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.

Looking for a specific topic or guest? Search below:

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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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. 

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 101: Neurodivergence, Unschooling, Consent Based Living and Growing Up in Motherhood with Fran Liberatore

Cath was joined by Fran Liberatore in episode 101. Cath and Fran talked about Fran's path to motherhood and how she felt she found her purpose through motherhood, her becoming and growing up in motherhood. Fran talked about her own neurodivergence, how she learnt to let go of control in parenting and how she continues to focus on this. Cath and Fran talked about the imprecise nature of diagnosis and some of their thoughts on this. Fran talked about the schooling journey in her family and how she uses a consent based model in life and education and much more.

Read More
Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 99: Birth, Postpartum, Mother in laws and Growing Up in Motherhood with Concetta Ferretti

Cath was joined by scientist Concetta Ferretti in episode 99. Cath and Concetta talked about Concetta’s path to motherhood, how she used science to support her in thinking about birth, how she does this on an ongoing basis and all about how Concetta is growing herself up in motherhood. We talked about her relationship with her mother in law, how she manages it and how she got to this place. This is a conversation packed with realism and richness, hope you enjoy it.

Read More
Helena Bradbury Helena Bradbury

Ep 98: Intrusions, Control and Growing Up in Motherhood with Anna Butcher (Re-release)

In this episode Cath is joined by Anna Butcher. We talked about Anna's journey to motherhood, how she experiences mothering and how the act of becoming a mother is an intrusion into our lives (on multiple levels). There is some deeply personal storytelling illustrating the concepts being discussed and we focused on how control turns up for both Cath and Anna and the antidote to this.

Read More

What people are saying…

Support my work

Thank you for listening to and loving the podcast. If you’ve benefitted from these conversations and would like to contribute to podcast creation costs, I’d greatly appreciate it!

Donate