How Childhood Shapes Who We Become: Healing from the Inside Out

Did you know that nearly 70% of adults report experiencing at least one traumatic event in childhood—yet most never address it? The result? Unexplained anxiety, strained relationships, emotional burnout, and a deep sense of not feeling “enough.”

In this powerful episode, we’re joined by renowned Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Dawn Petgrave Smith, to unpack how our unhealed childhood wounds quietly shape the way we think, love, lead, and live.

You’ll learn:
 🔹 How childhood trauma hides in plain sight
 🔹 The surprising ways it shows up in adulthood
 🔹 What “inner child healing” actually looks like
 🔹 How to begin breaking generational patterns — starting with YOU

Whether you’ve been through emotional neglect, family dysfunction, or just want to better understand your emotional triggers — this conversation will give you the clarity and courage to heal from the inside out.

🛑 Don’t let unhealed trauma write your story. You can break the cycle.
 📲 Hit Subscribe and Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this.

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
👉  ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Quiz
👉 Mental Health America Support
👉 Free Inner Child Journal Prompts (PDF)
👉 Therapist Website:  https://dawnmarietherapy.com/

👉Book - 'Will' - Will Smith

👉Book - 'What Happened to You?' - Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey

👉Book - 'Writing My Wrongs' - Shaka Senghor

👉Movie - 'Betrayal' 

Connect with Dawn on social media:  @dawnmarietherapy

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro - What is ACEs
• 4:32 How Childhood Trauma Shows Up in Adulthood
• 8:00 How Unresolved Trauma Impact Our Relationships
• 13:00 The Role Unhealed Trauma Plays in Criminal Behavior
• 19:16 Growing Up in a ‘Good Home’ --- Still Experience Trauma
• 26:07 How Shame and Silence Protect Trauma—But Also Prolong Suffering
• 34:07 How to Begin the Healing Process
• 49:07 Ways Parents Can Avoid Passing Pain Down to Their Children
• 54:07 Statistics Affecting ACEs
• 56:07 Action Steps