The Survivors Chair

This is the final episode of  The Survivor’s Chair Podcast. It’s not about quitting. it’s about choosing joy. After a year of powerful conversations around trauma, healing, survival mode, and personal growth, Kim shares why it’s time to close this chapter. Not because the work isn’t meaningful or important but because something deeper is calling: more laughter, more lightness, and more living. In...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair , I sit down with Nina Tulio to talk about the side of business most people don’t share. Nina opens up about being over $90,000 in debt, the pressure of keeping her salon alive, and the moment she had to sell her home to save her business.  But what she learned along the way changed everything. We talk about: Money mindset and self-worth Leadership, burnout...

If you've ever felt completely lost , not broken, just unclear then this episode is for you. Kim comes back after almost a month away and does what she always does speaks the truth. Recording during a blizzard, sorting through the mess in real time, she unpacks what's really been going on and her struggle with consistency. She talks about something she calls the 75% Syndrome ( when you get...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair Podcast , I’m talking directly to the people pleasers, caregivers, helpers, overachievers, and anyone who has a hard time knowing when to say  when . Even when we’ve done the work… even when we’re aware… we can still fall back into old patterns of over-helping, over-caring, and sacrificing ourselves for others. I share a very real example of how I slipped b...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair , Kim sits down with her friend  Julie Schindler  — an Intuitive Akashic Reiki Master and creator of the  Feargiveness Frequency , a healing-in-color system that helps transform trauma into treasure through energy work, color wisdom, and soul guidance. Julie shares her powerful story of living with a life-altering spinal injury, navigating years of chronic...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair , Kim Russell explores end-of-year pressure, social media comparison, and what it really means to live outside the highlight reel. This conversation touches on survival mode, burnout recovery, and trauma-informed healing, especially for women navigating major life transitions. This episode is a reminder that surviving, resting, and listening to your body co...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair Podcast , Kim Russell sits down with personal stylist and closet editor  Sandra Aussem , founder of  Aussemista Style , for a raw and honest conversation about trauma, healing, forgiveness, and self-worth. Sandra shares her powerful life story from adoption, childhood abuse, foster care, addiction, and loss, to sobriety, motherhood, grief, and ultimately be...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair , Kimgets honest about a phase no one really prepares us for; what happens when you start to outgrow survival mode. After decades of running on adrenaline, owning a salon, caring for everyone else, drinking to take the edge off, and wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor she’s now sitting in a veryunfamiliar place, rest, quiet, and not wanting to live the...

When life changes overnight, survival takes over but healing requires intention. In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair Podcast , host  Kim Russell  sits down with  Theresa Mazzuco , founder of  Your Business Blueprint , to explore what happens when trauma, stress, and entrepreneurship collide. After her father’s heart attack, Theresa suddenly found herself running his company while battling her...

With over two decades of experience supporting C-suite leaders, Sarah shares what it means to carry  the invisible weight of keeping everything (and everyone) organized, and how years of holding space for others eventually taught her how to ask for help herself. Now 25 years sober, Sarah reflects on the lessons she learned in recovery and how one day at a time, community over isolation and service...

After years of overperformance and survival mode, Kim shares one of her hardest lessons yet  learning the art of doing less.   From cancer fatigue to the guilt of resting, this honest solo episode explores what happens when the body says “no more” and how rest becomes its own form of healing.  If you’ve ever tied your worth to productivity, this is your reminder that slowing down isn’t weakness......

This week on  The Survivor’s Chair , host  KimRussell  welcomes her friend  Angel Amy —a spiritual teacher who works with the angelic realm to help people reconnect with theirsoul, release trauma, and live more authentically. Amy shares how she discovered her gifts, the role trauma played in her journey, and how she uses her connection to the angelic realmto guide others. Together, Kim and Amy tal...

In this birthday episode of  The Survivor’s Chair ,Kim marks turning 57 and one-year post-treatment and opens the curtain on whatcancer survivorship really looks like.  From being diagnosed with stage 2A, grade 3 HER2-positive breast cancer to the decision to have a double mastectomy, Kim shares the physical realities (neuropathy, scalp pain,nail loss), the emotional whiplash, and the moments that...

In this heartfelt episode of  The Survivor’s Chair ,host Kim Russell welcomes her best friend, Duncan Hsu, toshare a story of love, loss, and unexpected purpose. After the sudden passing of his partner Thomas in 2020,Duncan was plunged into unimaginable grief. With honesty and vulnerability, he reflects on what those first days felt like, the people who showed up when he needed them most, and the...

In this solo episode of The Survivor’s Chair Podcast, host Kim Russell opens up about the messy, real, and deeply human transitions women face in their 40s, 50s, and beyond. From closing her 30-year salon to navigating menopause, caregiving for a mother with dementia, and surviving HER2-positive breast cancer, Kim shares the lessons hidden inside each life shift. For decades, Kim put herself last—...

In this episode of The Survivor’s Chair Podcast, host Kim Russell welcomes her dear friend Rob Hinds, founder and CEO of Raise Your Lid Consulting. Rob’s story is one of resilience, overcoming bullying, low self-worth, people-pleasing, and a traumatic brain injury. With over 20 years of experience in leadership coaching and personal development, Rob shares his powerful journey of shifting from fea...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair Podcast , Kim Russell invites you to pause, reflect, and truly celebrate your journey. Too often, we rush past our accomplishments, big and small, without giving ourselves credit. Kim shares personal stories from her own life as an adoptee, former foster youth, breast cancer survivor, and salon owner, encouraging you to recognize the resilience, growth, and...

In this episode of The Survivor’s Chair, host Kim Russell explores the power of emotional awareness and why it’s the foundation for healing, self-reflection, and authentic personal growth. Drawing from her own story as a trauma survivor, adoptee, and mentor, Kim unpacks what it means to truly recognize, feel, and take responsibility for your emotions—especially when old wounds, patterns, or trigge...

In this episode, Kim opens up about sacrifice, people-pleasing, and the painful choices she made in her marriage and how those patterns were rooted in self-worth from her childhood trauma and adoption. She shares the truth behind why she stayed in a marriage that didn’t feel right, the discomfort of disappointing others, and how the fear of being disliked or unloved kept her in cycles of over-givi...

In this deeply moving and powerful episode of  The Survivor’s Chair , Kim sits down with her very first guest—friend, entrepreneur, and founder of Women’s Business League,  Melissa Gilbo . This is not just a business conversation. It’s about what happens  behind  the business—the grief, the grit, the moments that break us open and redefine who we are. Melissa shares her incredible survival story o...

In this unfiltered and personal episode, Kim invites us into the sacred, uncertain space between endings and new beginnings—the messy middle. With raw honesty, she shares why this episode arrived late, the emotional toll of trying to “keep up,” and the hard truth that healing doesn’t always follow a schedule. Kim reflects on the transition from cancer treatment to closing a 30-year salon business,...

In this episode of  The Survivor’s Chair , Kim gets real about one of the most life-altering aspects of trauma healing:  Embodiment . What does it mean to feel safe in your body - especially after a lifetime of survival, hustle, disconnection, and pushing through pain? Kim shares raw and unfiltered stories of how her own body screamed for her attention long before she ever learned how to listen—fr...

What if the way you react, the way you feel, and the way you move through the world isn’t because you’re broken—but because your brain has been protecting you all along? In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Kim Russell breaks down the complex science of brain development and trauma in a way only a heart-led hairstylist and trauma-informed mentor can. From the “upstairs brain” to the “survival...

Welcome back to  The Survivor’s Chair . In this powerful follow-up to last week’s episode on the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn trauma responses, Kim unpacks the science—and the soul—of your nervous system. What  really  happens in your body when you’ve experienced trauma? Why do you feel stuck in overdrive even when life is “calm”? And how do stress hormones like cortisol and the vagus nerve sha...

In Episode 10 of  The Survivor’s Chair , Kim breaks down the four trauma responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—in a relatable and compassionate way. Whether you’ve heard these terms before or they’re brand new, this episode is a powerful dive into why we react the way we do when we’ve experienced trauma. From a hilarious (and revealing) bee attack story to the tender truth of people-pleasing,...