Episode 130: The Story She Stopped Editing: Healing Through the Language of Scars
Dare To Share Your Untold Story
Release Date: 02/04/2026
Dare To Share Your Untold Story
In this episode, Tracey shares the powerful parallels between the physical scars she carries and the emotional ones she spent years learning to understand. At eight years old, Tracey survived life-threatening burns when a candle ignited her homemade costume. She recalls going into survival mode instantly, brushing off her pain, and learning early on to fix problems quickly and minimize her own needs. This became the pattern that shaped much of her life. Tracey later joined the Coast Guard and found herself walking directly into the wounds of trauma through search-and-rescue missions. She...
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In this episode, Nicole shares the story she once believed she would never speak — the decade of childhood sexual abuse she experienced while the world around her saw a bright, high-achieving, “perfect” young girl. At fourteen, a single, intuitive question from her mother led to a moment of truth that changed everything. Nicole reflects on her mother’s immediate protective actions and the fear, shame, and uncertainty that followed in the aftermath. Nicole describes how she learned to push her emotions down, stay busy, and shape herself into whatever version of “okay” she believed...
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Jennifer was raised to be strong and independent—and she carried that identity proudly. As a critical care nurse, she believed she knew the answers to what it meant to be healthy and well. But life had other lessons waiting. Her journey shifted in 2002, when her second son suffered a massive neonatal stroke just one hour after birth. The experience awakened her to the many gaps in the healthcare system and inspired her to begin bridging those gaps through energy work, nutrition, and exercise. Several years later, on the same day she discovered she was expecting her fourth child, Jennifer...
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Julie’s story unfolds at the intersection of faith, identity, and self-compassion. Raised in a culturally and religiously conservative South Asian household, she grew up surrounded by clear definitions of what was right and wrong — spoken and unspoken rules that guided how one should live and belong. But how Julie was authentically wired didn’t always fit those expectations. The tension between who she was and who she was told to be became an early internal struggle, one she learned to carry as if it were her fault. When Julie was ten years old, she lost her father in a tragic car...
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Felicity’s story is one of survival, silence, and rediscovery after enduring over forty years of physical, emotional, and mental abuse. At ten years old, she witnessed her father attempt to kill her mother with a crystal ashtray — a moment that changed everything and taught her to stay quiet, to shut down, and to carry fear as though it were part of her. Throughout her life, Felicity experienced repeated patterns of abuse. She grew up believing her worth was tied to endurance and her safety to silence — patterns rooted in a long line of generational trauma carried by her grandmother, her...
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In this deeply honest and transformative episode, Jenn Greenhut shares a story that began in quiet emotional suppression and perfectionism—and evolved into a journey of awakening, trust, and healing. As a young elite gymnast training for the Olympics, Jenn was conditioned to dismiss her emotions, believing that worth was only found through flawless performance. She trained intensely, travelled globally, and learned to disconnect from her needs—until a knee injury forced her out of the sport. That moment, she now says, was her body making the decision she couldn’t. Years later, she poured...
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In this raw and courageous episode, Glen opens up about the emotional cost of living behind the badge—sharing how years of witnessing trauma, bottling up pain, and keeping secrets from loved ones quietly unraveled his inner world. He speaks with striking honesty about the toll of suppressing his emotions to maintain a tough exterior, and how it led to walls of disconnection, impulsive choices, and a sense of losing himself completely. Glen describes how PTSD shaped his responses—through recurring nightmares, emotional shutdown, and what he calls “PTSD-influenced decisions” that felt...
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In this honest and thought-provoking episode, Kevin shares his journey of living with racing thoughts that began in childhood—relentless mental loops he couldn’t fully articulate and believed no one else experienced. For years, he suffered in silence, overwhelmed by the belief that he was alone in his struggle. That changed the day he realized others faced similar internal battles—a pivotal moment that reshaped how he viewed himself and his mental health. At age 29, Kevin was diagnosed with OCD, and he describes the emotional resistance that often spiraled into panic attacks—waves of...
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In this profoundly moving episode, Julia shares a deeply personal untold story that begins with loss—the loss of her beloved mother, a woman who wasn’t just a parent, but also her best friend, protector, and guiding compass. As her mother’s health declined, Julia tried to remain fully present, asking tender questions and offering emotional support through the unknowns of anticipated grief. One moment that stayed with her was her mother describing how, as a child, she found comfort sitting beneath the soft canopy of a willow tree. That image became a symbol of comfort and connection—and...
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In this deeply moving and reflective episode, Jennifer Gill courageously unpacks the layered experience of solo parenting, thoughtfully distinguishing it from single parenting. Her journey began in 2007 when her mother-in-law passed away, leaving a wave of grief in the family. Jennifer suddenly found herself juggling the emotional needs of her father-in-law, who was now widowed, while her husband relocated two provinces away for work. At home, she was raising two young daughters—ages 7 and 10—both diagnosed with learning disabilities, which came with their own unique set of challenges. At...
info_outlineIn this episode, Tracey shares the powerful parallels between the physical scars she carries and the emotional ones she spent years learning to understand. At eight years old, Tracey survived life-threatening burns when a candle ignited her homemade costume. She recalls going into survival mode instantly, brushing off her pain, and learning early on to fix problems quickly and minimize her own needs. This became the pattern that shaped much of her life. Tracey later joined the Coast Guard and found herself walking directly into the wounds of trauma through search-and-rescue missions. She reflects on how she often rescued others while subconsciously longing to be rescued herself. Many missions shifted from rescue to recovery, and the adrenaline kept her disconnected from her internal world. When her military career ended, Tracey felt bored, depressed, and untethered — not realizing this was the collapse that followed years of unaddressed trauma. It wasn’t until 2014–2015 that she learned what PTSD truly was, and it took even longer before she sought therapy. She describes how she once believed therapy was a place for “pity parties,” only to discover it was the compass she needed. Tracey talks about how humour became her deflection, isolation became her norm, and self-help strategies could only take her so far. Her turning point came when she recognized that she had choices — real options to move toward healing, connection, and her authentic self. Her key message to the listeners of the show is: Be courageous and not lack fear, courage is moving in the midst of fear, it's absolutely worth it; if you are wondering, then you are missing something; just start with one choice in the direction of your authentic self - choose to move into connections.
Guest Bio:
Tracey’s journey into understanding how our mind is set was born from trauma, the literal flames of life-threatening burns at the age of eight and the trauma associated with years of Search and Rescue and Marine Safety in the United States Coast Guard. She tells her story of navigating over 30 years of undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), focused on the years in the Coast Guard in her number one book “Rescue to Recovery” , but seldom speaks about the years of wandering after being burned.
While working as a Scar Tissue Therapist, Tracey realized that there are great similarities between physical and emotional injuries and, left unaddressed, they have similar ways of limiting us. Tracey’s mission is to help others understand that we have great power in our choices and we can train our mind to serve our highest good. She is the former Director of Mentors and facilitator of Mental Fitness at the Polk Institute and a Veteran of the United States Coast Guard.
URL for shoutout: https://www.supportthevets.org/donate
Tracey is passionate about supporting Veterans Affairs and the essential services they provide for those who have served. The organization offers a wide range of supports to veterans and their families, and donations — both monetary and non-monetary — go a long way in helping meet their needs.
Where to find me:
Website: https://www.rescuetorecovery.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceybrown_official/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@traceybrownsays1530