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"What if the smartest part of your brain is the one that learned to hide?"

We start with a grounding practice to meet the body where it is, then sit with therapist and podcast host Malisa Hepner to unpack how the "golden child" mask, complex trauma, and perfectionism can quietly fracture a life—and how she pieced it back together.

In this conversation:

• Trauma as separation from self, not just "bad events"
• Why high achievers often carry hidden hypervigilance
• The spiritual awakening that felt like rewiring in real time
• Planning a suicide date—and the unexpected relief that created space to rebuild
• Launching Emotionally Unavailable podcast imperfectly on purpose
• Hospice lessons on presence when words fail
• The difference between being "healed" and living in ongoing healing

Malisa reframes tears as movement, not weakness. She offers hard-won language for the "fine while drowning" experience. And she proves that emotional availability isn't a badge—it's messy, daily practice.

Connect with Malisa Hepner here: empoweredwithmalisahepner.org

If you've ever felt like you had it together on paper but were quietly unraveling, this conversation offers tools, language, and a kinder map home.

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Remember: The strongest thing you can do is ask for help. You're not alone.

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