In this conversation, Jess Vanrose and Dr. Melanie Gray explore the profound effects of trauma on identity, relationships, and everyday functioning. They discuss how trauma manifests in hyper-functioning behaviors, the importance of setting compassionate boundaries, and the journey of forgiveness and reclaiming personal power. Dr. Gray emphasizes the need for self-care and intentional actions to foster healing and resilience, encouraging listeners to view themselves as valuable gifts regardless of their past experiences.

Takeaways

• Trauma can shape our identity and how we relate to others.
• Hyper-functioning can lead to burnout and disconnection from self.
• Forgiveness is essential for personal freedom and growth.
• Setting boundaries is crucial for self-care and mental health.
• Living from power means focusing on possibilities, not pain.
• Self-care practices are vital for long-term well-being.
• It's important to recognize the secondary gains from pain.
• Intentional actions are necessary for meaningful change.
• We should not let our past define our future.
• Everyone is a valuable gift to the world. 

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Trauma's Impact on Identity

07:45 The Cost of Hyper-Functioning

14:32 Nervous System and Healing

20:47 The Power of Forgiveness

31:40 Living from Power, Not Pain

Connect with Dr. Melanie Gray:

https://www.drmelaniegraytheconfidencecoach.com/

Keywords

trauma, identity, hyper-functioning, forgiveness, boundaries, healing, mental health, trauma-informed care, self-care, resilience

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode of Life After Trauma, Jess Vanrose shares her personal journey of navigating a challenging year marked by a chronic autoimmune diagnosis. She emphasizes the importance of self-care, presence over performance, and the need to acknowledge one's struggles while not allowing them to define identity. Jess discusses the creation of a meditation series designed to support those feeling overwhelmed and highlights the significance of building self-trust and setting boundaries. The episode concludes with an invitation for community engagement and a reminder that listeners are not alone in their struggles.

When You've Been Holding It All Together Meditation Series: www.jessicavanrose.com/when-youve-been-holding-it-all-together

Takeaways

• Presence over performance is essential in our lives.
• Sometimes we need to pull back to take care of ourselves.
• It's normal to go through hard seasons.
• A chronic illness can challenge our identity.
• Finding ways to live with what we cannot control.
• You can go through a hard season without letting it define you.
• Building self-trust is crucial for personal growth.
• Setting boundaries is necessary for self-care.
• You're not alone in your struggles.

Keywords

trauma, health, self-care, chronic illness, meditation, personal growth, identity, self-trust, community, podcast

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Sue McCreadie, MD, is a paediatrician and midlife transformation expert who helps women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s navigate hormones, heartbreak, and healing. In this candid conversation, we explore the fear and shame many of us feel around perimenopause, how to separate identity from emotion, and practical ways to move through self-doubt with love.

We talk about:

• Perimenopause 101: what’s happening in our bodies and why the timeline is so individual
• Naming shame & fear (Jess’s “black ball”) and how to unhook “I am” statements
• Self-doubt in high-achieving women + tiny, loving actions that rebuild confidence
• Masculine structure vs. feminine flow in creativity, business, and healing
• “What would love do?” as a daily compass for boundaries, rest, forgiveness, and courage
• Second callings: surrendering control and following the breadcrumbs

Take the Midlife Personality Quiz:

Uncover your greatest gift, biggest growth opportunity, and 8 personalized ideas to joy as a midlife woman.

https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/6527eb2db315de001400d356

Resources & Links:

Dr. Sue’s website: https://www.drsuemccreadie.com/

Substack: https://drsuemccreadie.substack.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drsuemccreadie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drsuemccreadie/

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this deeply moving conversation, I’m joined by Amanda Durocher, host of the New View Advice podcast. Amanda shares her journey of surviving sexual violence, uncovering repressed memories, and navigating the terror of speaking her truth out loud for the first time. We explore how her healing journey has been shaped by self-compassion, learning to trust herself again, and finding freedom from the weight of trauma. Amanda’s courage in sharing her raw experiences — from the moment she realized she could no longer keep memories buried, to her reflections on anger, body-based healing, and community — offers powerful validation and hope for survivors everywhere.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Amanda’s experience of repressed memories surfacing through dreams
• The terror and liberation of finally speaking her story out loud
• Why trusting yourself is essential after trauma
• How self-compassion shifted her healing journey and saved her life
• The role of the body — and practices like meditation, yoga, and somatic singing — in processing trauma
• Why anger, often seen as “bad,” is actually an important messenger in healing

Connect with Amanda Durocher:

• Website: www.newviewadvice.com
• TikTok: @newviewadvice

Amanda also hosts the New View Advice podcast, where she offers honest and empathetic reflections on what it means to be human.

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Therapist-turned-intuitive mentor Keri Nola joins Jess to explore ego death, shadow work, and the brave act of opening your heart after trauma. We talk boundaries vs. armor, how trauma blocks receiving, and a gentler path to “mature manifestation” so you can reclaim power and let life meet you.

What we cover

• Ego death as a soul nudge toward your next chapter
• Boundaries ≠ armor: why shutdown blocks receiving
• Body-based steps to find & thaw hidden blocks
• Minimizing yourself as a misuse of power (solar plexus work)
• Receptivity vs. receiving vs. taking
• A beginner-friendly journal prompt + two mantras you can use today

May this conversation be a soft place to land as you practice opening again.

This episode contains discussions of trauma, abuse, and other potentially sensitive topics. Please take care while listening and pause if you need to. Your well-being matters most.

Chapters

00:00 Ego death, body signals

01:06 Trigger warning + welcome

01:54 Closing a thriving practice

03:25 Following a soul call

05:14 Feeling rooted, fast

06:39 Provision meets truth

08:20 Jess goes all-in

09:50 Boundaries vs. armor

12:13 “What am I afraid of if life improves?”

14:45 Safe support, slow healing

18:31 Parts work & inner conflict

21:11 Self-respect vs. self-compassion

24:00 What shadow work really is

26:24 Facing what’s hidden

27:57 “You’ll only get what you’re ready for”

29:56 Taking up space

31:21 Belonging & being disliked

33:03 Healing isn’t linear

34:47 Oracle reading setup

38:17 Card 1: Uneven Exchange (sacral) + mantra

41:30 Card 2: Power (solar plexus) + mantra

44:56 Womb healing: releasing shame

46:33 Gentle journal prompt

48:10 Receptivity vs. taking

50:11 Mature manifestation

52:09 Curiosity in hard seasons

55:25 Opening the heart again

58:43 Keri’s behind-the-scenes practices

59:56 What “Life After Trauma” means to Keri + where to find her

Resources & Links

• Keri Nola — offerings, readings, journal: kerinola.com
• Mantra (Card 1: Uneven Exchange / Sacral): “I am worthy of being in balanced relationship with giving and receiving in a way that deeply resonates with the full essence of me.”
• Mantra (Card 2: Power / Solar Plexus): “I am worthy of standing firmly in the truth of who I am. This is the home of my divine power.”
• Journal prompt: “If I knew I could trust what would be revealed, I would be willing to open myself to…”
• Declaration: “I’m willing to see what I need to see, hear what it’s time to hear, feel what I’m ready to feel, and heal what is prioritizing for healing.”

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Reflections with Jess episode, I share a moment from a small-town coffee shop where the simple act of someone typing nearby sent my nervous system into high alert. What unfolded was a reminder that healing is not about proving your strength—it’s about listening to your body, honouring your capacity, and choosing yourself.

✨ I’ve started a Fall Solo Date Reels series on Instagram, where each week I travel to a new small town, explore cozy cafés, and share the magic of solo adventures. The first one is live now—and yes, it features the café where this reflection was born. You can watch on @lifeaftertraumapodcast or on my personal account @jessvanrose.

☕ Support the podcast: Buy Me a Coffee

If this episode resonated with you or made you feel seen, I would be so grateful if you follow on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening.

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jess sits down with Jennifer Chase—certified life coach and founder of Rise Addiction Life Coaching—to rethink a well-worn myth: Is trauma the real gateway to addiction? Jennifer shares her generational story of alcoholism, childhood sexual abuse, a brain-tumor surgery that led to opioid dependence, and the exact tools and reframes that helped her reclaim voice, power, and peace.

We cover:

• The controversial reframe: “Substance wasn’t the problem—it was my solution.”
• The “perfect family” facade, secret-keeping, and why truth-telling is liberation
• Shame → use → more shame: how forgiveness (including of her abuser) broke the loop
• The hardest mirror: when her son became addicted to her prescribed opiates
• Codependency ≈ addiction: why connection is the antidote to both
• Practical tools: meetings, movement, meditation, journaling, music, and “choosing your hard”

A closing thought

Healing isn’t linear. When we shine light on shame, we make space for breath, choice, and self-worth.

Chapters

00:00 — TW + welcome

01:05 — “Perfect” outside, chaos inside

04:40 — Truth-teller, not “black sheep”

08:48 — Brain tumor → opioids: “Where has this been?”

12:50 — Shame spirals & escalating use

14:55 — When your child mirrors your pain

18:58 — Rock bottom → treatment

21:05 — Forgiving to reclaim power

25:12 — Families, enabling & new boundaries

29:00 — Choosing your hard

34:20 — Tools you can use today

40:05 — Emotional safety in unsafe systems

46:40 — “The cave you fear…”

49:55 — What life after trauma means today

Resources & Links

• Jennifer’s website: https://riseaddictionlc.com
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenchase
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferreinhartchase
• Find support: AA & Al-Anon (search local meetings in your area)

Tap Follow on Spotify/Apple and Save this episode so you don’t miss what’s next. Sharing this with a friend helps more than you know. 💛

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Reflections with Jess episode, I’m speaking directly to those of you who are just beginning your healing journey. Being at the start can feel overwhelming—with so many tools, modalities, and voices telling you what you “should” be doing. I want to remind you that your body already holds the answers.

Here’s what we explore together:

• Why healing begins with tuning into yourself—not following every trend
• How to notice what your body is telling you and use that as guidance
• My own early practices with meditation and yoga that helped me reconnect
• The importance of becoming a student of healing—curious, patient, and open
• Why small steps planted now grow into lasting transformation

This is your invitation to pause, breathe, and remember that healing doesn’t have to be rushed. You already have what you need within you.

🌙 Stay connected with me on Life After Trauma by following on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Your follows, saves, and reviews mean so much—they help other women find this podcast and feel less alone.

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this deeply grounding episode, Jess is joined by international speaker, resilience coach, and author Laura Bratton. Laura began losing her vision as a teenager—and in the years since, she has cultivated a life rooted in courage, self-trust, and a deep commitment to living fully, even through change. Together, Jess and Laura explore how true resilience isn’t about pushing through or staying positive—it’s about being honest with our emotions, validating our grief, and choosing to move forward in small, brave steps. Whether you're navigating a season of uncertainty, rebuilding your sense of self, or learning to trust your inner voice again, this conversation will meet you with compassion, clarity, and strength.

In this episode, we talk about:

- What real resilience looks like (and what it’s not)

- How Laura navigated losing her vision in high school

- The power of daily support, community, and staying present

- Learning to trust yourself again, one moment at a time

- Gratitude as a healing practice (even on the hardest days)

- Why it's okay to hold grief and hope at the same time

- Advocating for your needs—without apology

Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & reflection

02:15 – Life changed in seconds

08:49 – Resisting the pressure to “be strong”

13:34 – Grieving what was lost

19:42 – What helped Laura stay

24:05 – When you feel invisible

29:18 – Rebuilding life on new terms

34:41 – Healing beyond resilience

38:20 – Final thoughts + closing invitation

Resources & Links:

✨ Learn more about Laura’s work or get her book Harnessing Courage: www.laurabratton.com

⚠️ Trigger Warning

This episode contains discussions of trauma, abuse, and other potentially sensitive topics that may be activating for some listeners. Please take care while listening and pause if you need to. Your well-being is what matters most.

💛 If you haven’t already, it would mean the world to me if you subscribe, and if you learned something new or found inspiration from this episode, please leave a review and share this episode.

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Reflections with Jess episode, I’m sitting down to talk about a question I know so many of us carry:

“Why do I feel like I’m doing all the right things for healing, but I still keep getting pulled back into old patterns?”

Together, we explore:

• Why healing isn’t linear (and what that actually looks like in daily life)
• How trauma imprints on the nervous system and body, not just the mind
• What real progress looks like (hint: it’s often the small shifts)
• Why falling back doesn’t mean starting over
• The power of self-compassion on the hard days

Healing is slow, gentle work — but if you’ve ever asked yourself this question, it means you care about your healing, and that matters.

💭 Reflection for the week: What is one small shift you’ve noticed in yourself over the past year?

💛 Connect with Jess:

Website: www.jessicavanrose.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessvanrose

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejessvanrose

🎙️🤩 Want to be a guest on Life After Trauma? Send Jess a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/jessicavanrose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.