Ever find it hard to relax like your body doesn’t know how to come down from survival mode? You’re not alone! 

In this solo episode, I’m wrapping up our Complex PTSD Series by sharing some additional final thoughts on what trauma has looked like in my own life, including:

-  How trauma may contribute to early menopause

-  Difficulty processing emotions

-  The inability to relax

-  Reflections on hypervigilance, numbness, and learning self-compassion

Hear practical ways to start reconnecting with your body and emotions safely.

You are not alone! Healing, peace, and self-trust are absolutely possible.

Resources Mentioned:

• Articles: Research on PTSD and early menopause among women veterans plus one other.  (Read Here and Here Exploring the Possible Link Between PTSD and Early Menopause.)
• Episode with Britt Frank, LSCSW, SEP
  – Therapist and author of The Science of Stuck
• Episode with Catherine Lucy, LMFT
  – Therapist specializing in trauma recovery and self-compassion
• Take my free Intuition Quiz on my website!
• Connect with Mandi:
  • Website: MandiPratt.com
  • Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
  • LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

The primary purpose of the Women Aware and Prepared Podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute advice or services. Please use common sense for your own situation.

What if you’ve tried talk therapy for years but still feel stuck?
Listen in as therapist, Catherine Lucey, LMFT, and host Mandi Pratt unpack the healing practices that go beyond talk therapy bringing the body (not just the midn) into the process.

You’ll learn:

• The three lenses of healing: nervous system regulation, self-compassion (through Internal Family Systems), and community.
  
  
  
• A simple interrupt + orient practice you can use daily to calm your body in minutes.
  
  
  
• How movement, nature, creativity, and even surfing can help regulate the nervous system.
  
  
  
• What questions to ask when seeking a trauma-informed, body-based therapist.
  
  
  

Whether you’ve experienced trauma yourself, or you support others on their healing journey, this episode is filled with practical tools and gentle reminders: you are not broken, and healing doesn’t have to be another overwhelming “to-do.”

RESOURCES

Nourished Wellness Group Website and Instagram

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
• LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

The primary purpose of the Women Aware and Prepared Podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute advice or services. Please use common sense for your own situation.

Mandi sits down with neuro-psychotherapist and author Britt Frank, LSCSW, SEP for a powerful and down-to-earth conversation about navigating healing after trauma. Together, they explore how our inner critic can feel overwhelming, why safety is the foundation of healing, and what it means to practice “trauma turtle rolls”— the small, grounding actions that carry us through tough moments until conditions improve.

They share their real-life experiences with anxiety, affirmations, and even breathwork: what helps, what doesn’t, and why it’s okay if your healing doesn’t look like anyone else’s. Whether you’re managing PTSD, C-PTSD, or simply the waves of everyday stress, this conversation reminds you: healing happens in safe places, and even the smallest choices can bring peace.

Resources

Britt Frank’s books:

• The Science of Stuck
  
  
  
• The Getting Unstuck Workbook
  
  
  
• Align Your Mind
  
  
  

Britt Frank’s website: brittfrank.com

Follow Britt on Instagram: @brittfrank

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
• LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

The primary purpose of the Women Aware and Prepared Podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute advice or services. Please use common sense for your own situation.

September is Complex PTSD Awareness Month, and in this solo episode I share an authentic part of my journey as a survivor of narcissistic and sociopathic abuse — including the long years of post-separation abuse that followed. 

What trauma looks like in real life: hypervigilance, brain fog, and decision fatigue, to self-doubt, health struggles, and relationship challenges, I open up about the many ways complex PTSD shows up in daily life.

BUT woven throughout is also a message of hope: the power of resilience, faith, and nervous system healing to restore a sense of peace. 

This episode sets the stage for the upcoming expert guests joining me to unpack anxiety, healing strategies, and how we can learn to feel safe again. Whether you’ve faced trauma yourself or are just navigating everyday stress and anxiety, this series is for you.

RESOURCES

TheMENDProject.com with Annette Oltmans (Providing Clarify / Supporting Abuse Survivors)

My Gnarly Life Story Episodes One and Two

National Domestic Violence Hotline: Thehotline.org | 1-800-799-7233

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 if you or someone you know is in crisis

An app for better sleep, meditation and relaxation: Better Sleep

Just a couple of my favorite nervous system tools to help get stress out of the body: humming or standing up and shaking out your arms. (We will discuss these in the upcoming episodes.)

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
• LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

The primary purpose of the Women Aware and Prepared Podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute advice or services. Please use common sense for your own situation.

Careless or clueless? Tech often rolls out new features without thinking about safety—and Instagram’s new Location Map is no exception. In this episode, Mandi shares how to:

• Turn off Instagram Location Map on iPhone & Android
  
  
• Adjust location sharing across your apps and devices
  
  
• Protect your digital footprint when posting photos online
  
  

Simple steps, real-life examples, and practical tips to help you stay safe in a digital world.

RESOURCES

EndTab.org

What Meta Says About Their IG Map Sharing

My Story of Being Tracked by a Creep Via AirTag

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared

LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

“Why didn’t she leave?” It may sound harmless, but this one question shifts blame onto survivors and lets perpetrators off the hook. The truth is, language shapes how we view abuse — and the words we use can either hurt survivors or help them heal.

Hear how to spot victim-blaming language, reframe it to encourage accountability, and use your words to create safer, more supportive spaces. Through real-life examples and practical tips, you’ll discover how even small shifts in language can make a big difference.

By listening, you’ll learn:

• How to reframe harmful phrases into language that holds perpetrators accountable.
  
  
• Why your words matter in shaping culture, allyship, and survivor support.
  
  
• Three simple questions to ask yourself before speaking to ensure your language supports healing, not harm.
  
  
  

Listen in to learn how you can avoid this common mistake — and use your voice to be an ally!

RESOURCES

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
• LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

Listen to the past few episodes to learn how to be a better ally here and here.

Learn (& share!) ideas for how men can be allies in public spaces—because the truth is, sometimes it’s the small choices that make the biggest difference. 💡 By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

• How to recognize moments where your actions could make a woman feel safer
• Practical, respectful ways to step in or give space — without overstepping
• Conversation starters to use with friends, kids, or colleagues so we can all shift the culture together

RESOURCES

• Conversation with Amy from HASSL (Part 1)
• Conversation with Amy from HASSL (Part 2)
• Conversation with Dr. Saed Hill

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
• LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

“Be aware of your surroundings.” “Don’t walk alone.” “Hold your keys like a weapon.” We’ve heard it all. The real problem isn’t how women move through the world—but the systems that make that world unsafe in the first place.

In this bold conversation, I continue my conversation with Amy Watson, founder of Hassl, in the UK, to talk about why telling women to “stay safe” isn’t enough—and never has been. We talk about what real prevention looks like and why involving men in this conversation isn’t optional. 

This episode will offer actionable ideas and helpful bystander info! Listen in and share the episode!

RESOURCES

Connect with Amy & Hassl:

• Instagram: @hasslOfficial
• Website: Hassl.uk

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared
• LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

What if we stopped telling women how to stay safe and instead fixed the systems that make them unsafe? In this powerful episode, Mandi Pratt sits down with Amy Watson, founder of Hassl—a UK-based social enterprise dedicated to tackling public harassment at its root. Amy and her team are on a mission to shift the burden off of women to stay safe and onto society, where it belongs. Hassl is pioneering a prevention-first model that includes everyone, not just women.

Amy shares her journey of witnessing everyday harassment, and reaching a breaking point. Together, Mandi and Amy talk about the deep roots of gender-based violence, why victim-blaming is so insidious, and how we can reframe safety as a collective responsibility inviting men into the conversation and building a world that’s safer for all genders. 

Whether you’ve experienced harassment or are passionate about dismantling systems of injustice, this episode offers thoughtful solutions, real-life stories, and a hopeful path forward.

• Why Hassl was created to address the root causes of public harassment
• How current safety tools and apps unintentionally shift the burden to women
• Hassl’s 5-part approach: public space design, awareness, systemic misogyny, reporting barriers, and more
• How society often minimizes or normalizes street harassment
• The need to involve men in real change (and how Hassl is doing just that)
• Why prevention must come before response
• How Amy’s personal experiences and deep sense of justice led her to found Hassl
• The parallels between Amy’s mission and Mandi’s own journey of reclaiming safety after trauma

RESOURCES

• The case of Sarah Everard
• Previous episodes on the Manosphere and also bystander intervention
• Mandi’s own survival story after having the FBI come to her door

Connect with Amy & Hassle:

• Instagram: @hasslOfficial
• Website: Hassl.uk

Connect with Mandi:

• Website: MandiPratt.com (Take the Intuition Quiz!)
• Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared

Whether your abuse happened last year or decades ago—your voice matters.
You have every right to heal, to be heard, and to explore justice. Start where you are. Gather your support. Know your rights. And most of all, remember this:
you are not alone, and you were never meant to carry this by yourself.

In this episode, attorney and survivor, Alreen Haeggquist also shares her surprising and empowering take on the recent Sean “P. Diddy” Combs case—and what it means for survivors everywhere watching high-profile abusers face the courtroom. 

RESOURCES

Alreen’s Book = Fired Up: Fueling Triumph from Trauma — on Amazon

Alreen’s Law Firm = Quist and Eck, LLP — Serving clients across California in:

• Sexual harassment and assault
  
  
• Gender discrimination
  
  
• Retaliation and unequal pay
  
  

Website: www.Alreen.com / Instagram @Alreen

Mandi Pratt, Host / Resilience Speaker

Website: AwareAndPrepared.life (See How You Score on the Intuition Quiz)

LinkedIn: Mandi Pratt

Instagram: @WomenAwareAndPrepared