:59 - How Childhood Loss Creates Adult Hypervigilance16:33 - 35 Years Later: The Question That Changed Everything22:36 - Wearing a Mask of Normalcy While Privately Suffering26:53 - All Business by Day, A Shell at Night: Living a Double Life34:23 - How EMDR & Therapy Helped Unpack Decades of Grief37:14 - Why Suicide Is Never Selfish: Acute Mental Pain40:30 - Crisis Counseling at The Trevor Project & 98842:56 - Losing Her Best Friend & The Alliance of Hope45:55 - Building The Help Hub & Writing Surviving49:54 - Where to Find Lisa's Resources & Final TakeawaysCONNECT WITH LISA SUGARMAN The Help Hub: https://thehelphub.coWebsite: https://lisasugarman.comInstagram:   / lisa_sugarman  TikTok:   / thehelphub.co  YouTube:    / @thehelphubco  Facebook & Recovery Group:   / thelisasugarman  LinkedIn:   / lisa-sugarman-b7240020  Substack: https://lisasugarman.substack.comConnect with Trauma UncensoredWebsite: traumauncensored.comInstagram: @traumauncensoredYouTube: @traumauncensoredTikTok: @traumauncensoredEmail the team: [email protected] Brooke: [email protected] the HostBrooke Scherer | Creator and HostBrooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila.In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission.Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: A space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone.She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives.WANT TO SHARE YOUR STORY?Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected] RESOURCES:If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or text "START" to 88788.

Most of what we call our personality is not who we actually are. It is a set of survival adaptations built over years in an environment we did not choose.In Part 2 of our conversation with sovereignty coach Camila Greenberg, we move directly into the tools for rewiring your nervous system and taking your power back. Camila breaks down how children co-regulate to their mothers' nervous systems, why your default conditioning is largely set by age seven, and why your brain interprets personal growth and rest as literal danger. If you have spent your life putting everyone else first, overworking in masculine energy, or feeling guilty for resting, this episode gives you permission to put your own mask on first and become the director of your own life.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Preview: Your personality is a survival mechanism00:58 - How children mirror their mother's nervous system03:41 - The 18-year environment you did not choose06:20 - Creating a safe space vs. judging someone into defense mode08:28 - Why you are only responsible for regulating one person11:24 - Choosing yourself when deep love is still there14:09 - Why change and rest feel like death to your survival brain18:03 - The Viktor Frankl pause between reaction and response18:51 - Expanding nervous system capacity21:31 - Putting your mask on first and modeling boundaries for children23:42 - Why taking a day off triggers panic in an overachiever26:03 - Camila's ego death: 15 minutes in the cocoon27:16 - The 3 Sovereign Identity Codes: Chameleon, Barbie, and Gap29:26 - Recalibrating to rest: Sitting through the ego meltdown30:10 - Letting Go: Why we attract situations that trigger old wounds34:27 - Overworking in masculine energy and its toll on women's health35:33 - Gut reaction vs. the quiet whispers of intuition36:53 - Becoming the director of your life: Take your power backCONNECT WITH CAMILA GREENBERG:- Website: https://www.camilagreenberg.com- Instagram: @camilagreenbergSPONSOR:This episode is brought to you by Well Haven Health Collective. Discover integrative, trauma-informed wellness resources and support at https://www.wellhavenhealth.com.CONTENT & CRISIS NOTES:This conversation discusses mental health, trauma responses, childhood conditioning, and emotional recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. In the US and Canada, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Services are free and confidential.Connect with Trauma UncensoredWebsite: traumauncensored.comInstagram: @traumauncensoredYouTube: @traumauncensoredTikTok: @traumauncensoredEmail the team: [email protected] Brooke: [email protected] the HostBrooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila.In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission.Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: A space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone.She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives.IF THIS EPISODE HIT HOME:Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who should listen. It helps more people find these conversations.WANT TO SHARE YOUR STORY?Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected].

Camila Greenberg was on Entourage at 19, but behind the scenes, she was quietly carrying suicidal depression. "As soon as we finished filming, I was in my hotel room, a wreck." In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Camila sits down with Brooke Scherer to pull back the curtain on child acting, childhood sexualization, disordered eating, and the hidden cost of constantly performing for love. She shares what happened when her external life looked like a dream while her internal world was crumbling, the night in Spain that changed everything, and the hard truth that finally set her free: "What happened to you was not your fault, but it is your responsibility." CONTENT NOTES This episode includes discussion of suicidal depression, suicidal ideation (no methods discussed), disordered eating, the sexualization of a minor, unhealthy relationships, and child loss. Listener discretion is advised. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US), available 24/7. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 "That's literally what was killing me" 1:02 Meet Camila Greenberg 3:24 "From the outside I was safe, but I never felt safe" 6:57 Series regular at 19, falling apart in hotel rooms 9:07 Learning to perform for love before age seven 12:39 Booking Entourage and the cost of playing the part 14:41 The reality behind the camera 17:44 "Why do I keep booking these broken roles?" 20:30 The turning point: Getting real help 24:40 2020: Stripping away the identity of who I was 32:59 The relationship that almost broke me 34:47 "Not your fault, but it is your responsibility" 36:06 Rebuilding from zero and starting over 37:49 Learning to acknowledge your own resilience 39:10 The night in Spain: Reaching the breaking point 43:28 The bathroom phone call that saved my life 44:38 Why the old patterns get louder before they break CONNECT WITH TRAUMA UNCENSORED Website: https://traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Camila Greenberg Website: https://www.camilagreenberg.com Follow Camila on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camilagreenberg/ SOULSPACE Coaching & Programs: [LINK NEEDED: SOULSPACE] Haven Health Collective: [LINK NEEDED: Haven Health Collective] 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (US) ABOUT THE GUEST Camila Greenberg is a coach, speaker, and founder of SOULSPACE. Her work focuses on nervous system regulation, breaking patterns of chronic people-pleasing and self-abandonment, and rebuilding identity after trauma or profound life transitions. Before stepping into coaching, Camila worked for years as a professional actress in Los Angeles. ABOUT THE HOST Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. IF THIS EPISODE HIT HOME: Subscribe to the channel, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs proof that survival is possible. Join our community newsletter at https://traumauncensored.com for bonus footage and early access to Part 2.

We talk about the exhaustion of chasing bliss and why the constant desire to escape our current reality often backfires. In this episode of Trauma Uncensored, we explore the cycle of dissatisfaction that keeps us stuck in a loop of frustration and anger. When we treat happiness as a destination we must reach, we often ignore the unprocessed emotions that need our attention first. This conversation examines the reality of trying to force a state of peace when our nervous systems are still holding onto deep-seated pain. We also discuss the nuance of finding enlightenment while navigating the messiness of being human. Rather than waiting for a perfect state of calm, we look at how to be with our current experience without the pressure to fix it or outrun it. This is a candid look at the tension between where we are and where we want to be, and why trauma and healing often require us to slow down rather than speed up our search for relief. Content Notes: child loss (the host's son, killed by a distracted driver), grief, anxiety, emotional numbness, anger, first responder trauma, avoidance behaviors (emotional eating, shopping), burnout, chronic pain, ketamine therapy mentioned. Listener discretion is advised. 0:00 Intro 2:33 "No time for emotions": raised on logic, trained in psychology 5:58 A Buddhist friend and the word "enlightenment" 6:45 An awakening at 28, and chasing the bliss back 9:42 Conditional peace vs. unconditional peace 11:55 Why positive thinking doesn't stick 13:13 "Lighter perceptions" and the learner driver in the rain 16:00 Brooke's paint-touch-up anxiety, and how fear keeps us "safe" 21:06 "I became quite mechanical": when bliss turned into anger 23:48 What the brain is doing when we distract ourselves from pain 25:23 Name the emotion, then find it in your body 28:13 Why Patrick wrote his book: respecting unpleasant emotions 29:07 "Can I just be okay to hate it right now?" 31:35 Anger, anxiety, and numbness: the emotions on top of emotions 32:34 "Sad is a pain cleanser" 33:06 What first responders carry that we never see 36:42 Does everyone eventually crack? 40:40 "If mind takes over matter for too long, the body comes back with a vengeance" 42:03 Guilt about resting 44:45 Suffering as an opportunity 47:48 Where traditional therapy falls short 48:50 Finding peace right here, right now Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] Waking Up to Yourself by Patrick Marando: https://www.patrickmarando.com/book Connect with Patrick: https://www.patrickmarando.com/ Patrick Marando is a psychologist who blends his clinical training with spiritual practice, including kung fu, qi energy, and meditation retreats, to help people process trauma and find their way back to peace. He works with people who carry a lot of armor, including police officers and first responders. After an awakening at 28 and years of numbness that followed, he developed tools like "lighter perceptions" and wrote the book Waking Up to Yourself. Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives.

Grief support, complicated grief, and the hidden cost of caregiving take center stage this week on Trauma Uncensored: grief and trauma coach Leith McHugh joins Brooke to talk about twelve years spent caring for her daughter Hadley, and the moment she finally learned to let go of control. The conversation turns on a lesson Leith gave Brooke years before this episode was ever recorded: that control is an illusion, and holding loosely is what actually makes room for joy again. Brooke traces that lesson directly to one of the biggest decisions of her own life, choosing to go to trial rather than accept a plea deal in the case against the driver who killed her son Logan. This is a conversation about grief, caregiving, guilt, and what it actually looks like to let go. Content Notes This episode discusses the death of a child, chronic illness and caregiving, medical trauma, and includes descriptions of physical outbursts tied to unprocessed grief. Contains adult language. Listener discretion is advised. Timestamps 1:04  Welcome to Trauma Uncensored, and Meet Leith McHugh 2:54  Hadley's Diagnosis: The MRI That Changed Everything 8:12  “We Need to Talk About Your Daughter's Future” 9:34  Twelve Years of Appointments, and Letting Go of Milestones One by One 16:09  The Grief Nobody Saw: Breaking Her Own Hand, Twice 19:17  What Leith Wishes She'd Known About Self-Care 21:13  Choosing to Have Another Baby After Hadley 25:00  Avery: “I Will Not Be Missed in This Story” 26:45  Becoming a Grief and Trauma Coach 29:06  Brain Balancing, the Motion Membership, and Leith's Work Today 31:06  The Seed Leith Planted: Letting Go of Control 34:07  How That Lesson Shaped Brooke's Decision to Go to Trial 36:16  Holding Loosely, and Why It's Not the Same as Giving Up Connect with Trauma Uncensored Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] Resources Mentioned in This Episode Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeLeith McHugh, grief and trauma coaching: https://www.leithmchugh.com/Motion membership (Leith's monthly group coaching, two Zoom calls per month): https://www.leithmchugh.com/motionAbout the Guest Leith McHugh is a grief and trauma coach whose daughter Hadley was born without part of her brain and lived with profound disabilities for twelve years before passing away from pneumonia at age 12. Drawing on that experience and her own work through a residential trauma program, Leith now helps others move through loss, caregiving, and major life transitions, with a specialty in helping clients transition out of an intensive program or a big emotional high back into everyday life. About the Host Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. Call to Action If this episode moved you: subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who is caregiving, grieving, or trying to let go of something they can't control. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected].

Grief support, the stages of grief, and one of the most consequential grief stories in America: this week on Trauma Uncensored, Brooke sits down with Candace Lightner, founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), on the tenth anniversary of her own son Logan’s death. On May 3, 1980, Candace’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Cari Lightner, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender who was out on bail. Within weeks, Candace founded MADD, a movement that went on to change drunk driving laws across the country and save hundreds of thousands of lives. Decades later, she left MADD and grieved Cari for the first time in therapy, an experience that led her to describe the three real phases of grief: the beginning, the middle, and the rest of your life. Content Notes This episode discusses drunk driving, the death of a child, grief, rage, and the criminal justice system. Listener discretion is advised. Timestamps 0:00  “The Unbelievable Rage That Nothing Would Happen to the Man Who Killed My Child” 1:46  Meeting Candace Lightner on the 10th Anniversary of Logan’s Death 3:15  Cari Lightner’s Story, in Candace’s Own Words 5:38  The Three Phases of Grief: The Beginning, the Middle, and the Rest of Your Life 6:32  What the Columbine Parents Taught Her About Humor and Hope 15:14  Why Activism Healed Her Anger, Not Her Grief 21:19  Leaving MADD and Finally Grieving Cari in Therapy 22:08  The Rage of Learning Her Daughter’s Killer Would Likely Serve No Time 24:19  Where “The Three Phases of Grief” Actually Came From 25:41  The “If Only Syndrome,” and How to Answer It 33:29  Why She Doesn’t Believe in Forgiveness 39:20  The Not an Accident Campaign 40:29  What Cari’s Own Death Certificate Says 47:12  “Are You in the Car?” Connect with Trauma Uncensored Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Resources Mentioned in This Episode We Save Lives: www.wesavelives.org National Passenger Safety Week: nationalpassengersafety.org About the Guest Candace Lightner is the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and We Save Lives, and one of the most influential advocates in the history of the American road safety movement. On May 3, 1980, her thirteen year old daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender who was out on bail at the time. Within days, Candace founded MADD, which went on to change drunk driving laws nationwide and save hundreds of thousands of lives. She later founded We Save Lives to address drunk, drugged, and distracted driving, and has spent decades campaigning to change how these deaths are labeled and understood, including her Not an Accident campaign and National Passenger Safety Week. About the Host Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke’s world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. Call to Action If this episode moved you: subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear that grief does not have an expiration date. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected].

A daughter's decade-long fight against her father's murder-suicide ruling: unresolved grief, a viral anonymous Reddit investigation, and what it costs to be a grieving daughter and an unofficial detective at the same time.In this conversation, Shayna and Brooke talk about disenfranchised grief, what happens when the official story doesn't fit what you know to be true, and why living in two roles at once, grieving daughter and private investigator, is its own kind of trauma. This is a conversation about the specific exhaustion of not being believed, and what it costs to keep fighting for answers no one else is looking for.Content Notes:This episode discusses murder-suicide, death investigation details, descriptions of crime scene photographs, disenfranchised grief, and prolonged emotional numbness. Listener discretion is advised.Timestamps:0:00 "If I'm Wrong, I Look Like a Dumbass. If I'm Right, Everything Changes."1:36 The Question That Changes Everything: What Happened on December 4th3:05 The Last Phone Call6:36 The Gut Feeling She Couldn't Shake All Day8:21 The Phone Call That Changed Everything9:26 "Your Dad Shot and Killed Melissa... and Then Turned the Gun on Himself"11:11 Her Mother's Case for Why It Couldn't Be Him11:50 Building the File: A Manila Envelope of Screenshots and Notes12:49 Writing the Anonymous Reddit Post14:42 Retired Detectives, a Dateline Producer, and the Freeze That Followed16:09 The Brother Who Couldn't Go Out in Public17:03 Brooke's Own Need to Know: Ketamine Sessions and the Crash19:47 The 2022 Police Meeting20:22 Crime Scene Photos, Dropped on the Table With No Warning21:37 Considering Outside Help, and the Hyperfixation Cycle23:19 Naming It: "The Fact That You Don't Know Is Part of the Trauma"25:01 Numbness, and the Once-Every-Two-Years Cry27:33 "I Can't Always Be a Private Investigator and a Grieving Child"Connect with Trauma UncensoredWebsite: traumauncensored.comInstagram: @traumauncensoredTikTok: @traumauncensoredEmail the team: [email protected] Brooke: [email protected] the GuestShayna Williams' father died on December 4, 2015, in an incident local police closed the same night as a murder-suicide involving his ex-girlfriend.Shayna never accepted that account. She spent years quietly building a file of evidence, and in 2017 published an anonymous Reddit post about the case that drew tens of thousands of upvotes and outreach from retired detectives and a Dateline producer. Shayna continues to push for real answers about her father's death while carrying the ongoing grief of losing him, describing the experience of holding both roles, investigator and grieving daughter, as its own distinct form of trauma.About the HostBrooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila.In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission.Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone.She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives.If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who has ever had to fight to be believed. It helps more people find these conversations.Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected].

What happens when the person trained to save lives is quietly dying inside? John Kinzie spent 25 years running toward other people's worst days while carrying grief, loss, and addiction that no one at the department talked about. Three years after Logan's crash, he checked into a hotel room with no intention of checking out. In this conversation, John talks about what that day looked like through his eyes, the stack of loss that led to his lowest point, and the twelve-step program that gave him seven years of sobriety. He opens up about the stigma that keeps first responders silent, the resources his department has built since, and the daily practice that keeps him out of the dark. This is a conversation about vicarious trauma, addiction, the ripple effect grief has on an entire community, and what it actually looks like for a helper to finally ask for help. This episode discusses first responder trauma, PTSD, alcohol addiction, suicidal ideation, grief, and family strain. Listener discretion is advised. 0:00 “I Checked Into a Hotel With No Intention of Checking Out” 3:12 25 Years as a Firefighter Paramedic 5:41 What the Day of the Crash Looked Like Through John's Eyes 8:54 The First Time He Ever Cried on a Call 9:47 Why First Responders Are Taught Not to Talk About It 10:42 Losing His Mother and the Drinking That Followed 11:34 The Crash That Became His Breaking Point 14:11 The Lesson That Changed Everything: Healing Through Service 17:46 Building the Peer Support Infrastructure From Scratch 20:14 The Stigma That Keeps First Responders Silent 22:03 A Friend's Breakdown and What Could Have Prevented It 23:44 Nobody Said the Word Trauma After Logan Died 26:44 The Confidential Care Program First Responders Now Have Access To 43:43 The Daily Practice That Keeps Him Out of the Dark Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] John Kinzie is a firefighter paramedic with 25 years of service for Hernando County Fire Rescue in Florida, and the man who fought to save Logan's life on September 15, 2016. What almost no one on scene that day knew was that John was quietly unraveling. Years of unprocessed trauma, compounded by the loss of his mother and a beloved companion, came to a head after Logan's crash. On December 1, 2018, John checked into a hotel room with no intention of checking out. His story is a reminder that the people who show up to save us are carrying their own weight, and that healing often starts with someone willing to talk about what they have been trained to bury. Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who has ever been trained to carry more than they should have to alone. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.

Part 1 of this conversation ended with Michelle Bandy Davis meeting the man who would become her husband at nineteen. Part 2 picks up the marriage itself: a whirlwind romance with a charismatic, persistent man that slowly curdled into isolation, control, and a psychological hold so complete that Michelle believed she would be nothing without him. This is a conversation about the difference between a single dramatic rock bottom and the slow work of actually rebuilding afterward, one rented house, one paycheck, one hard-won realization in therapy at a time. It's Part 2 of a two-part story. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there. This episode discusses domestic violence, financial abuse, infidelity, a mental health crisis and involuntary psychiatric hold, and suicidal ideation. It also references childhood sexual abuse discussed in Part 1. Listener discretion is advised. 0:00 Welcome Back & Quick Recap of Part 1 4:14 Where We Left Off: Meeting Her Future Husband 10:40 How the Isolation and Control Began 16:17 The Slow Weave: Codependency and Control 21:17 Her Own Affair, and Sitting With the Shame of It 26:40 Spiraling: Not Eating, Not Sleeping, Losing Herself 29:04 “You Will Lose These Boys” 31:36 The Police, the Text Messages, and the Baker Act 35:02 The Night Another Patient Cut Her Hair 36:23 “You're Not Crazy. You're in Survival Mode.” 40:04 Financial Abuse: $0 in a 6,000-Square-Foot House 45:08 Finding the Therapist Who Finally Got to the Root of It 49:06 Forgiveness, and Why It's for You, Not Them Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] In Part 1 of this conversation, Michelle Bandy Davis shared the story of the childhood that shaped her: sexual and physical abuse beginning at age three, and being taken in by her grandparents once her mother's home became too dangerous to stay in. Part 2 picks up where that story led: a relationship that began when she was nineteen, a marriage built on charm that slowly became control, and a mental health crisis severe enough that she was involuntarily committed under Florida's Baker Act. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there. Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear that leaving doesn't have to look like a clean break to still be brave. It helps more people find these conversations. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.

Michelle Bandy Davis was unwanted before she was born, and she knew it. Conceived by two teenagers in a small Indiana town, she grew up in a home defined by addiction and chaos, where sexual abuse started when she was three years old and continued for years, at the hands of people who should have protected her. Content Notes: This episode discusses childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, child neglect, parental substance use, and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised. Timestamps: 0:00 “I Became a Commodity” 1:15 Meet Michelle Bandy Davis 2:45 Why Now: What Made Her Ready to Tell This Story 6:01 Born to Teenage Parents in Small-Town Indiana 8:54 The Neglect That Made Room for Abuse 10:38 The Sentence Her Abuser Said That She's Never Forgotten 13:36 How Young It Started: Age Three 16:31 Used as a Commodity by Her Own Mother 18:29 The Beating That Ended It, and the Grandparents Who Stepped In 23:22 Shame, Sexualized Behavior, and Attachment Patterns in Her Teens 27:16 College, Depression, and Her First Suicidal Thoughts 30:16 Meeting the Man Who'd Become Her First Husband 31:09 The Sexual Abuse Statistics Most People Never Hear 33:19 What She'd Tell Her 19-Year-Old Self 35:57 Choosing to Learn From It Instead of Being Defined By It 40:44 Coming in Part 2: Marriage, and a Different Kind of Abuse Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] Michelle Bandy Davis was born to a teenage mother and father in a small town in Indiana, an environment shaped early by addiction and neglect. Sexual abuse began when she was three years old, compounded later by physical abuse, until a violent episode when she was in sixth grade led her father's parents to step in and remove her from her mother's home for good. She carried the details of what happened to her in near-total silence for decades, not disclosing the full extent of the abuse to her own mother until she was in the middle of her own divorce, more than thirty years later. Michelle went on to build a life her circumstances didn't predict: she excelled in school, attended college, and worked to become, in her words, “good enough,” while quietly carrying a struggle with depression and suicidal ideation that first surfaced her freshman year. At nineteen, she met the man who would become her first husband, a relationship shaped by the same brokenness she was still trying to outrun. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 picks up with her marriage, and a different chapter of abuse. Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear that what happened to them was never their fault. It helps more people find these conversations. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.

Childhood trauma, toxic family dynamics, and what it actually takes to go no contact and mean it. Daniel Rothrock grew up watching his mother's addiction consume the one relationship he could count on, until a single night in seventh grade changed everything. Daniel and his mother were once inseparable. Then her addiction took over: abusive boyfriends, violence he shouldn't have had to witness, nights spent asleep in cars while she was in a bar. At thirteen, he drew a line she couldn't cross, and chose to leave and be raised by his grandmother instead. He never lived with his mother again. She died of an overdose during his freshman year of college. This is a conversation about breaking generational patterning, the difference between forgiving someone and excusing them, and why healing rarely comes from one dramatic turning point, it comes from choosing the next right thing, over and over. This episode discusses parental addiction, domestic violence witnessed in childhood, drug overdose and death, childhood neglect, estrangement, cancer, and faith-based healing. Listener discretion is advised. 0:00 “I Saw the Evil That Day” 4:51 What He Witnessed as a Kid: Violence, Addiction, Nights in the Car 5:59 The Night He Finally Drew the Line with His Mother 7:09 The Turn: Choosing His Grandmother Over His Mom 7:57 His Mother's Fatal Overdose, Freshman Year of College 14:29 Meeting His Wife: Healing Separately, But Together 22:26 His Father's Cancer Diagnosis, and Forgiving Before It Was Easy 30:24 Brooke's Parallel: Forgiving Logan's Driver, and Her Own Estranged Father 36:37 The 1% Philosophy: Small, Consistent Change Over the Dramatic Fix 39:41 Breaking Generational Patterning for His Own Kids 42:23 “There Is a Way” Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] About the Guest Daniel Rothrock grew up in a home shaped by his mother's addiction, watching violence most kids never see and sleeping in cars while she was in bars, before making the decision at thirteen to leave and be raised by his grandmother instead. He never lived with his mother again, and she died of an overdose during his freshman year of college. Daniel's story is a reminder that breaking a cycle doesn't require one dramatic turning point. It requires choosing, over and over, to be different than what you were handed. About the Host Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's working to break a cycle they didn't choose. It helps more people find these conversations. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.

Distracted driving, traumatic brain injury, and the 17-year fight to make one phone call a crime. Jacy Good joins Brooke this week, and her story starts on the happiest day of her life. This is a conversation about the line between an accident and something preventable, about rebuilding a life from zero at 21, and about what it took to turn one of the worst days in Pennsylvania's history into a law, seventeen years later, that might stop it from happening to someone else. Content Notes: This episode discusses fatal car accidents, distracted driving, traumatic brain injury, permanent disability, sudden parental loss, and grief. Listener discretion is advised. Timestamps: 0:00 "Can You Make a Ponytail With One Hand?" 2:59 Graduation Day, 2008: The Last Normal Morning 5:37 Waking Up, and Relearning the Loss Every Day 9:13 "The Blessings of a Brain Injury" 11:09 The Extent of Her Injuries 17:53 What Actually Caused the TBI 18:54 Where Everyone Sat, and the Seatbelt Detail 20:38 How the Crash Happened 23:08 "He Had It on Speakerphone" 25:16 No Criminal Charges: When It's Not an Accident 25:54 Turning Grief Into Legislation 28:36 Seventeen Years Later, Pennsylvania's Law Finally Passes 29:25 Hang Up and Drive: Building the Organization 34:22 Was This the Plan All Along? 36:00 Redefining Purpose 37:36 Steve: The Boyfriend Who Stayed 39:40 Oprah, and the Moment Everything Changed 41:15 "Can You Make a Ponytail With One Hand?" Connect with Trauma Uncensored Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] Resources Mentioned in This Episode Hang Up and Drive www.hangupanddrive.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacyGood/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacygood Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jacygood About the Guest Jacy Good was 21 years old, one day out of college graduation, when a distracted teenage driver ran a red light and caused a chain-reaction crash that killed both of her parents instantly. Jacy survived with a traumatic brain injury so severe she lost two months of memory and had to relearn how to talk, eat, and dress herself. She spent four months in the hospital and years in rehabilitation, and lives today with permanent paralysis on the left side of her body. Today Jacy runs Hang Up and Drive, delivering 150 to 160 speeches a year, largely to schools, alongside her husband Steve, who has been by her side since before she woke up from the crash. About the Host Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to put their phone down behind the wheel. It helps more people find these conversations. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.

Grief support, complicated grief, and what it takes to fight for the truth while planning a funeral. Melanie Brockmeier-Jordy joins Brooke this week, and her husband's death started with something as small as a cut toe. Editor's Note: This episode originally aired earlier in the season and returns this week as a Best of Trauma Uncensored selection, newly tightened and re-edited. Whether it's your first listen or your second, Melanie's story is one worth sitting with again. The Season 1 finale drops next week. Content Note: This episode discusses sudden death, medical negligence, sepsis, pregnancy shortly after loss, wrongful death litigation, and complicated grief. Listener discretion is advised. 0:00 "I Do Not Give You Permission to Release His Body" 2:30 Labor Day Weekend, 2012: The Accident on the Sandbar 4:20 Surgery, Home Health, and an IV Antibiotic Called Vancomycin 5:10 "The Doctor Thinks You Have the Flu" 7:35 The Night Everything Changed 9:40 A Gut Feeling and a Pregnancy Test at Her Husband's Funeral 12:20 Red Man Syndrome: How an Undiluted Antibiotic Poisoned Him 13:15 Depositions, and Learning How He Actually Died 15:10 Mac Greco and the Autopsy That Came Back Wrong 16:45 "I Knew None of Those Three Things Were True" 17:30 "I Do Not Give You Permission to Release His Body" 19:30 A Medium's Message and the Nurse's Note That Proved the Cover Up 21:00 Disciplinary Action, Intimidation, and Deciding to Sue 22:15 "It Wasn't About the Money. It Was That This Can't Happen Again" 23:45 Rage, a New Baby, and the Hospital's Own Defense 26:35 Three Years in Court 27:15 A Settlement, and a Request No One Expected 29:30 "Look Me in the Eyes and Tell Me You Didn't Murder My Husband" 30:20 The Nurse Who Was Trained on Melanie's Own Story 31:35 Was Her Grief Hijacked by the Fight for Justice? 32:35 What Three Years of Fight or Flight Does to a Body 34:00 "I Did the Best I Knew How" Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] About the Guest Melanie Brockmeier-Jordy has walked her own version of sudden, preventable loss. In 2012, her husband Leon died after a minor boating injury turned into a fatal medical error, one that home health staff spent a week dismissing as the flu. What followed was a three year fight to prove what actually happened, a fight she won. About the Host Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to know their gut is worth trusting. It helps more people find these conversations. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7. Content Notes:Timestamps:Connect with Trauma UncensoredResources Mentioned in This EpisodeAbout the GuestAbout the Host

Grief support, trauma healing, and the nervous system cost of being the helper. Pediatric palliative care social worker Alisha McGuire returns, and this time the grief followed her home. What happens when the person who holds space for dying children finds out she is pregnant? This is a conversation about provider grief, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma. About the wreath ritual her team uses to honor every child they lose. And about the self-awareness that keeps your nervous system bucket from overflowing before you even notice it is filling, whether you work in healthcare or you are simply the person everyone leans on. Content Notes: This episode discusses pediatric death, terminal illness, pregnancy anxiety, miscarriage statistics, COVID-19 healthcare trauma, grief, compassion fatigue, caregiver burnout, and child loss. Listener discretion is advised. 0:00 "You Were Pregnant the Last Time I Saw You. How's Your Baby?" 1:16 What It Costs to Hold Space for Dying Children 3:35 Pregnant in Palliative Care 4:03 "1 in 4 Women Have a Miscarriage" 7:59 Hiding a Pregnancy from Grieving Mothers 8:59 "How Was Your Baby?" The Moment That Proved Her Fears Wrong 13:06 Countertransference 20:47 Provider Grief and Secondary Trauma 21:33 "I Feel Like I'm Doing Long-Term Trauma to Myself" 22:00 COVID in New Jersey 24:22 The ProQOL Tool 25:26 "We Round the Next Day" 27:06 What Happens When Burnout Goes Unaddressed 37:41 "The Way I Was Doing It Was Not Sustainable" 39:09 Long-Term Families, Professional Boundaries, and Ambiguous Grief 43:20 Brooke's Gratitude: Caregivers as First Responders 47:15 What Grieving Caregivers Most Need to Hear: Give Yourself Grace Website: traumauncensored.com Instagram: @traumauncensored TikTok: @traumauncensored Email the team: [email protected] Email Brooke: [email protected] Resources Mentioned in This Episode• ProQOL (Professional Quality of Life) https://proqol.org/• "We Still Round the Next Day" (Morrison, Pediatrics, 2020): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32029682/• Stanford Medicine: https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2019/07/stillbirth-linked-to-more-childbirthcomplications-for-mom-stanford-study-finds.html• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/ About the Guest Alisha McGuire is a pediatric palliative care social worker with nearly a decade of experience sitting alongside families in the most devastating moments of their lives. In her first Trauma Uncensored conversation, she shared the loss of her mother to stage four lung cancer. This time, she opens up about the grief she carries as the helper. About the Host Brooke Scherer is the creator and host of the Trauma Uncensored Podcast, where she leads honest, unfiltered conversations about trauma, grief, mental health, and healing. She is also a mother to Logan, Mallory, and Mila. In 2016, Brooke's world was shattered when her son Logan was killed by a distracted driver. In the silence that followed, she found a culture unequipped to talk about child loss, grief, and trauma in any honest way. That silence became her mission. Brooke built Trauma Uncensored to offer what she once needed most: a space to speak openly, without judgment, timelines, or expectation. Through her own story and conversations with survivors, mental health professionals, and others whose lives have been permanently altered, she reminds listeners they are not alone. She believes trauma permanently changes us, but it does not have to define the limits of our lives. If this episode hit home: Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who spends their days caring for everyone but themselves. It helps more people find these conversations. Want to share your story? Reach out at [email protected] or email Brooke directly at [email protected]. If you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.