How Past Trauma Shapes Your Patterns (And Why I Talk About It)

I talk a lot about nervous systems, patterns, and why we repeat cycles that keep us stuck.

But sometimes in all that excitement I forget to share why I care about this work, or how I know, on a gut level, what it feels like to live in survival mode.

My Story in Short

• Late ADHD diagnosis after years of wondering why life felt harder than it “should.”

• Grieving my mom’s battle with cancer and holding her hand as she passed.

• Navigating motherhood and divorce while running businesses and pretending I was “fine.”

• Living through grief and burnout — and finding unexpected clarity in the process.

These experiences taught me something life-changing: Unprocessed trauma shapes behavior. 

It wires patterns into our nervous system, patterns we mistake for personality.

And until we name them, they quietly run our lives.

Why It Matters

You’re not broken.

You’re not “too much.”

You’re not failing because you can’t willpower your way out of old habits.

You’re human.

And your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do: keep you safe, even if it’s outdated.

When we understand this, everything shifts, relationships, work, self-worth.

That’s why I talk about trauma and nervous system patterns on the Mind Madame Podcast.

Hear the Full Story

This post is just the surface. In Episode 3, I share the fuller version, the hard moments, what they taught me, and why I use them to help others break free from survival mode.

🎧 Listen to Episode 3 here