Mamahood After Trauma

In this episode of Mamahood After Trauma, host Emily Cleghorn welcomes Dr. Monique Thompson, a licensed professional counselor and trauma-informed life coach with 25 years of experience.

Dr. Thompson shares her inspiring journey into trauma recovery work and offers powerful guidance for mothers healing from family-of-origin trauma.

She emp...

In this episode of Mamahood After Trauma, host Emily Cleghorn introduces the powerful concept of "energetic overdraft" — the exhausting cycle of giving more than you have.

Speaking directly to trauma survivors who became "the strong one," Emily explores how hyper-independence, people-pleasing, and fear of disappointing others silently drain our reserves...

In this powerful episode, host Emily Cleghorn welcomes Ranae Van Roekel, a trauma survivor, advocate, and founder of Connecting to Cope.

Ranae courageously shares her journey from childhood sexual abuse to federal incarceration, revealing how unaddressed trauma shaped her choices. She describes how motherhood became her turning point and how embracing therapy un...

In this powerful episode, host Emily Cleghorn explores why boundaries feel so threatening to trauma survivors.

She explains that people-pleasing is a survival strategy rooted in nervous system conditioning — not a character flaw. Emily reframes boundaries as medicine rather than selfishness, clarifying that they govern our own participation, not others' ...

In this powerful episode of Mamahood After Trauma, host Emily Cleghorn welcomes J. Rosemarie Francis — mom, grandmother, author, and host of the Solo Moms Talk Podcast.

Rosemarie courageously shares how being suddenly abandoned by her husband with two young sons shattered her world, unearthing deep-rooted childhood trauma.

She open...