What if healing from trauma isn't about reliving the pain, but about taking back your power and rewriting your story? In this episode, Pristina "PJ" Jackson reveals how she turned childhood trauma and complex PTSD into a life of purpose as a bold advocate for mental health and addiction recovery.
PJ opens up about the years she spent cycling through hospitals, therapy, and even electroshock treatments, only to realize that the traditional narrative of healing left her stuck in an identity of trauma. She explains how shifting her perspective—seeing anxiety and survival instincts as her body's way of protecting her—allowed her to move beyond coping and into active recovery.
Together with hosts Juliet Dorris-Williams and Gabe Howard, PJ challenges long-held assumptions about treatment, recovery, and what it truly means to "show up" for yourself. She offers practical, empowering insights on reframing safety, working through fear, and building the capacity to thrive instead of merely survive. If you've ever struggled to break free from old narratives of pain this episode is for you.
