A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast

On February 14, 2018, Valentine's Day, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida was the scene of the deadliest school shooting in US history.  The day began like any normal day for student Maddie King who remembers exchanging Valentines with friends with plans of a Valentine's Day dinner with her boyfriend after school that evening. But what was an exciting day turned into a day of te...

Childhood Sexual Abuse is more prevalent than is being talked about. What can we do to fix that?  Patrice Griffin, Founder of Patrice's Kid s and Author of The Conscious Community joins A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast to share her story as a fourteen-year-old girl who endures the horrors of child sexual abuse. Her mission now is to encourage parents and the community to wake up. Through her no...

Many of us may have faced narcissistic abuse, whether it be from a parent, spouse, friend, or in the workplace. A lot of us may have complained that a co-worker or boss was a narcissist. And we may joke about it but the truth is prolonged exposure to this type of abuse can result in complex post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Symptoms include attachment issues, addiction issues, anxiety, and s...

The United Nations estimates 60 million children and infants have been abandoned by their families and live on their own or in orphanages in the world. In the United States, more than 7,000 children are abandoned each year . The abandonment of children is an extreme form of child neglect stemming from many causes. Sarah Koeppen is a child advocate, founder of the Hope Box , and author of “ Called...

Advocates fighting against human trafficking have long fought for the topic to hit mainstream media for years, which it has now, mostly because of organizations pushing conspiracy theories . With the spread of false information, non-profits working to bring awareness of the seriousness of the facts are concerned these distractions will destroy progress they have made. Sex-trafficked survivor and f...

A Pew Research Study shows Generation Z as the most racially and ethnically diverse generation and are on track to be the most well-educated yet. But world events in their short lifetime have also taken a toll on their mental health. This is the generation shaping the social, political and economic landscape of the country. Join Gen Z'ers Sarah Correa-Diba r and Mike Robb to hear how they are shap...

On this Veterans Day, Tom Voss , military veteran, advocate, national liaison for Project Welcome Home Troops and Author of  Where War Ends joins Lorilee Binstock for episode 18. After his return home from service, Voss found himself trapped in a world of chaos in his mind.  In a last ditch effort to heal from his PTSD , he embarked on a 2,700 mile journey towards recovery. Find out how he found h...

Being a mom is hard enough, but being a mom in the military can take its toll especially if both parents are enlisted. Major Annette Whittenberger, military veteran, entrepreneur, author, and host of The Truths We Hide Podcast joins Lorilee Binstock to discuss being a victim of military sexual abuse and being a mom in the military. 

In Episode 16, Sgt. Karalyn Martin joins A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast to share her story of unbelievable resilience. Sergeant Martin has endured extreme traumas in her life including multiple sexual abuse by family members. She joined the Marine Corps to escape her past only to find herself in a similar situation. However, she found her passion and life's work at a time she was just about t...

Dr. Seku Gather's Joins A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast.

Human Trafficking may not look like how you imagine and you may not realize how close to home it really is. In episode 14, Katherine McGibbons, Human Trafficking Survivor and Co-Founder of Twelve11 discusses her personal experience of being trafficked and how she was able to escape. Katherine also gives us the facts about human trafficking and how you can identify it in your community. Although th...

In this episode of A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast, learn about what consent really means. Melissa Hoppmeyer,Chief of Special Victims and Family Violence Unit at Prince George County State Attorney's Office explains consent in accordance to the law, domestic violence, how to deal with trauma-focused investigations and more. Melissa Hoppmeyer, Esq. has assisted in drafting numerous legislative...

Lorilee Binstock takes an in-depth look at the short and long-term effects of childhood trauma , featuring  Dr. Samantha Sweeney , child psychologist and Elementary Youth Development Senior Manager Melanie Holland Orr of Horton's Kids , a mentor program for children and teens living in at-risk neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Dr. Sweeney discusses the damaging effects of childhood trauma and the d...

Since the beginning of the COVID Pandemic , Asian Americans have been forced to endure acts of bigotry and hate from verbal abuse to physical attacks. On September 17, 2020, the House passed a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment . But what kind of trauma does this xenophobic rhetoric create in our society while many officials are fanning the flames. Dr. Helen Hsu , Asian American Specialist...

The content of this podcast may contain trigger information. Discretion is advised. According to a  report  by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide rates for adults in the US are on the rise. Each person who dies by suicide leaves behind an estimated six or more “suicide survivors” — people who’ve lost someone they care about deeply and are left grieving and struggling...

September is Suicide Awareness Month and more times than I can remember, I've experienced suicidal ideations and five serious suicide attempts. The hard truth is that when depression hits, it's hard to even understand any other way out. In Episode 7 , Chad Moses of TWLOHA defines suicide as "a fatal result of a restricted perspective." Therefore, in order to combat suicidal thoughts, we need to br...

After losing his father in 9/11 at the age of nine, Matthew Bocchi was on a mission to find out what happened in his father's final moments. In his search for answers, a family member took advantage of his vulnerability which inevitably sent him down a dangerous road to addiction. Through all of this adversity, he found hope and a purpose. On today's podcast, Matthew discusses his personal struggl...

September is Suicide Prevention Month. In this episode, I speak with Chad Moses at "To Write Love On Her Arms." Both Chad and I discuss our experiences with self-harm and suicidal ideation and how we were able to endure and find a life worth living. We also talk about ways we can help loved ones navigate thoughts of suicide. Chad also discusses TWLOHA's Suicide Prevention Campaign and how you can...

In this episode, we speak with Trauma Survivor Thriver Melissa Dobbs. She describes her personal story and how healing through the arts helped her connect to her inner child, grow a wildly successful business and help other children heal their own trauma. Winners for the #atstgiveaway are: Anna in Florida! Veronica in South Carolina! Thanks for your participation.

Today, we speak with ChildHelp Developmental Officer Michael Medoro about the shady statistics surrounding child abuse during this time of quarantine.

Children with developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses are about 5 times more likely to be sexually abused than children without disabilities. In this episode, I speak with Nellie Galindo, Mental Health and Disabilities Advocate and trauma survivor Anna Myers who also lives with a learning disability.

In this episode of A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast, I invite my Somatic Experiencing Practitioner from Sierra Tucson to discuss the many immediate and effective modalities I've used to heal my trauma. I discuss my own success stories with these holistic therapies and why they are so effective in healing trauma.

In our push to destigmatize mental illness, I talk with renowned psychiatrist Dr. Suvrat Bhargave, author of A Moment of Insight. Dr. B opens up about his own trauma of childhood sexual abuse and how he reached his moment of insight. We talk about the stigma surrounding mental illness and tangible ways we can destigmatize it. I also talk with the CEO of Freely Health, Trevor Charlston about a new...

Dr. Crystal McLeod, LCSW, BCD and I discuss transgenerational/racial trauma and the idea of cancel culture, whether it's bullying or activism. It's a fascinating conversation that I hope will allow listeners to better understand how both historical and present-day traumas live on through black communities that have endured these unique and painful experiences. Subscribe, Listen, Review and Win a A...