Grief isn’t just about death, it’s every loss we were never given the language for. In this episode, the three of us get real about the messy, unfiltered versions of grief: when your identity shifts, when relationships fall apart, when your stability cracks, and when the dreams you swore you’d grow into quietly fade out. We talk about how grief shows up in the body; the exhaustion, the irritability, the brain fog, and why your body holds on to what your mind keeps trying to outrun.

We sit with the truth that grief is a teacher. It’s an alchemist. It will break you open, build your empathy, tighten your boundaries, and force you to live like tomorrow isn’t promised, because it isn’t.

And we dig into what real support looks like: presence over fixing, listening over rescuing, courage over comfort. We talk about how acknowledgment isn’t the same as acceptance, and why so much of what people call “stress” right now is really collective grief that nobody wants to name.

Understanding ACEs — What Your Childhood Still Tells You Today

In this episode, we break down Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how the things you lived through before age 18 might still be shaping your health, decisions, and relationships today. We get real about the impact of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, why ACE scores matter, and how hyper-independence shows up as a trauma response. We also talk about how today’s stressors — like job loss, instability, and shutdowns — are creating new ACEs for our kids right now.

You’ll learn the protective factors that actually help adults heal: asking for help even when you don’t want to, doing the uncomfortable self-assessment work, and making your home safer and more trauma-informed during high-stress seasons. I also share my plan to launch a simple ACEs assessment app so listeners can take the 10-question tool and instantly access trauma-informed resources.

We close by previewing next week’s episode on grief, where Nicole dives into non-traditional losses and the real difference between acknowledging and accepting a loss.

Keywords: ACEs, Adverse Childhood Experiences, trauma-informed care, hyper-independence, generational trauma, grief, healing journey, mental health podcast, resilience, trauma recovery, protective factors

In this second installment of The Queen’s Court, we explore how hardships are being met with heart-centered leadership and collective action. With the current SNAP crisis and government shutdown driving families into food insecurity, we dive into how everyday people are organizing to provide power, purpose, and provision in their communities.
You’ll hear how federal shutdowns are forcing workers and children to choose between meals and bills, and how women-led networks are stepping in with food gardens, skill-sharing, resource guides and mutual-aid systems to bridge the gap.

What You’ll Get From This Episode:

• Clear insights into how the SNAP crisis is unfolding, and the ripple effects on families, schools and communities.

• Real-world examples of community-led solutions: neighborhood food gardens, skill-share networks, support groups and tech tools to serve vulnerable neighbors.

• Action steps you can take today: share your skills, make a resource guide, volunteer, donate and organize locally.

Resources to Get Started:

• Find a food bank near you: Feeding America — Find Your Local Food Bank Feeding America+2Feeding America+2

• National list of food banks by state: USFoodBanks.com usfoodbanks.com

• Food assistance resources for patients and families: PAN Foundation — Food Assistance Resources PAN Foundation