Healing doesn’t come with a finish line—it asks for honesty, patience, and the nerve to say no when your peace is on the line. We welcome writer and registered behavior technician Jane Ann Leandre for a candid, uplifting conversation about defining trauma on your own terms, finding the right therapist, and building a self-care routine that actually fits who you are. Jane shares how the pandemic forced her to face long-suppressed feelings, why journaling became her safest room, and how music, solitude, and movement help her reset without apology.

Together we take on the most stubborn myths: that healing should be quick, that emotions mean you’re “not over it,” and that saying no is unkind. Jane explains how vulnerability works for her—slowly, page by page—and why friends who respect boundaries make real intimacy possible. We talk about resilience as more than endurance; it’s the wisdom to let go of people, places, and patterns that drain you. And we dig into how trauma can look different for each of us—quiet on the outside, loud on the inside, or immobilizing in the open—and how to meet loved ones where they are without pushing their timeline.

Jane also reads two poems, What Is Silence? and The Tapestry, from her new book A Thread I Can’t Hold, a raw and hopeful collection that traces suffocating emotion to a steadier breath. If you need language for what you’re feeling, or permission to make your self-care your own, this conversation offers tools and solidarity you can use today. Listen now, share it with someone who needs it, and tell us: what boundary will you protect this week? If you enjoy the show, follow, rate, and leave a review to help others find us.

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