the Grow Yourself Up Podcast

a podcast to support all of us in our adult lives

Many of us did not get our needs adequately met in childhood. The devastating legacy of childhood trauma, wounding and traumatic stress lives on in our brains, our bodies, our nervous systems and our behaviour/reactions impacting the way we turn up to our lives in many ways.

We are going to unpack all of this on Grow Yourself Up. This podcast will be a companion as you journey on your own road of healing and recovery.

You will learn you are not alone. Someone has been where you are. There is hope.

We will break down shame together and learn to cultivate self compassion. There is always the possibility for change. And regardless of what has happened in our past, as adults we have to take responsibility for our own lives.

We have to tend to our pain, our sadness and our dysfunction so that we can live a life we love and shift toxic patterns for our children.

Each week we send out journal questions based around the podcast’s topic. If you would like to receive these questions, please sign up here.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 121: Thoughts on Embracing and Enjoying Time with our Kids

In this deeply personal episode Cath reflects on what often trips us up when we spend long periods of time with our kids, particularly when we have childhood trauma. She highlights some of the key issues we deal with when we have experienced trauma and gives some tips and suggestions for how you can make the most of time spent with your kids (while holding onto your sanity).

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 120: The Fatherwound, Patriarchy and Growing up in Fatherhood with Clint Davis (Re-release)

In episode 120 of Grow Yourself Up Cath was joined by Clint Davis. Cath and Clint talked about culture and patriarchy, how Clint parents differently to how he was patented and how he continues to grow himself up in fatherhood. Cath and Clint talked about Clint’s book and how the conversations you have with your kids when they are young provide an important basis for later communication and much more.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 119: Rage, Vitality, Agency and Growing up in Motherhood with Lisa Marchiano

Cath and Lisa talked about Lisa’s motherhood journey, how she has grown herself up, the need for women to grow up and let go of innocence, self abandonment and pleasing others. This maturation process and claiming all parts of our feminine energy (not just that which is kind or sweet) is essential to be able to protect ourselves and our kids and live a full adult life. 

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 118: Stress Responses, Feelings, Mood and Emotional Flow

It can feel really confusing as a cycle breaking parent learning to hold space for our child's feelings without taking responsibility for them. Often there is entanglement where we may feel we need our children to be a certain way so we can feel ok. Cath speaks to all of this and the overlap around holding space for feelings, stress responses and getting more comfortable with the displeasure of our children. She uses examples from her life to bring the points alive.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 117: Your Body Really Does Remember and Shifting Patterns with Dr Kathrin Stauffer

In this episode Cath was joined by Dr Kathrin Stauffer. They chatted about how the body remembers in multiple ways and how not getting what we need in childhood impacts multiple systems in our bodies (not just the nervous system). When we are on a healing journey the expression of sadness and grieving are an important part of this journey. However, it may be that we are blocked from crying by our defences. We dived into this and talked about food, body shape, body psychotherapy, the the function of comfort eating, shame and much more.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 115: Permission, Tending to Ourselves and Tending to the World

In this episode Cath links trauma healing to the healing we need to do in the collective and for our world. She speaks to how owning all parts of ourselves is essential to bringing in a healthier world, the importance of our imagination and how tending to ourselves is key to each of us playing our part in the revolution.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 114: Boundaries and Values in the Holidays

In this special bonus episode released on Christmas Day, Cath talks about what can sometimes derail us over the holidays. She makes suggestions around how to return to our own centre, to consider what is important to us and to focus on our own values.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 113: Understand your Nervous System to Support Yourself

Ironically Christmas is often a time when many of us struggle with our mental health and with staying in a regulated enough place.

Cath addresses why this may happen, focuses on why an understanding of our nervous system is so helpful in de-shaming this experience and suggests some practical tips to help you if you are feeling like this.

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 112: Developmental Trauma, Healing and Growing Up in Fatherhood with Stephen Terrell

In this episode Cath was joined by Stephen Terrell. Steve Terrell is a Healer, Teacher, and Author and sees clients at Austin Attachment and Counseling Center in Austin, Texas. He founded this center over 20 years ago for the treatment of Developmental Trauma and Adoption related issues. He has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a Doctorate in Psychology California Coast University and sees his clients under his license as a professional counselor in Texas. 

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Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 105: Breaking up with Self Abandonment

In this episode Cath speaks to self abandonment and how for many of us this feels absolutely necessary. She links it to childhood patterns and speaks to how unfamiliar it can be to start tending to needs, making some suggestions around prioritising your needs.

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Ellie McBride Ellie McBride

Ep 104: Desperation, Cycle Breaking and Self Abandonment

In this episode Cath speaks to the desperation that can arise when we are cycle breaker and are working really hard to give our kids a different experience to the experience we had in childhood. It can feel like we have to get everything RIGHT (whatever that means) and when we overgive and abandon ourselves it is unhelpful (and damaging) for both us and our kids.

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