Trauma Rock Stars® | Trauma Recovery & Healing Podcast

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Avoiding trauma healing and demanding results without doing the work are the biggest blocks in trauma recovery. In this trauma healing podcast episode, Tracy Smaldino breaks down the groupie mentality — the external people draining your energy and the internal avoidance keeping you stuck in your healing journey.

In this episode:
- The two types of groupies blocking your healing journey
- How to identify entitled energy drains demanding access to your life
- Why your inner critic Gertrude is the world's most enthusiastic internal groupie
- How to recognize when YOU are avoiding your own healing work
- The real cost of staying in groupie mode
- 5 steps to go from groupie to headliner
- Why bless their hearts — but they're not on the list 😂

"The work you are avoiding right now is the exact work that will give you your life back."
— Tracy Smaldino

🎯 NOT SURE WHERE TO START YOUR HEALING?
Free Life Audit Quiz — 8 questions, a few minutes:
https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit

🎵 SONGS THAT SAVED US — Healing Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 Newsletter: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee:
   https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🎙️ Become a Supporter:
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

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This is a raw conversation about codependency, addiction, and healing. What does codependency really look like — and how do you heal from loving an addict? In this episode of Trauma Rock Stars®, Rock Star Tracy talks with Pastor Steve about codependency recovery, surviving childhood trauma, addiction, generational trauma, and finally learning to forgive yourself.

Steve shares being abandoned as a child, surviving childhood sexual abuse and staying silent for more than 40 years, the counselor who told him "you're codependent — you're just as much of the problem," losing his ex-wife to an overdose, and the moment he finally forgave himself. A raw, hopeful conversation about codependency, addiction recovery, generational trauma, forgiveness, and finding freedom on the other side. His ministry is faith-based, but his message of healing is for everyone.

⚠️ Content & support note: This episode discusses childhood sexual abuse, addiction, and the loss of a loved one to overdose. Please take care. Support: SAMHSA 1-800-662-4357 · RAINN 1-800-656-4673 · call/text 988 (US). Offered for encouragement and shared experience — not therapy or medical advice.

In this episode:
00:00 Welcome (goosebump warning)
01:00 Abandoned as a child & told he'd never amount to anything
02:20 Surviving childhood sexual abuse — 40 years of silence
03:30 Marriage, a calling to ministry & the secret addiction begins
06:00 Finding the doctor-shopping & confronting it
09:00 "God, I'm done" — walking away from the church
10:00 "You're codependent" — the wake-up call
13:30 The waves of forgiveness
16:00 Forgiving himself & losing his ex-wife
20:00 Generational trauma & his sons
23:00 Advice for parents who haven't healed
27:00 Clarity: breaking up with the addiction
30:00 The misconceptions about pastors
37:00 Walk Right Ministries & community
43:00 His book: God's Imperfect Plan Is Perfect
49:00 Your first step + how to reach Steve

Connect with Pastor Steve:
🌐 Walk Right Ministries — walkrightministries.com
🤝 Partners of Addicts community — partnersofaddicts.com
📖 Book — God's Imperfect Plan Is Perfect
🎁 Free guide — 10 Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me

From Trauma Rock Stars:
📌 Free Life Audit Quiz: https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit
💚 Newsletter: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter
🔗 All links: linktr.ee/traumarockstars

You are not a groupie in someone else's story — you are the headliner of your own. That's Rock Star Resilience™.

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Healing from trauma becomes impossible when your inner critic is running the show of your life. In this trauma recovery podcast episode, Tracy Smaldino introduces the Tour Manager framework — and shows you how to identify which voice is actually managing your healing journey.

Meet Gertrude — Tracy's inner critic. And learn why giving your inner critic a name is one of the most powerful things you can do in your trauma healing journey.

In this episode, you'll learn:
✦ The two voices running your life — and which one is actually in charge
✦ How trauma accidentally promoted your inner critic to Tour Manager
✦ Signs your inner critic has been running your healing journey
✦ What your inner guide actually sounds like
✦ How to name your inner critic and take back the power
✦ 5 steps to fire the inner critic and hire your inner guide
✦ Why Gertrude needs to sit down 😂

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 — Hook: Who Is Running Your Tour?
2:30 — Two Voices, One Mic
6:00 — How the Wrong Tour Manager Gets Hired
9:30 — What a Qualified Tour Manager Actually Sounds Like
13:30 — How to Fire the Inner Critic & Hire Your Inner Guide
17:30 — Your Rock Star Takeaway

🎯 NOT SURE WHERE TO START YOUR HEALING?
Free Life Audit Quiz — 8 questions, a few minutes, total clarity:
https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit

🎵 SONGS THAT SAVED US — Healing Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

🎸 FREE RESOURCES:
→ Free Life Audit Quiz (5 min, free):
  https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit
→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
  https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:
https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🔗 https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

🎁 ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY — STILL OPEN!
Win the Backstage Pass™ 90-Day Program FREE.
Entries close July 31, 2026. Must be 18+.
No purchase necessary.
Official Rules:
https://traumarockstars.com/giveaway-rules

💛 WAYS TO SUPPORT TRAUMA ROCK STARS™:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee:
   https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🤝 Become a Supporter:
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

📧 SPEAKING & KEYNOTE INQUIRIES:
[email protected]

Your inner critic is not your Tour Manager. It is a frightened crew member who got promoted during an emergency and never gave the title back. It is time to reassign the role.

You are not a groupie in someone else's story.
You are the headliner of your own.
Headliners always have the right Tour Manager. 🎸

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Toxic relationships and unhealthy boundaries are one of the biggest blocks to trauma recovery and healing. In this episode of Trauma Rock Stars™ — the trauma 
healing podcast hosted by Tracy Smaldino — learn how to build your personal guest list and finally decide who deserves access to your healing journey.

In this episode:
- Why you are allowed to decide who gets 
  access to you
- How trauma creates open door syndrome
- The 5 questions to ask about every person 
  in your life:
  Do they add energy or take it?
  Is the access reciprocal?
  Can you be completely honest with them?
  Do they respect your rider?
  Does the relationship make you more 
  or less yourself?
- How to quietly adjust access without 
  confrontation
- Why some people belong in the audience
- How protecting your space gives the right 
  people the best version of you

"You cannot protect your healing if you cannot 
protect your space."
— Tracy Smaldino

🎯 NOT SURE WHERE TO START YOUR HEALING?
Free Life Audit Quiz — 8 questions, a few minutes:
https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit

🎵 SONGS THAT SAVED US — Healing Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 Newsletter: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🎁 ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY STILL OPEN!
Win the Backstage Pass™ 90-Day Program FREE.
Entries close July 31, 2026. Must be 18+.
No purchase necessary.
Official Rules:
https://traumarockstars.com/giveaway-rules

🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee:
   https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🎙️ Become a Supporter:
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

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Discover how to build a support system that truly 
supports your healing journey and identify the energy 
drains and toxic relationships blocking your recovery. 
Trauma healing advocate Tracy Smaldino breaks down the 
4 types of people in your life, and shows you how to 
Audit your relationships so you stop giving backstage 
access to the wrong people.

In this episode:
- Why not everyone in your life is your crew
- The 4 types of people in your world:
  Crew, Fans, Bystanders & Energy Drains
- How trauma scrambles your ability to read 
  who is safe
- Why you keep giving crew-level access to 
  the wrong people
- How to audit your current support system
- Why being crew for yourself has to come first
- How to communicate what you actually need

"Without the crew, there is no show."
"Your crew is whoever shows up with those qualities."
"Stop auditioning people with your trauma."
— Tracy Smaldino

🎯 NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
Free Life Audit Quiz — 8 questions, 3 minutes:
https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit

🎵 SONGS THAT SAVED US — Healing Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 Newsletter: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🎁 ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY STILL OPEN!
Win the Backstage Pass™ 90-Day Program FREE.
Subscribe by July 31, 2026:
https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter
No purchase necessary. Must be 18+.
Official Rules: 
https://traumarockstars.com/giveaway-rules

🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: 
   https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🎙️ Become a Supporter: 
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Discover how to heal from trauma and turn your pain
into purpose with trauma recovery tools, real survivor
stories, and an intentional healing roadmap. In this
trauma healing podcast anniversary special, host Tracy
Smaldino shares her one-year journey, listener Q&A,
Year 2 announcements and a major giveaway.

One year ago Tracy Smaldino launched Trauma Rock Stars™
— a trauma healing podcast for survivors who are ready
to stop surviving and start headlining their own lives.
In this one year anniversary special, Tracy reveals the
deeply personal reason she chose July 10th as her launch
date, celebrates over 40,000 combined views and downloads,
answers listener questions, and announces a major giveaway.

🎁 ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY — WIN THE BACKSTAGE PASS™ 
90-DAY PROGRAM FREE:
Subscribe by July 31, 2026:
https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter
Must be 18+. No purchase necessary.
Winner announced early August.
Official Rules: [ADD LINK]

🔗 Everything you need: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

✦ The real reason Tracy chose July 10th — and 
  what that date means
✦ Over 40,000 combined views and downloads — 
  what this year actually looked like
✦ The biggest lesson Year 1 taught her
✦ Why this show healed Tracy just as much as 
  she hoped it healed you
✦ Listener Q&A — your most asked questions, 
  most honest answers
✦ What's coming in Year 2: Rock Star 30™, 
  Backstage Pass™ 90-Day, the book & keynote
✦ A HUGE giveaway — win the Backstage Pass™ 
  90-Day Program FREE

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:02 — Hook: One Year Ago I Was Terrified
0:45 — Why July 10th: The Date I Chose 
        to Reclaim
2:05 — One Year By the Numbers
3:27 — The Biggest Lesson: The Work Behind 
        the Work
4:30 — How This Show Healed Me Too
5:44 — The Guests That Changed Everything
7:00 — Q&A: Why Did You Start the Podcast?
7:29 — Q&A: What's Been the Hardest Part?
8:30 — Q&A: Which Episode Impacted You Most?
10:22 — Q&A: Advice for Someone Scared to Start
11:30 — What's Coming in Year 2
12:20 — Rock Star 30™ & Backstage Pass™ Programs
13:30 — The Book & Keynote Speaking
14:47 — The Newsletter
15:00 — 🎁 The Anniversary Giveaway
16:57 — Closing: This Anniversary Is Ours

🎁 HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
→ Subscribe by July 31, 2026:
  https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter
→ No purchase necessary — email entry:
  [email protected]
  Subject: "Anniversary Giveaway Entry"
→ Must be 18 or older
→ Winner announced early August 2026
→ Official Rules: [ADD LINK]

🎸 FREE RESOURCES:
→ Free Life Audit Quiz (5 min, free):
  https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit
→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
  https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

🎵 TRAUMA ROCK STARS™: Songs that Saved Us
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

🌐 WEBSITE: https://traumarockstars.com
🔗 ALL LINKS: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 WAYS TO SUPPORT TRAUMA ROCK STARS™:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: 
   https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🤝 Become a Supporter: 
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

That's what Rock Stars do. We don't run from 
hard dates. We take them back. We rewrite what 
they mean.

You are not a groupie in someone else's story.
You are the headliner of your own.
Year Two starts now. 🎸

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Learn how to heal from trauma, stop hiding your pain, and start living the life you actually want. In this raw and personal episode, trauma survivor Tracy Smaldino 
shares how carrying unhealed trauma in silence kept her hidden for decades — and the exact moment she finally stepped into her own spotlight.

In this episode:
- Tracy's full story — sole survivor of a fatal car accident, burned on 70% of her body, losing her cousins, surviving assault
- Almost 10 years as one of the only female Production Managers at House of Blues Las Vegas
- BB King, Bono, Stevie Nicks & mentor Jed
- The girl doing cartwheels on stage, who was also hiding underneath it
- Why healing is exactly like producing a concert
- The full Trauma Rock Stars™ concert framework: Rider, Load In/Out, Green Room, Sound Check, Crew, Breakdown, Bridge & Headliner Moment
- Why you are not a groupie in someone else's story — you are the headliner of your own

"For almost 10 years, I produced everybody else's show. Healing was me finally walking out from under that stage and into my own spotlight."
— Tracy Smaldino

🎯 NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
Free Life Audit Quiz — 8 questions, a few minutes:
https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit

🎵 SONGS THAT SAVED US — Healing Playlist:
Send Tracy your healing song to be added!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 Newsletter: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🎁 ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY STILL OPEN!
Win the Backstage Pass™ 90-Day Program FREE.
Subscribe by July 31, 2026:
https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter
No purchase necessary. Must be 18+.
Official Rules: 
https://traumarockstars.com/giveaway-rules

🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: 
   https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🎙️ Become a Supporter: 
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

You've been going straight from bed to the show, from the 
show back to bed — with no preparation and no recovery.

In this solo episode, Tracy Smaldino introduces The Green 
Room — the protected backstage space every artist has before 
and after the show — and shows you how to build yours for 
your own healing journey.

Because that exhaustion you're feeling? That's what happens 
when the green room gets canceled indefinitely. The 
numbness, the irritability, the going through motions — 
that's a performer who has been on stage without a break 
for too long.

In this episode:
- Why the green room is a necessity — not a luxury
- Why trauma survivors often grew up with no safe space
- The 3 dimensions of your personal green room:
  Physical, Emotional & Mental/Spiritual
- Tracy's personal story: the only green room she had 
  at House of Blues
- How to build your morning green room practice
- Why your recovery ritual matters just as much
- How to create nervous system cues that signal safety
- How Rock Star 30™ acts as your guided green room

"You were never meant to perform without a green room. 
Nobody is. The fact that you have been — and kept showing 
up anyway — that's not something to be ashamed of. 
That is something to be in absolute awe of."
— Tracy Smaldino

🎵 TRAUMA ROCK STARS™: Songs that Saved Us
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy

🎸 Free Life Audit Quiz:
https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit

→ Rock Star 30™ Program:
https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 Newsletter: https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🎙️ Become a Supporter:
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

Support the show

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What happens in the moments after we die? In this extraordinary episode of Trauma Rock Stars™, host Tracy talks with Brheanna, who survived a near-death experience in 2020 and came back profoundly changed. Brheanna describes standing outside her own body, a life review where she saw how everything was connected, and a spiritual awakening that reshaped how she understands life, death, and healing.

💗 A note before you listen: This episode includes brief discussion of childhood trafficking and sexual trauma. If you or someone you know needs support: in the US, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888, RAINN's confidential hotline is 1-800-656-4673, and you can call or text 988 anytime. You are not alone.
 
She and Tracy explore her later Kundalini awakening, what the chakra system is, how to reconnect with your intuition, and the questions about consciousness and reincarnation that her experience opened up. Whether you're curious about near-death experiences, spiritual awakening, or simply what it means to feel connected to something larger, this is a conversation that will stay with you.
 
🧠 Questions We Explore in This Episode:
• What is a near-death experience really like?
• What is a Kundalini awakening, and how does it happen?
• What are the chakras, and why do they get "blocked"?
• How can you reconnect with your intuition and inner guidance?
• How can a brush with death change the way you live?
 
❓ Quick FAQ:
Q: What is a near-death experience?
A: A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound psychological event some people report after coming close to death. In this episode Brheanna shares her own NDE during COVID in 2020 — including the sensation of leaving her body and a vivid "life review."
 
Q: What is a Kundalini awakening?
A: Brheanna describes a Kundalini awakening as a powerful rush of energy moving up the spine through the body's energy centers (chakras). She explains it can happen spontaneously, as hers did, and shares how she learned to work with it.
 
Q: How can you strengthen your intuition?
A: Brheanna offers a simple practice she teaches clients: ask yourself a yes/no question, notice where you feel a sensation in your body, and track that "spot" consistently over time to build a clearer connection to your inner guidance.
 
Note: The views and healing approaches Brheanna shares are her own personal beliefs and experiences, offered for reflection — not medical advice.
 
🎸 Take the FREE Trauma Rock Stars™ Life Audit™:
👉 https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw
Find out exactly where you are on your healing journey in less than 5 minutes. Your personalized Rock Star 30™ guide is waiting for you on the other side.
 
🎁 CONNECT WITH Brheanna:
→ Website: https://www.lightandbreezycoaching.com/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552308631333
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightandbreezy1111/
🌐 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brheanna1111
 
🎙️ Listen & Connect with Trauma Rock Stars™:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaRockStars
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/traumarockstars
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/traumarockstars
🌐 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@traumarockstars
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracysmaldino
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars
🌐 Website: https://traumarockstars.com
🎙️ Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063
 
💛 Ways to Support Trauma Rock Stars™:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🤝 Become a Supporter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new
 
Trauma Rock Stars™ is a safe, real, and empowering space for anyone navigating trauma recovery. Hosted by Tracy — survivor, advocate, and your biggest cheerleader.
 
⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 — A near-death experience & spiritual awakening: meet Brheanna
2:00 — Childhood, an imaginary friend & becoming a "truth seeker"
4:00 — Getting sick during COVID & collapsing at home
4:50 — Leaving her body: "it was just a vessel"
6:00 — The upgrade, the messenger & deciding to come back
11:40 — The life review: seeing how everything is connected
13:57 — "Separation is an illusion" — feeling the oneness
16:00 — Coming back & a recovery the doctors didn't expect
17:00 — What a Kundalini awakening actually is
18:30 — The chakra system, explained
20:50 — Her spontaneous awakening & learning to work with the energy
25:00 — Hypnosis, meeting your guides & a simple intuition practice
35:00 — Questioning history, religion & "what we've been taught"
47:00 — Inside her healing practice: QHHT & energy work
57:00 — Closing thoughts & how to connect with Brheanna

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Did you know Van Halen's famous "no brown M&Ms" demand had 
nothing to do with being a diva? It was a test. And it changes 
everything about how we think about our own non-negotiables.

In this solo episode, Tracy Smaldino introduces The Rider — the 
list of requirements every artist puts in their contract before 
they perform — and shows you how to build yours for your own 
healing journey.

Because you have been performing without a rider. Showing up for 
everyone else's needs while completely ignoring your own. And 
that stops today.

In this episode:
- The real story behind Van Halen's brown M&Ms
- Why a rider is professional necessity — not selfish behavior
- How trauma taught you your needs were too much
- The fawning response: people pleasing as a survival strategy
- The 4 clauses of your personal rider:
  Physical, Emotional, Mental & Relational requirements
- How to communicate your rider and hold it
- What to do when your rider is violated

"A rider without consequences is just a preference. The reason 
it's called a non-negotiable is because it is NOT negotiated."
— Tracy Smaldino

🎸 FREE RESOURCES:
→ Free Life Audit Quiz (5 min, free): 
  https://traumarockstars.com/lifeaudit
→ Rock Star 30™ Program: 
  https://form.typeform.com/to/qeZfPouw?typeform-source=traumarockstars.com

📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:
https://traumarockstars.com/#newsletter

🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/traumarockstars

💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/traumarockstars
🎙️ Become a Supporter: 
   https://www.buzzsprout.com/2526063/supporters/new

Support the show