Trauma Candy Salad

This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re serving up Gummy Bears and Milky Ways in a bowl full of identity, family chaos, and grief. First, one listener shares the story of being outed by her own father during Thanksgiving grace after trusting her parents with something deeply personal. What follows is equal parts heartbreaking, chaotic, and unexpectedly protective. Then, we hear from Lacey, who hono...

This week in the Trauma Candy Salad bowl: 🍫 Tootsie Rolls for a story about the lasting impact of bullying. Anonymous shares how cruel classmates mocked her appearance, created fake social media accounts, and made her feel unwanted throughout high school. Now 31, she reflects on how those voices followed her long after graduation and the work it took to realize they never belonged to her. 🍬 Joll...

This week, we’re sharing three deeply personal stories about losing a parent, and the very different ways grief can change a life. 🍬 Twizzlers — Anonymous shares what it was like growing up with a mother whose struggles with mental illness led to multiple suicide attempts before her eventual death. It’s a story about complicated grief, anger, love, and remembering the person beyond their illness....

This week in the Trauma Candy Salad bowl: 🟫 Anna Keibler brought Zero Bars and shared the unbelievable true story behind her memoir. What began as a study abroad adventure in China turned into a five-year journey involving isolation, manipulation, coercion, betrayal, and heartbreak. Despite experiencing profound trauma, she found healing through telling her story. 🟩 Alex Hollan brought Sour Patc...

This week’s Trauma Candy Salad is a brutal mix of horrifying, heartbreaking, and deeply human moments. A college party turns into a public gastrointestinal apocalypse in the middle of class. A daughter shares the grief and rage of losing her mother to Covid during the height of the pandemic without ever getting to say goodbye. And a teenager’s excitement over getting her license ends in a devastat...

In this milestone 50th episode of Trauma Candy Salad, Sammi and Ashley sit down with guest “E” to unpack her deeply personal journey through religious trauma and deconstructing from the evangelical faith. E shares what it was like growing up immersed in a belief system rooted in fear, control, and rigid expectations—and the complex, often painful process of questioning everything she was taught. T...

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we’re diving into stories that explore how quickly “normal” situations can turn unsafe—and what it looks like to survive them. Amber shares what started as a typical teenage job at the mall… until a much older coworker crossed every boundary. What began as “just being friendly” escalated into stalking behavior that left her feeling unsafe at work—until her da...

In this episode, Sammi is joined by Shauna (and returning guest Jess) for a raw and emotional conversation about what happens when the person you trusted most becomes someone you don’t recognize. Shauna shares how her relationship with her brother—once one of the closest bonds in her life—slowly unraveled, ultimately contributing to the breakdown of her entire family. What started as a shift durin...

Jess is back in the co-host chair today while Ashley is busy with mom life and Kyle is down bad with a torn bicep (send thoughts and prayers 😅). What starts as a casual catch-up quickly turns into an episode centered around one common thread: the unpredictability of a father’s love. Ana shares the story of a dad who was mostly absent—but when he did show up, it left a mark that never faded. Jacki...

In Part 2 of Erin’s story, we continue the conversation with a 30-year-old woman living with stage IV endometriosis and adenomyosis as she faces what happens when the pain comes back… even after major surgery. Erin shares what it was like to return to the operating room after her symptoms resurfaced, including the physical and emotional toll of repeat surgeries and the uncertainty of never knowing...

In Part 1 of Erin’s story, we sit down with a 30-year-old woman living with stage IV endometriosis and adenomyosis to talk about what happens when severe, chronic pain is repeatedly dismissed as “normal.” Erin shares how her symptoms began as a teenager with extreme period pain and quickly escalated into daily, debilitating pain that doctors struggled, and often failed, to take seriously. After ye...

Trigger Warning: gun violence, attempted murder This week we’re taking a short break from our usual listener stories for spring break (and to celebrate Kyle’s upcoming baby 👶), but we didn’t want to leave you without an episode. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re sharing the powerful story of Malala Yousafzai, the girl who spoke out for girls’ education under Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan rule...

Some people don’t break things with one big moment — they take pieces slowly. In this week’s episode, “The Things He Stole From Her,” we share three stories about the ways harm shows up in relationships, in public spaces, and even inside the homes that are supposed to be safest. Ashley reads a story from a woman whose husband slowly turned the parts of her personality he once loved into reasons sh...

Abbey is back with updates from Inside a Controlling Marriage… and y’all. The plot twists are PLOTTING. An engagement announcement. A surprise “I’m quitting my job” confession. A sudden move to Nebraska. A demand to end alimony. All in the span of like… five business days. Meanwhile, she’s taking back her power — going to therapy with her son, planning visits, and meeting with a new lawyer because...

This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re serving Sour Patch Kids, Reese’s Cups, and Life Saver Gummies alongside three wildly different but deeply impactful trauma stories. Broken Leg Babe takes us back to church camp talent night in her “main character” era — where a Bluetooth malfunction, an ill-timed key change, and one dramatic step backward led to a broken leg and a legendary fall from grace. Z...

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, Sammi, Ashley, and Kyle read three listener-submitted trauma stories that center around betrayal, domestic violence, grief, and the long-lasting impact of sudden loss. Ashley reads a story from “Bitter,” who uprooted her life and moved from Iowa to California for a long-distance boyfriend — only to discover infidelity, humiliation, and an STI waiting for her...

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we sit with the kind of trauma that doesn’t always have a single moment — the kind that builds quietly through parenting, grief, and absence. Kyle shares a submission from a single mother raising an autistic son through years of unpredictability, fear, shame, relief, and eventual healing. Ashley reads a story from a mom unpacking emotional neglect, absent par...

Eating disorders, childhood trauma, addiction, and religious abuse — this episode of Trauma Candy Salad shares three deeply personal stories about the lasting impact of trauma and the work it takes to survive it. Beth opens the episode by sharing her experience with a severe eating disorder that began in adolescence and nearly cost her life, leading to congestive heart failure and long-term health...

This week on Trauma Candy Salad, it’s just Ashley and Kyle holding down the fort while Sammi rests her voice and cheers us on in spirit. We’re reading trauma stories that were originally shared in our TikTok comments—dropped casually, sometimes without warning, and carrying far more weight than a comment box can hold. These stories include childhood abuse and neglect, parental betrayal, medical di...

This episode of Trauma Candy Salad covers trauma related to childhood injury, suicide, and stalking. We share three stories: a man who lost his arm in a farm auger accident as a child, a woman who witnessed her aunt die by suicide on her birthday, and a workplace harassment and stalking case that escalated into swatting, restraining orders, and ongoing fear. Themes include traumatic injury, amputa...

This episode of Trauma Candy Salad explores heartbreak, divorce, illness, and loss when love ends without warning. We share three trauma stories: a marriage ending after a husband comes out as gay, a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer and BRCA who is served divorce papers during chemo, and a relationship that ends through sudden ghosting with no closure. Themes include divorce, cancer, betrayal,...

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about what happens when doctors don’t listen — and the damage that follows. Bad Back Becky brings Gum Drops and shares the agony of recurrent kidney stones, years of unmanaged pain, and being treated like a burden instead of a patient. Lindsey adds Tootsie Rolls to the bowl while recounting how obvious Lyme disease symptoms were dismissed as anx...

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we take our first trip outside the studio to The Glitter Factory to sit down with sisters Britney and Madison for a deeply honest conversation about growing up as parentified glass children. When their baby brother was diagnosed with a very rare childhood cancer, Britney and Madison were still kids themselves—yet suddenly expected to be strong, self-sufficien...

This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we sit with Madysen — a mother whose story is almost unbelievable in its depth, grief, and resilience. Outside of becoming part of the 80% of women who miscarry their first baby, Madysen has lived through more loss than most mothers ever will. Madysen walks us through: • Three pregnancy losses • A first baby whose severe ear infections regressed her speech and left...

In Part 2 of Abbey’s story, we continue through the final years of her marriage — the escalation of physical abuse, the unrelenting emotional and mental manipulation, and the ways her ex-husband used financial control and parental alienation to keep her trapped. Abbey shares the moment she knew she had to leave, the dangerous reality of planning an exit from a violent partner, and the complicated...