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⚠️ Please note: This episode discusses childhood sexual abuse, trauma, sex work and cult involvement. Please listen with care.
Dr. Martina Zangger is the author of Not My Shame, a psychotherapist and university lecturer whose life story is one of extraordinary survival, healing and transformation.
After experiencing childhood sexual abuse within her family and growing up in an authoritarian environment, Martina’s search for belonging and meaning eventually led her to become involved in a cult in India. To fund her journey there, she worked as a sex worker in Sydney, experiences she now reflects on through both her lived experience and her professional understanding of trauma.
But Martina’s story isn’t simply about what happened to her. It’s about what came next.
After leaving the cult, Martina began the long process of healing, eventually earning three university degrees and becoming a psychotherapist and lecturer who now works to help others who have experienced trauma.
In this deeply honest episode of Before You Bloom, we talk about childhood trauma, shame, survival responses, emotional safety and the ways trauma can shape the identities we build around ourselves.
Martina shares what she wishes people understood about survivors, why shame can become so deeply embedded after trauma, what people often misunderstand about cult involvement and how therapy helped her begin to rebuild her life.
We also explore what healing actually feels like, how the nervous system is involved in trauma recovery, learning to trust again, forgiveness, integrating different parts of ourselves and what it means to move from simply surviving to genuinely living.
This is a conversation about the parts of trauma that are often difficult to talk about but also about the possibility of healing, reclaiming your story and discovering that your past does not have to determine your future.
A powerful reminder that shame belongs to the person who caused the harm, not the person who survived it.
Find Dr. Martina Zangger : Website
If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse here are some support links :
🇦🇺 Australia
🌍 International/Global
United Kingdom
Canada
New Zealand
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
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💗 Visit our : Website
At 36, Candice Klau was living with rapidly progressing Multiple Sclerosis and facing a future she never expected.
With limited treatment options available to her and a prognosis that included potentially needing a wheelchair within five years, Candice was faced with an incredibly difficult choice: accept the future she had been given, or take a chance on a different one.
She chose the latter. Candice travelled alone to Russia to undergo HSCT, a gruelling stem cell treatment involving chemotherapy and the destruction and rebuilding of her immune system.
And it changed everything. While Candice isn’t technically MS-free, her treatment has stopped the progression of her disease and she is hopeful that her symptoms will continue to improve. For Candice, it has meant something much bigger than a medical outcome, it has meant reclaiming a future she was afraid she was losing.
Because sometimes reclaiming your life starts with believing you’re allowed to imagine a different future.
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
At age 26, Bradley Dryburgh sat down and wrote his own eulogy. Living with cystic fibrosis, a chronic and life-limiting illness, Bradley has spent his life confronting mortality head-on. But nothing prepared him for the emotional whirlwind of reading his own eulogy aloud to two close friends on his podcast, A Lot to Talk About. When a raw, tear-filled clip from the episode went viral, touching over half a million hearts, it sparked a larger conversation: What does it really mean to live?
In this episode of Before You Bloom, Bradley takes us into his deeply personal journey of resilience, gratitude and self-reflection. From hospital beds to marathon finish lines, from childhood diagnoses to viral fame, he offers a moving reflection on how facing death helped him truly appreciate life.
This episode is ultimately a reminder that you don’t need to wait for a life-changing moment to start appreciating your life. Because your life isn’t happening someday.
Read Bradley's new book : I Wrote My Own Eulogy.
Connect with Bradley : Instagram
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
What happens when you’re forced to grow up long before you’re ready?
In this deeply personal episode of Before You Bloom, I’m joined by Simona Stirling to talk about growing up in a low socio-economic household, navigating her mum’s mental health struggles, losing her dad at 17, and becoming a primary carer for her mum after her early-onset dementia diagnosis at just 22.
Simona opens up about becoming independent from an incredibly young age, what it was like growing up in survival mode, and how those experiences shaped her relationship with money, ambition, grief and the life she wanted to create for herself.
We also explore her journey from childhood adversity to becoming a successful business owner, mum and entrepreneur, and whether the challenges she experienced growing up ultimately shaped the way she approaches business and success today.
This is a conversation about grief, caregiving, childhood, resilience, money, ambition, healing and building a life beyond what you thought was possible.
Simona's story is a powerful reminder that where you come from can shape you, but it doesn't have to define where you're going.
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
Have you ever found yourself repeatedly choosing the wrong people, even though you know you want something healthier?
In this BLOOM LINE episode of Before You Bloom, we’re exploring why toxic and unpredictable relationships can shape the way we experience love and why healthy love can sometimes feel unfamiliar.
After relationships filled with emotional highs and lows, inconsistency, manipulation, or uncertainty, your nervous system can become conditioned to expect chaos. So when someone finally shows up with consistency, communication, reassurance, and emotional safety, calm can almost feel too calm.
I share some of my own experiences of repeatedly choosing similar partners and the mindset shift that helped me stop looking for intensity and start looking for safety, friendship, consistency, and peace.
If you've ever wondered “Why do I keep choosing the wrong people?”, this conversation is for you.
Because love isn't supposed to feel like a rollercoaster. Love can be safe. Love can be consistent. Love can feel like peace. 🤍
If you have a dilemma you'd like answered on the BLOOM LINE, send me a DM @beforeyoubloom or email me : [email protected]
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
Trigger warning : This episode contains discussions about body image, disordered eating, eating disorder recovery, weight, beauty standards, and self-criticism. Please take care while listening and feel free to pause or come back to this conversation if you need to.
What if the way you've been taught to see your body was never the truth?
In this powerful episode of Before You Bloom, I'm joined by body acceptance advocate, content creator, and speaker Bella Davis for an honest conversation about body image, self-worth, beauty standards, and what it really means to heal your relationship with yourself.
Bella shares her personal journey through disordered eating and recovery, opening up about the moments that changed everything and the lessons she's learned along the way. Together, we explore the pressure to look a certain way, the impact of social media and comparison, and why body acceptance is so much more than loving your body every single day.
We also talk about Bella's beautiful perspective that the very features we criticise are the result of generations of people loving one another into existence, and how shifting the way we see ourselves can completely transform the way we move through the world.
Whether you've struggled with body image, felt trapped by unrealistic beauty standards, or simply want to build a kinder relationship with yourself, this conversation is one you'll want to come back to.
This episode is a gentle reminder that your worth has never been determined by the way you look. You were always deserving of kindness, compassion, and belonging exactly as you are.
Find the gorgeous Bella Davis : Instagram & Tiktok
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
Burnout isn't just about doing too much. Sometimes it's about running on empty for so long that you forget what it feels like to have energy in the first place.
In this episode, I'm joined by organisational psychologist, bestselling author, and workplace productivity expert Dr Amantha Imber to discuss her powerful new book, The Energy Game.
After spending more than two decades helping organisations like Google, Apple and Disney improve productivity and wellbeing, Amantha found herself facing the very thing she had spent her career helping others avoid: complete burnout. In this honest conversation, she shares what led to her own rock bottom, the warning signs she missed, and how that experience completely changed the way she thinks about productivity, rest, and energy.
We explore why two people can have the same workload but vastly different energy levels, the biggest misconceptions about burnout, why so many of us feel guilty for resting, and how self-compassion can become one of the most powerful tools for recovery. Amantha also explains the different Energy Types, the hidden ways we unintentionally drain ourselves, how to identify the biggest energy leaks in our lives, and the simple, science-backed strategies that can help us protect and restore our energy without needing to overhaul our entire lives.
Whether you're feeling burnt out, constantly exhausted, or simply trying to create a more sustainable way of living, this episode is filled with practical insights and compassionate reminders that your energy deserves protecting just as much as your time.
Because you're not broken. You might just be depleted.
Read The Energy Game : HERE
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
At just 17 years old, Lily Schubert's life changed dramatically.
What began as declining health progressed into severe ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), leaving her bedbound for six years. During that time, Lily couldn't sit up, couldn't move her arms freely, and couldn't even roll over in bed without experiencing excruciating pain. She became completely dependent on those around her for even the most basic tasks.
In this deeply moving conversation, Lily shares what it was really like to spend some of the most formative years of her life confined to a bed, navigating unimaginable physical suffering, isolation, and uncertainty. She opens up about the loneliness of losing social connection, the challenges of living with an often misunderstood invisible illness, and the impact chronic illness had on her identity, family, and future.
We also discuss her diagnoses and the realities of navigating the healthcare system, and what she wishes more people understood about living with these complex illnesses.
Most importantly, Lily shares the remarkable story of her gradual recovery. From taking her first steps outside again to returning to activities she once feared she'd never experience, she reflects on what it means to rebuild a life after losing so much time to illness.
This episode is a powerful reminder that resilience doesn't always look like pushing through. Sometimes it looks like surviving one day at a time, holding onto hope when life becomes unimaginably small, and finding the courage to begin again.
Whether you're living with chronic illness yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply looking for a story that will shift your perspective on resilience, this is a conversation you won't soon forget.
DOWNLOAD MY SYMPTOM TRACKERS : HERE
Find Lily : HERE
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
In this powerful conversation, Helen Whait shares the extraordinary and deeply human story behind her decision to become a nun at just 19, and the lived experiences that shaped that moment long before she ever stepped into a convent.
Helen reflects on a childhood marked by emotional abuse and control, and what it does to a young person’s sense of self, safety, and identity. She speaks honestly about what “normal” looked like growing up in that environment, and how survival can sometimes blur the line between restriction and refuge.
We explore the moment she chose the convent, and why something that may appear outwardly restrictive felt, at the time, like freedom. Helen opens up about what the convent gave her that she had been missing, what daily life was really like behind the walls, and whether the belonging she longed for ever truly arrived.
This conversation also dives into the quieter, harder work that comes after: unlearning internalised beliefs, learning to trust yourself again, and understanding that the problem was never you. Helen speaks to the real practice of setting boundaries after a lifetime of having none, and the guilt and fear that can come with it.
Now working as an occupational therapist, she reflects on how her past has shaped the way she supports others, and how her biggest challenges have gradually become part of her strength and purpose.
This episode is for anyone who has ever questioned their upbringing, felt trapped in a version of life that didn’t fit, or is quietly trying to rebuild themselves after leaving something that once felt like home.
Find Helen : Instagram
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
After years of sharing stories of resilience, healing, and growth through Before You Bloom, I'm excited to share a new chapter of my own journey.
In this solo episode, I open up about becoming a Holistic Trauma Therapist and what led me to this path. From my experiences navigating chronic illness and personal challenges to the countless conversations I've had with incredible guests and listeners over the years, I've seen firsthand how deeply our experiences shape us and how healing is about so much more than simply "moving on."
Whether you've experienced trauma, are navigating a difficult season, or are simply curious about the work I now do, I hope this episode offers insight, encouragement, and a reminder that healing is not linear and you don't have to walk the journey alone.
As always, thank you for being part of this community. It is an honour to continue growing and blooming alongside you.
💙 BOOK IN FOR 1:1 TRAUMA THERAPY WITH HAYLEY : HERE 💙
💗 Thank you so much for being here on this adventure with me! 💗- Hayley Kinneavy xo
✨ Find us on Instagram: @beforeyoubloom ✨
✉️ Email me : [email protected]
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Apple Podcasts
🎧⭐ Follow us on :Spotify
💗 Visit our : Website
The Before You Bloom Podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today.
From the publisher's feed