A Trauma Survivor Thriver’s Podcast

Finding Your Authentic Power

If the last year has taught us anything, it has shown us that we are resilient creatures who regardless of the difficulties, job layoffs, illnesses, if you are listening to this podcast you have survived.

For many people, the year has magnified dormant mental health issues or created a host of new ones.

Joining me is Ashley Bernardi, founder of Nardi Media and the Author of Authentic Power: Give Yourself Permission to Feel. She shares her personal story of grief and trauma that eventually manifested physical ailments. In this episode, she discusses how harnessing her authentic power helped her become her truest self.

A Soldier‘s Psychedelic Journey

I am an advocate for Psychedelics to help with treatment-resistant trauma. Recent research by MAPS, the multi-disciplinary association of psychedelic studies, has shown that psychedelics such as MDMA combined with psychotherapy has been found to be effective and well-tolerated in reducing ‘Post-traumatic stress disorder' or PTSD symptoms in veterans and first responders. For many veterans, psychedelics have been life-changing.

My guest is a former Army Ranger, former private military contractor, Purple Heart recipient and veteran transition coach who founded ‘The Combat Coach.’ He’s also a psychedelic integration coach for Heroic Hearts Project, and a student of Psychology. 

Similar to so many veterans, Kasey Pipitt had suffered from PTSD, that is until his first experience with psychedelics.

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Surviving Death & Finding Freedom

My guest today is retired NHL center, Dave Scatchard who is best known for his time with the Vancouver Kanucks and the New York Islanders. He may have been seen as the underdog, but his drive to overcome obstacles helped him achieve his childhood dream of becoming an NHL hockey player at the age of twenty-one.

However, after his fifth concussion, everything changed for him. Dave is also the Author of The Comeback which details his journey to find himself and true freedom.

Dave joins me to talk about his book and journey of self-discovery.

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Healing Traumatic Wounds: Seen & Unseen

Grief is a normal reaction to loss however, when a loss of a loved one is sudden or tragic, it can be traumatic. My guest today is Nikki Mammano. On October 13, 2019, she was in an accident with four friends when she lost her boyfriend and suffered a TBI, a traumatic brain injury, almost losing her own life.

The wounds were visible but the lingering wounds of such a tragedy could not be seen. Nikki joins me now to share her story and her journey through recovery.

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Save time and money with Stamps.com. There’s NO risk. And with my promo code, POD, you get a special offer that includes a 4-week trial PLUS free postage and a digital scale. 

Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth

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People who experience trauma, live an existence that is lived through a different lens than others. Trauma sends us into survival mode, and you are not completely out of it until you’re able to process the event. And moments that trigger these memories feel like life or death.

Some people can end up living their lives in survival mode. However, it does not have to be that way and for those who are able to get to the other side get to experience something even more incredible than they ever though would be possible, Post-Traumatic Growth.

My guest is Stephanie Hutchins, Life Coach and Author of Transformation after Trauma: Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth.

Somatic Yoga: Healing Sexual Wounds

When experiencing trauma, that energy and those feelings live well beyond the actual event in the nervous system. When similar feelings are triggered, it’s the body that remembers.

In my earliest days of treatment, somatic experiencing therapy was the first modality that really began my healing. On my podcast, I’ve interviewed Dale DeNunzio, my SE practitioner in Episode 3. And I spoke with Eduardo Cortina, a Somatic cannabis integrative therapist in Episode 35.

In this episode, I speak with Kaity Holsapple, Somatic Yoga Therapist and Founder of Her Temple Healing.

 

If interested, Kaity is offering a healing retreat in Mexico. Follow the link. However, limited spaces left.  https://www.hertemplehealing.com/embodiment-retreat/

 

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Victory Over Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

According to a German study, about 80% of women diagnosed with early-stage disease had symptoms of PTSD between the time they were diagnosed and the start of treatment.

My guest today is Rosie Mankes, a life coach and author of Find Your Joy and Run With It, a heartwarming memoir about overcoming her ** second** battle with cancer.

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A Psychedelic Rebirth

Psychedelics have been a big part of my healing. I am a huge advocate for it as a means of personal growth. As a teen I also used psychedelics recreationally and looking back, it really opened my mind to things and ideas I should have explored more, which is why when I found out about its healing properties for self-reflection, I knew this is what I needed to heal my own trauma. I don’t encourage the use of psychedelics unless in proper settings with intentions of integrating the experience with a group, coach, or therapist.

My guest today is Doug Cartwright, Founder of The Daily Shifts and Author of Holyshit We are Alive, which explores Doug’s life as a 20 something ex-Mormon and ex-millionaire who lived an unfulfilled existence until he found purpose through psychedelic healing.

 

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The Triumph of A Special Needs Mom

As a parent, I am aware of the pressure of what it takes to be a mom. The pressure we put on ourselves and for many the pressure we assume others are putting on us. It is a constant job and a thankless one. For stay-at-home moms, a lot of us begin to assume this as our identity. For some special needs moms, it can be like living in constant survival mode.

My guest is Leanna Taylor, a special needs mom and author of the “Fragile Face of God.”

Going Slightly Greener for Health

We know trauma and genetics contribute to mental health issues. However, we don’t discuss how environmental toxins can also be to blame. Toxins impact nearly every aspect of our body and can damage the brain, leading to a variety of physical and mental symptoms, increasing the risk of depression, suicide, memory problems, autism, psychotic behaviors, and learning disorders, among others.

My guest today is Tonya Harris, an award-winning environmental toxin expert, the founder of Slightly Greener and the creator of the Slightly Greener Method™ as well as the author of The Slightly Greener Method: Detoxifying Your Home Is Easier, Faster, and Less Expensive than You Think. She is a childhood leukemia survivor and mother of three, whose biggest passion is helping parents learn how toxins in the home can affect their family’s health.