Overcoming PTSD with Brad Schipke

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

Meditation doesn’t have to be mystical or complicated. In this coaching session, Brad breaks it down to one practical goal: achieve a mentally clear, emotionally calm state using a simple breath-focused practice you can do anywhere.

You’ll learn a three-step routine—Relax, Focus on the breath, Refocus when the mind wanders—plus visual strategies like “cloud thoughts” to acknowledge emotions and let them pass. We also cover why being “bad” at meditation at first is actually the workout that builds the skill.

This episode explains how daily meditation strengthens attention, presence, and self-regulation so you can navigate triggers, sleep better, and show up clearer for processing work and real life. Start with five minutes, find your best routine, and let the calm spill into the rest of your day.

💡 What You’ll Learn

The simple definition of meditation and why it’s not just a spiritual practice

A three step breath meditation: Relax, Focus on breath, Refocus when distracted

How to use “cloud thoughts” to acknowledge and release thoughts and emotions

Why early distraction reps are the workout that grows focus and awareness

How daily practice supports PTSD relief and prepares you for deeper processing

Ways to customize duration and posture so the habit actually sticks

When to choose visualization (safe space, mind palace) vs. breath focus

How meditation can help with sleep, triggers, and everyday emotional regulation

The role of attention and working memory in trauma processing

🧠 Key Takeaway

Consistency beats complexity: focus on your breath, gently refocus when you drift, and the calm you train in minutes will support your PTSD recovery all day.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • meditation for PTSD • breath focused meditation • nervous system regulation • emotional regulation • trauma coping tools • grounding techniques • visualization for trauma • safe space visualization • working memory • prefrontal cortex • mindfulness for PTSD • sleep after trauma • sobriety and PTSD • self talk and PTSD • grief and trauma • anxiety relief • stress reduction • practical trauma recovery strategies

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

Perfectionism can feel like safety, but in recovery it becomes a trap that fuels overwhelm, paralysis, and self-judgment. In this coaching session Brad breaks down perfectionism as a belief—not a personality trait—so you can change it and free up your capacity to heal.

You’ll learn why aiming for “perfect” is the lowest standard, how mistakes accelerate growth, and how to shift from over-preparing to taking small, corrective actions. Brad shares practical stories and language you can borrow to move through fear and start now.

You’ll also hear how to spot deeper roots (like childhood trauma or “I’m a failure” beliefs), when to process emotions directly, and how to use fear as a compass instead of a stop sign. This episode sets you up for upcoming deep dives on meditation and self-talk to reinforce these mindset shifts.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Define perfectionism as a changeable belief rather than a fixed trait

Reframe failure as feedback that accelerates learning and growth

Use the Ready, Fire, Aim method to beat over-preparation and build momentum

Reduce overwhelm by shrinking the skills “gap” and taking the next imperfect step

Apply the four-step introspective healing loop to find and address root causes

Practice self-compassion to counter harsh inner criticism and shame

Harness “fear feeds on time” by shortening the gap between intention and action

Support your body during processing with rest, nutrition, movement, and pacing

Build the belief “I can figure it out” to replace the need to have it all figured out

🧠 Key Takeaway

Perfectionism is just a belief—change the belief, take imperfect action, and your recovery will accelerate

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • perfectionism and PTSD • progress over perfection • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • fear feeds on time • self-compassion • cognitive reframing • mindset shifts for trauma • trauma coping tools • introspective healing • releasing emotions • building resilience • ready fire aim method • overcoming overwhelm • actionable PTSD strategies • trauma-informed coaching • daily recovery habits • meditation and self-talk preview

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching session, Brad introduces Introspective Healing, a simple four-step processing tool designed to move you from reactive chaos to adaptive clarity. Instead of getting swept away by overwhelming emotions, you’ll learn how to slow down, think logically, and pinpoint what’s actually going on.

Brad demonstrates how to define the problem, dig to the root using the Five Whys (plus who/what/when/where/how), and separate surface triggers from the deeper memories and beliefs they activate. You’ll see why the “aha” moment matters—and how connecting dots between past and present can instantly lower distress.

You’ll also learn how to build a clean, actionable plan once you’ve found the root—sometimes the awareness alone shifts things, other times you’ll pair it with other tools or professional support. The emphasis is on focus, calm, and independent healing so you can solve real problems, not just manage symptoms.

Finally, Brad explains why “I don’t know” is not allowed, how to hold one question at a time, and how releasing stored emotion alongside belief shifts creates lasting change. This episode is a foundation you’ll reuse across future tools like meditation, belief work, and memory processing.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Define one clear problem instead of wrestling with vague overwhelm

Use the Five Whys (plus who/what/when/where/how) to reach the root cause

Distinguish triggers in the present from memories and beliefs in the past

Focus on one question at a time to prevent mental overload

Recognize the “aha” moment that signals you’ve hit the root

Create a simple plan that targets the root, not just the symptom

Pair logical belief shifts with safe emotional release for full processing

Replace “I don’t know” with better questions that unlock progress

Practice independent healing so you’re not dependent on anyone to move forward

🧠 Key Takeaway

Clarity beats chaos: define the problem, find the root, make a plan, and take action.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • introspective healing • Five Whys trauma tool • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • trigger mapping • root-cause processing • belief change • memory reconsolidation • self-coaching for PTSD • trauma coping tools • anxiety after social events • door slam trigger example • independent healing • meditation for trauma • practical PTSD strategies

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Design Your Environment, Change Your PTSD Recovery

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

Your outer world massively shapes your inner world. In this Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching session, Brad and Kayleen break down “environment design”—how to set up your home, car, and daily spaces to reduce triggers, lower stress, and make recovery behaviors easier than relapse behaviors.

You’ll hear practical examples: arranging a living room without a TV as the focal point, placing bookcases and a whiteboard where a screen would be, laying out gym clothes the night before, and turning the bedroom into a true sleep sanctuary. They also cover decluttering with three piles (keep, donate, throw away) and using small “pattern-interrupt” room changes to break associations with past fights or nightmares.

The episode shows how to align spaces with goals like better sleep, consistent morning/evening routines, and fewer decision points. Brad shares a client win: repainting and rearranging a bedroom to erase old triggers and restore deep sleep. In Q&A, they tackle the “window of tolerance” for feeling good after trauma and why growth often feels uncomfortable—and why that’s okay.

💡 What You’ll Learn

How to run a fast environment audit that aligns your space with recovery goals

Ways to optimize your bedroom for sleep, processing, and calmer mornings

How to remove friction for good habits by staging cues (journal, water, planner, gym clothes)

Why eliminating options (e.g., TV front and center) makes healthy choices automatic

A three-pile declutter method to reduce overwhelm and mental load

How mini room makeovers act as pattern interrupts to break trauma associations

Mindsets that prevent using your environment as an excuse while still optimizing it

How to chunk “unfinished tasks” so decluttering stops feeling paralyzing

What the “window of tolerance” for feeling good is—and how to expand it without self-sabotage

🧠 Key Takeaway

Change your space to change your state—and recovery habits become the easy default.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • environment design • decluttering for mental health • bedroom sleep optimization • morning routine for PTSD • evening routine for PTSD • nervous system regulation • habit design • trigger reduction • pattern interrupt • trauma coping tools • emotional regulation • mindset for recovery • processing tools • window of tolerance • self-sabotage prevention • minimalism for mental health • digital declutter • sobriety and PTSD

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Peace: How To Rewire PTSD Habits

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Recovery Secrets session, Brad unpacks the mindset of “short-term pain, long-term pleasure” and why doing the hard thing now creates compounding relief later. You’ll see how instant gratification traps trauma survivors in loops that feel good for minutes but cost peace, sleep, and relationships for days.

Brad and Kaylene map first-, second-, and third-order consequences with clear life examples—alcohol, exercise, tough conversations—and show how one choice ripples outward. They introduce the idea of “the lag”: the window between effort and payoff that most people misread as failure, and how to “love the lag” so you stay the course.

You’ll also hear practical strategies to flip self-inflicted pain (negative self-talk, perfectionism, overthinking) into momentum, plus a preview of upcoming tools: environment design, a logic-based processing tool, perfectionism fixes, meditation done right, and self-talk. The goal: make the right actions easier, automatic, and even enjoyable.

💡 What You’ll Learn

🧠 Key Takeaway

Choose the short-term discomfort that creates long-term peace—love the lag and the payoff will find you.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • delayed gratification • instant gratification vs long term rewards • nervous system regulation • trauma coping tools • addiction and sobriety after trauma • mindset for PTSD • self talk for recovery • environment design • habit building • emotional regulation • processing tools for trauma • overcoming perfectionism • meditation for trauma survivors • resilience skills • cognitive restructuring • recovery routines • identity shift after trauma • compounding habits

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Mindset Bootcamp finale, Brad and the team break down the beliefs that quietly steer every thought, action, and result in PTSD recovery. You’ll learn how a single interpretation of an experience can create a self-fulfilling loop—and how to interrupt it.

We introduce the Belief Cycle (experience → thoughts → beliefs → actions → experiences) and show exactly where you have leverage: reframing thoughts about past and present events. Real stories—from the “cancer drug” placebo to Roger Bannister’s 4-minute mile—illustrate how shifting certainty changes outcomes.

You’ll also hear practical examples around common trauma beliefs (“I’m broken,” “I’m weak,” “food is love”) and how to challenge them without slipping into unhelpful binaries. The goal isn’t “toxic positivity,” it’s precision: choose interpretations that are true and supportive of your recovery hero.

Finally, Brad offers simple steps to begin today: spot repeating thoughts, question their truth, reinterpret key experiences, and practice small belief-aligned actions that generate new evidence. Start tipping the scale in your favor.

💡 What You’ll Learn

How the Belief Cycle drives your PTSD recovery outcomes

Where to intervene: reframing thoughts about past and present experiences

Why beliefs can be powerful yet inaccurate—and how to test them

A practical method to “tip the scale” from negative to supportive beliefs

How to avoid binary thinking and choose helpful, truthful interpretations

Ways to translate new beliefs into small daily actions that build momentum

How to decouple “food is love” and other trauma-driven habits

A simple approach to process grief safely while staying engaged in recovery

Daily micro-practices (gratitude alarms, awareness checks) to cement change

🧠 Key Takeaway

Change the meaning, change the momentum: reinterpret your experiences, and your beliefs—and life—will follow.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • belief cycle • cognitive reframing • positive vs negative thinking • nervous system regulation • trauma coping tools • habit loop • self-worth after trauma • emotional regulation • placebo effect and beliefs • overcoming “broken brain” myths • grief processing tools • butterfly hug technique • mindset bootcamp • recovery hero identity • trauma-informed self-talk • building supportive routines • reinterpreting past experiences

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Mindset Bootcamp session, Brad and Kayleen break down “positive vs negative inputs” and how shifting perspective changes your lived experience with PTSD. You’ll learn why our brains default to negativity, how to retrain that bias, and how to build an “automatic positive mind” without ignoring real pain.

They share practical stories—from running in the rain like a Rocky montage to turning a heated argument into a breakthrough using The Power of Positive Thinking. You’ll see how awareness plus tiny daily shifts compound into neuroplastic change within weeks.

This is not toxic positivity. It’s truthful optimism: acknowledging hard realities while deliberately choosing a helpful angle that fuels action, healing, and connection. By the end, you’ll have simple tools to catch negative self-talk, counterweight it with positives, and curate inputs that support recovery.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Identify and interrupt automatic negative thoughts in the moment

🧠 Key Takeaway

You don’t ignore the pain—you choose the perspective that helps you heal.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • positive thinking for PTSD • cognitive reframing • self-talk habits • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • neuroplasticity • truthful optimism vs toxic positivity • mindset bootcamp • recovery routines • gratitude practice • thought awareness • external inputs audit • relaxed action • overcoming perfectionism • coping with nightmares • trauma coping tools • resilience building • sobriety support in recovery

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Mindset Bootcamp Session 3, Brad and Kayleen teach one of the most overlooked yet foundational pillars of PTSD recovery — awareness. Without awareness, change is impossible. With it, every transformation becomes achievable.

You’ll learn how to separate yourself from your thoughts, emotions, and actions — to become the observer rather than the one consumed by them. Through this lens, awareness becomes power: power to understand, to influence, and to change.

They’ll walk you through the four areas of awareness — mind, body, actions, and triggers — showing you how to identify unconscious patterns and reactions that keep trauma survivors stuck. By the end, you’ll know how to recognize what’s controlling you and reclaim that control through simple, daily mindfulness practices.

Whether you’re new to trauma work or rebuilding deeper layers of self-understanding, this session gives you tools to become conscious, calm, and in charge of your healing.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Understand why awareness is the foundation of PTSD recovery

Learn to separate yourself from your thoughts, emotions, and actions

Identify the four key areas of awareness: mind, body, actions, and triggers

Use mindfulness to observe and calm your nervous system

Discover how physical tension mirrors mental and emotional stress

Recognize unconscious behaviors and build self-control

Map your internal and external triggers — and create a plan for them

Replace automatic reactions with intentional responses

Build awareness routines that strengthen your self-regulation daily

🧠 Key Takeaway

You can’t change what you’re not aware of — awareness is the moment you take back control.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Welcome and Mindset Bootcamp Day 3

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • awareness training • mindfulness for PTSD • trauma coping tools • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • trauma triggers • conscious living • behavioral awareness • self-observation • body awareness • mind-body connection • recovery mindset • overcoming trauma responses • self-regulation skills • trauma-informed self-growth

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Mindset Bootcamp session, Brad and Kayleen tackle the misunderstood but essential foundation of recovery: self-love and self-worth. If the phrase “self-love” makes you cringe, you’ll get a practical, no-fluff framework that reframes it as self-respect, responsibility, and becoming your own best friend.

You’ll learn the “Hurt Me vs True Me” perspective that stops spiral-thinking and explains why trauma-driven reactions had a positive intent to protect you—even when they caused damage. That clarity opens the door to compassion without letting you off the hook for repair and growth.

Finally, you’ll get simple exercises to identify innate, untouchable reasons you’re worthy, upgrade your self-talk, and set healthy boundaries. Expect grounded tools, not platitudes, so you can feel better about yourself and actually act differently.

💡 What You’ll Learn

See the difference between your Hurt Self and your True Self

Identify intrinsic qualities that prove your worth cannot be taken away

Balance “not my fault” with “my responsibility” to repair and grow

Use compassionate self-talk that reduces shame and calms triggers

Practice a quick perspective shift to stop self-attack in the moment

Define self-care as what serves you long term, not short-term numbing

Set boundaries around projection while checking your side of the street

Create daily micro-wins that build self-respect and momentum

Start a simple list-and-feel exercise to emotionally anchor self-worth

🧠 Key Takeaway

You didn’t choose the pain, but you can choose the perspective—compassion for the hurt parts, responsibility for the change, and friendship with your True Self.

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Welcome and Mindset Bootcamp Day 2

Topics Covered:

PTSD recovery • trauma healing • self-love • self-worth • emotional regulation • nervous system regulation • trauma coping tools • mindset bootcamp • self-talk • cognitive restructuring • boundaries and projection • responsibility vs fault • repairing relationships after triggers • trauma-informed self-care • intrinsic self-worth • EMDR-style bilateral processing • daily routines for PTSD • overcoming shame • becoming your own best friend

Struggling with PTSD and ready to FULLY recover? Join my recovery program here (costs less than a single therapy session): https://www.skool.com/brokentounbreakable

Host: Brad Schipke • Overcoming PTSD Podcast • Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching

In today’s Mindset Bootcamp kickoff, Brad and Kayleen dive deep into the first and most important pillar of PTSD recovery—commitment. This isn’t about half-hearted effort or “trying” to heal; it’s about deciding that you’ll do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until full recovery is your reality.

You’ll learn how to build the foundation of a recovery mindset that doesn’t rely on motivation or perfect conditions. Through the concepts of pain and pleasure, you’ll uncover why you may not have fully committed in the past—and how to rewire your brain to make healing both emotionally compelling and non-negotiable.

By the end, you’ll have a concrete action step: writing and signing your own Commitment Contract—a personal declaration that holds you accountable to your recovery, your growth, and your future self.

💡 What You’ll Learn

Why commitment is the foundation of PTSD recovery

How to define commitment as action, not just intention

The “pain and pleasure” model that drives (or blocks) healing

How to find your true why for recovery that keeps you going

The difference between saying you’ll heal and actually doing it

How to stay accountable when no one else is watching

Why you must commit to yourself—not anyone else

A simple structure to write your own commitment contract

How to love “the lag” between your effort and results

🧠 Key Takeaway

🔗 Next Steps

Subscribe for new weekday episodes from the Recovery Secrets Daily Coaching archive.

To go deeper or work with Brad directly, visit https://overcomingptsd.com/consultation.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Welcome and Mindset Bootcamp Week Kickoff

Topics Covered: