Adult Child

The Connection Wound: Healing Trauma-Driven Isolation & Emotional Loneliness w/ Crappy Childhood Fairy


Listen Later

Join Breathe to Heal: A 7-week Somatic Journey to Release & Receive

You’re not antisocial — you’re someone who had to choose self-protection over belonging. This episode unpacks how complex trauma wires your nervous system to treat closeness like a threat and what it looks like to slowly become someone who can actually let people in.

Anna Runkel is a trauma educator, YouTuber, best known as the Crappy Childhood Fairy and author of the new book Connectability: Heal the Hidden Ways You Isolate, Find Your People, and Feel (At Last) Like You Belong. Once someone who couldn’t read social cues, trusted the wrong people, and assumed everyone would eventually turn on her, she’s now created a life where she trusts her instincts, chooses safe people, and actually enjoys being around others.

✨ What this episode explores:

▪️Covert Avoidance in Disguise — How trauma survivors “do the things” (parties, potlucks, group chats, even relationships) while secretly withdrawing, under-giving, or staying on their phones, and why it keeps them feeling unseen and emotionally isolated.

▪️Trauma-Built Beliefs About People — Why complex trauma wires you to assume others are selfish, unsafe, or about to discard you, and how those quiet assumptions silently shape your friendships, dating choices, and sense of belonging.

▪️Attunement After Neglect — How growing up around chaos, denial, or emotional neglect scrambles your ability to read red flags, and what it takes to rebuild intuition, social cues, and nervous system safety with people.

▪️Dating With Attachment Wounds — How CPTSD and anxious or avoidant attachment can make you rush intimacy, chase the wrong partners, or parent your person — and what changes when you slow down, watch for red flags, and let reciprocity lead.

▪️Releasing Mean & Chaotic People — How to recognize when your life is packed with bullies, addicts, and chronically troubled folks, why letting them go can feel unbearably lonely at first, and what opens up when you hold that boundary.

▪️Choosing Sovereignty Over Self-Blame — What it looks like to stop outsourcing your power to therapists, sponsors, or online “cults,” and how reclaiming personal responsibility helps you become someone who can build real, safe, mutual connection.

https://www.youtube.com/@CrappyChildhoodFairy

-----------------------

⚓JOIN THE SHITSHOW — The Adult Child Healing Community

6 weekly Zoom support groups · Discussion boards · Peer connection

👉 theshitshow.mn.co


🗞️ SIGN UP FOR SHITSHOW NATION

Get the newsletter for community updates, healing insights & early access to workshops.

➡️ Join here


💁‍♀️ SUPPORT THE POD

 Buy Me a Coffee – help Andrea (and her cats) eat

🛍️ Shop Shitshow Merch


💬 CONNECT WITH ANDREA

Instagram → @adultchildpod

TikTok → @adultchildpod

YouTube → @adultchildpod


SPONSORS

Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/adultchild

Check out Calm: https://calm.com/ADULTCHILD

Check out Happy Mammoth, Use Code ADULTCHILD for 15% off happymammoth.com.

Check out SiderAL, Use Code ADULTCHILD for 10% off https://pharmanutra-us.com/

Check out Bioma for 15% of your order gobioma.com/adultchild



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code ADULTCHILD for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code ADULTCHILD for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Adult ChildBy Andrea Ashley

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

1,824 ratings


More shows like Adult Child

View all
Therapy Chat by Laura Reagan, LCSW-C

Therapy Chat

676 Listeners

The Recovery Show » Finding serenity through 12 step recovery in Al-Anon – a podcast by The Recovery Show

The Recovery Show » Finding serenity through 12 step recovery in Al-Anon – a podcast

1,607 Listeners

The Terri Cole Show by Terri Cole

The Terri Cole Show

1,396 Listeners

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

2,508 Listeners

The Michelle Chalfant Show — Life from the Adult Chair by Michelle Chalfant

The Michelle Chalfant Show — Life from the Adult Chair

1,545 Listeners

The Healing Trauma Podcast by Monique Koven

The Healing Trauma Podcast

441 Listeners

The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) podcast by Tammy Sollenberger

The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) podcast

280 Listeners

Lisa A Romano Breakdown to Breakthroughs by Lisa A. Romano

Lisa A Romano Breakdown to Breakthroughs

779 Listeners

No Visible Bruises by Caroline Strawson

No Visible Bruises

517 Listeners

Trauma Rewired by Jennifer Wallace & Elisabeth Kristof

Trauma Rewired

347 Listeners

The Covert Narcissism Podcast by Renee Swanson, Bleav

The Covert Narcissism Podcast

48 Listeners

The Crappy Childhood Fairy Podcast with Anna Runkle by Anna Runkle

The Crappy Childhood Fairy Podcast with Anna Runkle

346 Listeners

Our Whole Childhood with Patrick Teahan by Patrick Teahan

Our Whole Childhood with Patrick Teahan

307 Listeners

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse by Kerry McAvoy, Ph.D.

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

286 Listeners

CALLING HOME with Whitney Goodman, LMFT by Calling Home

CALLING HOME with Whitney Goodman, LMFT

331 Listeners