Pain to Passion Live

Inner child work and reparenting are really popular topics right now, which I think is wonderful! They are both really important and valuable concepts, especially for those of who are intentionally healing from trauma. There's a pattern I've been seeing among those who are applying inner child work and reparenting to their personal healing that I'm a bit concerned about, however. So that's what we're going to chat about today. How do you do inner child work and help the younger you actually HEAL instead of simply showing up for the same inner child struggle repeatedly without any actual healing or growth?

I hope this is helpful for you guys! Would love to hear your feedback.

Please leave a rating and review - it helps a ton! 

Sending you lots of compassion and hoping you're taking wonderful care of yourselves, because you deserve it.

xo

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Facebook - facebook.com/gabiruth84

Website - GabiRuth.com

Did you grow up with a mother who couldn't or wouldn't truly mother and nurture you?

Maybe you had a mother who was mentally ill, narcissistic, absent, or abused substances. That longing inside of you to be mothered comes from such a natural need, and for those of us who have experienced being unmothered, it can be very painful and affect every area of our lives.

On this episode of Pain to Passion Live, author and coach Onjeinika Brooks shares her own story of being unmothered and how she has had to face this reality and learn to heal. She is an amazing storyteller and is so gifted in helping others discover their healing, too.

We talked about how we fiercely love our mothers, even when they aren't or can't be what we need them to be. We talked about how being unmothered affects our lives in so many ways, including parenting, friendships, and work. And we talked about grieving, accepting what has happened, and about what forgiveness really means and what it looks like.

Healing from being unmothered isn't easy, but it is possible, and I'm so grateful for Onjeinika's voice and how she helps us see the path to healing. You don't want to miss this amazing interview!

Please rate and review the podcast! It only takes a moment and is so helpful. Thank you thank you!! <3

More about Onjeinika:

Onjeinika Brooks helps women overcome emotional trauma from a toxic or neglectful mother, so they can reclaim their power and live healthier, happier lives. She is the author of Unmothered: A Daughter’s Guide to Acceptance, Healing, and Renewal.

Connect with Onjeinika:

Instagram - @onjeinika.brooks 

Website - onjeinikabrooks.com

Book - onjeinikabrooks.com/books

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Facebook - facebook.com/gabiruth84

Website - gabiruth.com

What do Super Mario and living a life of faith have in common? I think you should listen to this episode and find out...you won't regret it. And maybe it will give you a little bit of happy childhood nostalgia, too. So grab your favorite coffee or tea, wrap up in your cuddliest blanket, and spend a few minutes chatting and hanging out with me. You'll leave feeling seen and encouraged, I guarantee it. :)

Scripture mentioned in this episode:

"We have certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself." Hebrews 6:19 TPT

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Facebook - facebook.com/gabiruth84

Looking for a trauma recovery coach, writing coach, or someone to speak at your next event? Check out Gabi's website at GabiRuth.com for all of these things and more!

If you are enjoying this podcast, please take a moment to rate and review! Thank you!

Grief is on a lot of people’s minds right now.

During the holidays it seems to rear its head more regularly, and many of us experience grief in small or big ways as the world around us sings Jingle Bells and O Holy Night. Instead of ignoring it, I’m going to invite us to lean in and visit this grief. Let’s look at it perhaps as a friend trying to send us a message. What is the role grief plays in our healing process anyway? Is it important to grieve? What happens when grief is delayed, and why does it get delayed sometimes?

In this solo episode - yep, just yours truly today - we will visit some of these questions and themes, and I hope very much that you will walk away feeling encouraged, even if you are experience large waves of grief in this season.

Your heart matters so much, my friend! And I’d be honored to hear your story. Please feel free to DM me on social media or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I promise I will read and respond. You are the heartbeat of this show, and I am here for YOU!

If you're enjoying the show, will you please take a moment to rate and review?? This is vital for the health of the podcast and for its growth. Thank you - it honestly means the world to me!

Scripture read in this episode:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ESV

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Website - gabiruth.com

Let me tell you a story today, a story about my tiny little home and how my family ended up here. It's a story of learning how to trust my gut, and how I've come to learn that trusting my gut and trusting God can really be the same thing. Surprised? Maybe that's because you too have heard from spiritual people that you can't trust your own gut, but I'm here to tell you different. This is a true and wonderful story of how I trusted my gut and how it turned into something so very unexpected and so very good. Why? Because I have a relationship with God and so when my gut says something, God is working in that gut feeling.

I really love this story, and I really love spending time with you. Thank you for having coffee with me!

If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe, rate, and review! It means the world to me!!!

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

Tik Tok - @gabiruth84

Website - gabiruth.com

I am excited for you all to lean in and hear my amazing friend, Melissa Smallwood, share her story on today’s episode of Pain to Passion Live!

Melissa found herself in the foster care system as a teenager, and it had a huge impact on her life. As an adult she chose to expand her family through foster care and adoption and is now mom to both adopted and biological children. Through this journey, she also pursued a career as a therapist, and now works with mainly children and teens who have been in or are in the foster care system.

There are so many heartbreaking and beautiful moments in Melissa’s story, and you will undoubtedly be moved! I really loved hearing about how her understanding of God and His Love changed and shifted as a result of the difficult things she experienced both in her family and in her health. We dug into how it can be so confusing when we are suffering and how we can really question God in those suffering seasons that seem to come at us for no reason. After all, we’ve been good, right? We’ve made good and loving and kind choices for ourselves and for humanity, right? So why does God let us suffer? We lean into these questions and the grace, tenderness, and kindness God has shown us through seasons of suffering that really surprised us and changed the way we think about Him, about Love, and about what it means to know we are valuable.

I know you will love this conversation, and I can’t wait to hear what you connected with. Be so encouraged, my friends!!

More about Melissa:

Melissa Smallwood is a licensed professional counselor and family coach who provides counseling and coaching services to foster and adoptive families. She enjoys combining her personal experiences as a former foster youth, foster/adoptive mom and therapist to offer hope and encouragement to families navigating the often murky waters of foster care and adoption. She also trains new and prospective foster/adoptive parents in West Virginia through Shepherd University and Concord University. Melissa lives in Shepherdstown, WV with her husband, Mike and their youngest daughter.

Connect with Melissa:

Instagram - @melissasmallwood

Website - mendingheartscoaching.com

Foster Parent Prayers book

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Website - gabiruth.com

Please rate and review! It helps so very much. Thank you!!

Hi friend! Let's have coffee and chat. :) On today's episode I share a story of something that really impacted my life - experiencing an 8.0 magnitude earthquake while living in China in 2008. Being there near the epicenter of this earthquake at that time and in the days that followed really shifted my thoughts about life. Suddenly I was in scenarios that I had absolutely no control over and that had the potential to take my life. I learned so much during that time about the importance of my faith being my sure foundation, because literally everything in else in this world could be shaken or removed from under me. I think this is something we can all relate to, because all of us will experience or have experienced situations that blindside us and are completely out of our control. What do we do in those moments in order to stay steady? That's what I get into during these 15 minutes of this podcast episode.

Here's the Scripture I talk about:

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Romans 12:26-29 ESV

If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe, rate, and review! It means so much and helps a ton with getting the word out. Thank you, friend!

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Twitter - @gabiruth84

Website - GabiRuth.com

On today's episode of Pain to Passion Live I am chatting with one of my all-time favorite humans, Amberly Lago. This incredible woman has a heart of gold and has been such a good and wonderful mentor and friend to me and many others. If this is your first time hearing from her, you are gonna be blown away! And if you've known of her for a long time, you are still in for a TREAT. 

We had such a deep and vulnerable conversation about different aspects of Amberly's story - from her childhood of having to cope with abuse, her discovery of dance as her passion, and how through the incredible trials she's faced as an adult  - including having her leg crushed in a motorcycle accident and getting diagnosed with a chronic pain disease called CRPS - she has found that being of service to others is one of the main things that has kept her going. She talks about seeing each individual person and knowing how they uniquely matter, and how if she can touch one person's life, her work is worth it.

I know you are going to absolutely love this time with the resilience queen, the gratitude guru, the beautiful soul that is Amberly Lago.   

Text the word "Grit" to Amberly at 818-214-7378 for a free resource called How to Get Through Anything and Thrive!   

Please subscribe, rate, and review if you are loving this podcast! Thank you so much!!

More about Amberly:  

Amberly Lago is a Peak Performance Coach, TEDx Speaker, Podcaster, and leading expert in the field of resilience and transformation. She is the best-selling author of True Grit and Grace and the founder of “UNSTOPPABLE Life Mastermind.” Through her book, coaching methods, and masterminds she has curated unique tools to teach others how to tap into their superpower of resilience and elevate their lives and businesses. She is also the host of the revolutionary True Grit and Grace Podcast, in which she delves deep with the world’s brightest thought-leaders and elite performers to showcase heartfelt, true stories of struggles and success to inspire you to keep your eyes on the prize and forge ahead.  

Amberly has most recently been featured on NBC’s The Today Show, The Doctors, Hallmark, and featured in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Yahoo, Forbes, USA Today, LA Style, Health Magazine, Keynote Speaker Magazine and Disability Magazine.  

Connect with Amberly: 

Instagram - @amberlylagomotivation

Website - amberlylago.com 

Connect with Gabi: 

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84    

Website - GabiRuth.com

Oh I'm so grateful to be back here having coffee and a chat with you, my friend! Today we're gonna talk about the holidays. Here's the thing...some things get harder when you're on a healing journey. Why? Because for the first time, you may not be numbed out to some of the memories and grief that you've dissociated from for a long time. It's a GOOD thing, because you have to feel to heal. Right? But I know that for a lot of people, including me, the holidays can be this juxtaposition of joy and grief. And for me, since I've made so much progress in my personal healing, this year the holidays seem to be carrying an extra dose of pain because I'm feeling some things for the first time ever. It seems that heaviness has been visiting a lot of people, and so I wanted to talk about it.

But don't worry - this episode is by no means a downer. I have infused it with good news of great joy - because ultimately, that's what this holiday is all about. I am so grateful for a Savior who is willing to come to the middle of our mess, be near to us, and comfort and save us. I'm so moved by who He is and what He's done, in fact, that I've created something extra special for you, my listener. I've created a 10-day interactive Advent Devotional for you called The Most Joyous News. It includes 10 days of story-based devotionals where we will visit the stories of the characters who were present for the first Christmas. These will be sent directly to your inbox starting Dec. 12! I am also hosting 2 community zoom calls so we can celebrate the JOY of this season together in real time. I cannot wait to see you there! It's absolutely FREE! All you have to do is sign up at the link below.

Thank you again for being here. If you're loving this podcast, please rate and review! Thank you x 1000!!

Important links mentioned in the show:

The Most Joyous News 10-day Advent Devotional Experience: gabiruth.com/advent

Find Your Voice & Write Your Story writing masterclass: gabiruth.com/store

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Website (coaching opportunities, blog posts, speaking invite, and more) - GabiRuth.com

On this week's episode of Pain to Passion Live, I spoke with Becca Boston.

She has an amazing story of overcoming multiple adversities in her life, including an early dyslexia diagnosis, being in and leaving a domestic violence relationship, and trying to find her voice in the midst of a lot of self-doubt and discouragement. I think so many of you will relate with her story and be encouraged by how she has chosen repeatedly to stay committed to her "worth work"...the work of healing, personal development, fitness, and using her voice to tell her story.

Over time, Becca has discovered that giving her pain a voice has not only empowered her, but it has encouraged and helped many others show up for themselves, too, and choose safety, health, and purpose instead of staying stuck in abusive situations or giving way to despair. I know you will be so inspired by this interview!

More About Becca:

Becca Boston sees her learning difference as her super power as it has taught her many important lessons throughout her life. Through having dyslexia and an auditory processing disorder, she knew from a young age that vulnerability and asking for help was a strength. However, advocating for herself outside of the classroom got difficult. Becca was involved in a domestic violence relationship that she hid behind a smile for far too long. Eventually, Becca made the decision to walk out into the war of recovery to overcome her trauma and addiction to self-harm. In 2020 as Becca was continuing to rehab her life, she began telling herself "Stay Strong. Stay You. Because You Got This." It was her personal reminder that her strength was giving her pain a voice as her mental health was taking a toll as an essential healthcare worker. As she began to share her motto and message on social media, people were beginning to resonate and be impacted.

Today Becca is a social media influencer, podcaster, and coach. Becca believes that it is her God-given mission to help encourage and inspire people to recognize that their strength is giving their pain a voice while staying true to themselves. Yet, she also hope that she can help people recognize that being different makes a difference.

Connect with Becca:

TikTok - @beccaboston6

Instagram - @beccaboston26

Celebrating Purpose event in Houston, Feb. 25, 2023

Connect with Gabi:

Instagram - @gabiruth

TikTok - @gabiruth84

Website (coaching opportunities, blog, speaking invitation, and more!) - GabiRuth.com

Please rate and review this podcast - it will help so much, and I read them all! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!