Have you ever looked back on your childhood and realized how much you learned to keep inside? How the silence around you became something you carried, long after you left the place that taught it to you.

Shigeko Ito grew up in a home that looked perfect from the outside but felt empty inside. Years later, after a moment of betrayal that changed everything, she began the long work of finding her way back to herself. Her story moves from isolation to understanding, from blame to compassion, and from surviving to healing.

This conversation is about what it means to stop a generational pattern of silence and choose honesty instead. It is about finding language for pain that never had words. Take your time with this one. It is tender and real.

What You’ll Hear:

How emotional neglect can shape a child’s sense of safety

A moment of awakening that changed everything

The long journey toward naming trauma and reclaiming self compassion

The quiet power of writing as a tool for healing

What it means to end generational silence

Finding freedom through vulnerability and truth

Listen, share, and subscribe at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow.

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Guest Bio

Shigeko Ito is an educator, mental health advocate, and debut author of the memoir The Pond Beyond the Forest: Reflections on Childhood Trauma and Motherhood (She Writes Press). She grew up in Japan and immigrated to the United States in her twenties to pursue higher education, earning a PhD in Education from Stanford University. Drawing on her cross cultural experiences and academic expertise, she explores themes of trauma, resilience, and healing, with a particular focus on childhood emotional neglect. Shigeko lives in Seattle with her husband of thirty years. Learn more at shigekoito.com