I've said this before, but when starting this community and when joining other communities on skool, I never anticipated the actual 'community' piece of it. Didn't expect the very real connections that would be made through a medium that seemed so detached to me. But, here we are, connecting. And it feels real. Because maybe, just maybe, it is real after all? This past week @LaTanya Carter and I had an incredible journey making our way through a few countries (more on that in a different post). It's been a beautiful trip filled with realizations, beautiful scenery and gratitude. I'm so thankful for the ability to do this and so so blessed to do this with her! She's lovely 💗 The highlight on the very last day of our trip has been being able to meet @Serena DAfree in real life!!! 🇺🇲🌎🇬🇧 Her and I met early on and we just 'clicked'. Her heart for people and her ability to look beyond the surface really stood out and I just love her energy. The real life meet up just further highlighted her spirit and her love. (Thank you for a lovely lunch!) Spending time with her was the best part of the last day. It never ceases to amaze me that we live in a time where we can meet strangers (from all over the world) online and become friends and meet them in real life. Wild times... How have your online connecting experiences been for you? I personally know it doesn't always turn out positive but obviously I'm hoping for more good than bad!

Many think the answer is: “Calm all the time.” “Never getting triggered.” “Always feeling positive.” But trauma recovery is usually much deeper and much more human than that. Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are survival responses. They are intelligent adaptations from a nervous system that learned it needed to protect us. So the opposite is not perfection. It is not becoming emotionless. It is not “never struggling again.” The opposite is slowly moving toward: Safety Connection Regulation Flexibility Authenticity And choice. Healing can look like: Fight: healthy assertiveness and boundaries Flight: groundedness and the ability to stay present Freeze: movement, engagement, and emotional aliveness Fawn: authenticity and more balanced relationships And importantly: Healing does not mean we never enter survival mode again. It means: Recognising our patterns sooner Understanding them with compassion instead of shame And finding our way back to safety more easily over time. We are not broken because our nervous system learned how to survive. Recovery is often the process of teaching ourselves: “I do not have to live in survival mode forever.” What are your thoughts? Please share below...

Saw this at a place I was visiting today and thought I'd pass it on !! When trying something new, it's probably going to feel uncomfortable! Those are new neural connections being created so there is an actual physical discomfort that's happening. That's normal! Let's embrace the process :-) get aligned and then embrace the discomfort that comes along with the change!

This is a hard topic… but an important one. There is often a strong link between trauma and suicidal thoughts. Not necessarily because someone wants to die - but because, at times, the nervous system feels overwhelmed by what it is carrying. And this is where an important distinction matters: Thoughts are not the same as intent. Having thoughts like “I can’t do this anymore” or “I want this pain to stop” does not automatically mean someone wants to end their life. Often, it means something else entirely. An analogy that might help: Imagine you are trapped in a dangerous building. There is smoke. It feels overwhelming. Your body is on high alert. What does your brain do? It starts scanning for exits. Every possible way out. Windows. Doors. Fire escapes. Even options you would not normally consider. Not because you truly want to jump out of a window… but because your system is desperately trying to find a way to survive. 💔 Trauma can feel like that building. When the emotional intensity gets too high, the mind can start searching for any possible exit from the pain. Sometimes those “exits” show up as suicidal thoughts. That does not always mean we truly want to die. Often, it means our system is overwhelmed and trying to find relief. You are not “bad” or “broken” for having these thoughts. Thoughts can pass - especially when you are supported and regulated. You do not have to face that intensity alone. Healing doesn’t happen in isolation - it happens in community. If you are struggling right now, please reach out to someone you trust or a crisis support service in your country. You deserve support, safety, and space to breathe. With love, Chris ❤️