What Triggers You?

What happens when your mind knows you’re safe, but your body still responds as though you’re in danger? In this powerful episode of What Triggers You?, we explore the lasting impact of emotional and psychological abuse, toxic relationships, and complex trauma on the nervous system. Our guest shares her journey through repeated traumatic experiences, including abusive relationships, sexual assault,...

What happens when you lose someone you love but also lose the person whose approval helped shape your sense of who you are? In this episode of What Triggers You?, I sit down with Ravi to explore the loss of his father to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare and devastating neurological disease. But as our conversation unfolds, we discover that Ravi's grief isn't only about losing his father. Hi...

Part 2: The Exhausting Pursuit of "Good Enough" — Jake's Story What happens when the need to be "good enough" becomes a pursuit of being good? In Part 2 of this What Triggers You? series, I sit down with Jake, a neurodivergent man whose experiences of being misunderstood, criticized, and judged fueled a powerful need to prove himself and find acceptance. For Jake, that search eventually became int...

What happens when you grow up learning that other people’s opinions might determine what you’re capable of? In Part 1 of this two-part What Triggers You? series, I sit down with Michelle, whose learning disability in math led others to underestimate her from an early age. She was told there were things she simply wouldn’t accomplish in college, a successful career, or the kind of life she ultimate...

In this episode of What Triggers You?, I sit down with “Jeremy,” an anonymous guest whose story reveals how the loss of a parent in early childhood can continue to shape relationships decades later. Jeremy experienced profound loss before he had the emotional capacity to understand or process what had happened. What followed were attachment wounds that quietly influenced the way he moved through l...

In this powerful episode of What Triggers You?, Stacy Pellettieri sits down with Mary Beth O'Connor—author of From Junkie to Judge and retired federal Administrative Law Judge to explore the profound connection between childhood trauma, addiction, OCD, and nervous system healing. After enduring years of childhood abuse and neglect, Mary Beth turned to methamphetamine as a way to numb emotional pai...

Why do old traumas sometimes come rushing back when life takes an unexpected turn? Why can pressure, illness, or uncertainty trigger emotional patterns that quietly shape the way we think, lead, and make decisions? In Episode 5 of What Triggers You?, Stacy Pellettieri speaks with keynote speaker, executive coach, healthcare leadership strategist, and two-time cancer survivor Savio P. Clemente abou...

Why can becoming a mother feel so overwhelming, even when it's something you've always wanted? Why do so many women struggle with guilt, perfectionism, identity loss, and the pressure to do everything "right," often at the expense of themselves? In Episode 4 of What Triggers You?, Stacy Pellettieri speaks with licensed clinical social worker Emma Bennett, who specializes in supporting new and expe...

Why can intimacy become such a powerful trigger in long-term relationships? Why can conversations about sex, desire, and emotional needs bring up shame, disconnection, fear, or shutdown, even when love is still there? In Episode 3 of What Triggers You?, Stacy Pellettieri speaks with Canadian sexologist Dr. Trina Read about how intimacy can trigger deeper emotional patterns in long-term relationshi...

Why do world events trigger such intense emotional reactions—and why can they feel so personal? In Episode 2 of What Triggers You?, Stacy Pellettieri speaks with an anonymous guest about the overwhelming emotions sparked by today’s political and social climate. What begins as frustration with “what’s happening in the world” quickly reveals something deeper: a lifelong pattern of people-pleasing, f...

In Episode 1 of What Triggers You?, Stacy Pelletieri speaks with Rebecca M. about why feedback at work can trigger panic, shame, and a spiral of self-judgment. As the conversation unfolds, they trace that reaction back to older beliefs about being “good,” staying safe, and carrying emotional responsibility for others. Together, they explore what happens when ordinary moments activate a trauma resp...