Season 1, Episode 15: Healing Trauma & Relationships with Leslie Brooks
Introduction to Leslie Brooks and Trauma-Informed Healing
In this episode of the Wellness in Asheville Podcast, host Travis Richardson sits down with Leslie Brooks, a trauma-informed life coach and the creator of the Peaceful Goddess Project and the Women Who Whine Facebook community (with over 2,100 members). We explore the profound journey from surviving complex trauma to building healing communities for women.
Leslie shares her transformative path from 20+ years as a massage therapist to becoming a somatic experiencing practitioner, and how her personal experience with narcissistic parenting, abusive relationships, and family trauma shaped her understanding of nervous system healing. We dive deep into the science of somatic work, the power of empathetic witness, and why women in their 40s are reclaiming their authentic selves.
This conversation explores the intersection of feminine and masculine energies, the biological roots of women's need for community connection, and how patriarchal structures have pitted women against each other
Key Takeaways:
Timestamps:
00:00 – 03:00 | Introduction and Travis's thoughts on Asheville's divine feminine energy
03:00 – 06:00 | Leslie's journey from massage therapy to trauma-informed coaching
06:00 – 11:00 | Understanding complex trauma (C-PTSD) and the body's role in healing
11:00 – 16:00 | Somatic experiencing explained: accessing the 80% of experience held in the body
16:00 – 22:00 | Love addiction, attachment patterns, and the stories we tell ourselves
22:00 – 28:00 | Masculine and feminine energies: the river and the riverbank
28:00 – 33:00 | How competition among women stems from biological survival and collective trauma
33:00 – 38:00 | The healing power of community: empathetic witness and co-regulation
38:00 – 43:00 | Daily nervous system regulation practices and finding beauty in simple moments
43:00 – 44:00 | Leslie's favorite Asheville spots and closing thoughts
Episode Links:
Be Well Asheville Podcast Archive
AVL Women Who Whine Facebook Group
The Wellness in Asheville podcast is produced by Be Well Asheville, your local news source covering health + wellness news + events in Asheville. Get the latest at bewellasheville.com or follow @bewellasheville.
