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Ep 12: Sexual Trauma & How It Impacts Relationships - with April Daniels
⚠️ Content Note / Trigger Warning
This episode includes discussion of sexual trauma, childhood sexual abuse, coercion, grooming, repression, and their impact on intimacy, relationships, and the nervous system. Please listen with care and at your own pace.
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence or assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available at 800-656-HOPE (4673) for confidential emotional support and crisis intervention.
Episode Description:
In this episode of How to Blow Up Your Life, Sara is joined by author and survivor April Daniels for a compassionate, deeply honest conversation about sexual trauma and how it shapes intimacy, trust, embodiment, and our relationship with ourselves.
April shares how repressed memories surfaced during her healing journey, and how trauma can disconnect us not only from the past, but from joy, creativity, presence, and our bodies. Together, Sara and April explore how sexual trauma often shows up in adulthood through over-functioning, emotional distance, difficulty with boundaries, and disconnection from the self.
This episode also unpacks how sexual trauma isn’t always overt—it can include coercion, grooming, psychological violation, and power disguised as normalcy. Healing, as April shares, isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about returning to who you already are.
April also reflects on how her story is tragically connected to those of Elizabeth Smart and Kacie Woody—two cases that underscore the lasting impact of sexual violence. Elizabeth Smart’s advocacy and foundation have brought awareness and change, while Kacie Woody’s story, shared through public reporting and her Wikipedia page, reminds us of the devastating stakes when children are not protected.
Her message to survivors is clear and powerful: If I can do it, you can do it.
About the Guest:
April Daniels is the author of Paper Dolls and Cowboy Boots, a memoir about healing from sexual trauma and reclaiming the self.
Book: Paper Dolls and Cowboy Boots by April Daniels and Carol Scott
Additional Links:
- Book: My Father’s House: Memoir of Incest and Healing by Sylvia Fraser
- Resource: Elizabeth Smart Foundation
- More Information: News report on Kacie Woody
Coming Next:
🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday.Next week’s episode explores Dysfunctional Family Systems and how family patterns shape what we tolerate, normalize, and repeat—until we decide to heal.
Work With Me:
Learn more about coaching and apply here:👉 https://www.sarastansberry.com
Stay Connected
Follow me for more reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes:
Substack: https://sarastansberry.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarastansberry/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarastansberry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarastansberry/
Disclaimer
Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical and/or mental health practitioner or other healthcare provider for individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health or lifestyle, or to address specific medical conditions. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only.
Get full access to How To Blow Up Your Life at sarastansberry.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Sara Stansberry⚠️ Content Note / Trigger Warning
This episode includes discussion of sexual trauma, childhood sexual abuse, coercion, grooming, repression, and their impact on intimacy, relationships, and the nervous system. Please listen with care and at your own pace.
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence or assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available at 800-656-HOPE (4673) for confidential emotional support and crisis intervention.
Episode Description:
In this episode of How to Blow Up Your Life, Sara is joined by author and survivor April Daniels for a compassionate, deeply honest conversation about sexual trauma and how it shapes intimacy, trust, embodiment, and our relationship with ourselves.
April shares how repressed memories surfaced during her healing journey, and how trauma can disconnect us not only from the past, but from joy, creativity, presence, and our bodies. Together, Sara and April explore how sexual trauma often shows up in adulthood through over-functioning, emotional distance, difficulty with boundaries, and disconnection from the self.
This episode also unpacks how sexual trauma isn’t always overt—it can include coercion, grooming, psychological violation, and power disguised as normalcy. Healing, as April shares, isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about returning to who you already are.
April also reflects on how her story is tragically connected to those of Elizabeth Smart and Kacie Woody—two cases that underscore the lasting impact of sexual violence. Elizabeth Smart’s advocacy and foundation have brought awareness and change, while Kacie Woody’s story, shared through public reporting and her Wikipedia page, reminds us of the devastating stakes when children are not protected.
Her message to survivors is clear and powerful: If I can do it, you can do it.
About the Guest:
April Daniels is the author of Paper Dolls and Cowboy Boots, a memoir about healing from sexual trauma and reclaiming the self.
Book: Paper Dolls and Cowboy Boots by April Daniels and Carol Scott
Additional Links:
- Book: My Father’s House: Memoir of Incest and Healing by Sylvia Fraser
- Resource: Elizabeth Smart Foundation
- More Information: News report on Kacie Woody
Coming Next:
🎧 New episodes drop every Wednesday.Next week’s episode explores Dysfunctional Family Systems and how family patterns shape what we tolerate, normalize, and repeat—until we decide to heal.
Work With Me:
Learn more about coaching and apply here:👉 https://www.sarastansberry.com
Stay Connected
Follow me for more reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes:
Substack: https://sarastansberry.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarastansberry/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarastansberry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarastansberry/
Disclaimer
Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical and/or mental health practitioner or other healthcare provider for individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health or lifestyle, or to address specific medical conditions. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only.
Get full access to How To Blow Up Your Life at sarastansberry.substack.com/subscribe