Apr 6, 2021
Alyssa steps away from interviews this week for a solo episode in which she shares some exciting announcements about the podcast.
Check out the Light After Trauma website for transcripts, other episodes, Alyssa's guest appearances, and more at: www.lightaftertrauma.com
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Transcript:
Alyssa Scolari: Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Light After Trauma podcast. A podcast by trauma survivors for trauma survivors. I'm your host, Alyssa Scolari and. Today we are having a little bit different of an episode. So there's just some housekeeping that I wanted to keep everybody up to date on.
[00:01:09]
We have some really exciting changes happening on the Light After Trauma podcast. So I wanted to make you all aware in an episode. We are skipping this week for an interview. We've got lots of great content lined up. But just wanted to take the time to share with you all the awesome things that we have that are launching as of today.
[00:01:33]
So before we get into some of the major changes that are happening, I just want to backtrack a little bit and go back to really the beginning of quarantine. And, you know, I know I've said this on the podcast before, but it's definitely worth repeating. I started this podcast. I've always wanted to start a podcast, but things have gotten in my way, like being in jobs that I was chronically unhappy and planning a wedding, buying a house.
[00:02:03]
And then I was trying to get my private practice off the ground. And when quarantine hit and we were stuck at home, I really seize the opportunity. And I probably started in April and that was just all the back work. So from April, I worked diligently on this podcast to be able to launch it in late August of 2020.
[00:02:29]
And again, I know I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again. This really was just a hobby for me, a way to spread awareness. And I definitely thought, okay. If I reach five people, if I help five people or even one person fantastic. For me, I continue to be blown away by how many people are being affected and are resonating with this podcast.
[00:03:02]
It's become so much more than just a podcast. It has become a huge part of my life. Something that I care about just as much as I care about my private practice, it has become a place of healing for me, a place of connection with other trauma survivors, and it's become a source of healing and connection for so many of you out there.
[00:03:27]
I have made so many quality friendships. As a result of this podcast, I have met so many incredible survivors as a result of this podcast. And I have healed so much as a result of this podcast. One of the things that I had no idea was going to happen when I started this podcast in August, is that, you know, I was going to go through something extremely traumatic only weeks after I started the podcast.
[00:03:59]
I really haven't spoken much about it and I'm not going to get into it today because that's not the point, but the timing really is uncanny that when I needed this podcast the most, it was there for me and people from all over the world have reached out to me and have said the same type of sentiment that this podcast is there for them.
[00:04:27]
And over the last seven to eight months, I can truly say that this podcast went from a hobby to a movement, a movement to take the shame away from what trauma survivors experience, a movement to educate family members and friends, and even just the general public on all the different aspects of trauma, a movement to educate people on what types of treatment is out there, to talk about all of the things that are so tough to talk about in the field of trauma, when it comes to our own recovery, the battles, the victories, all of it. It's become a movement. We are taking the shame away. We are acknowledging what we've experienced. We are calling it what it is. And there's so much empowerment in that. You know, there was one defining moment for me back in early February, or maybe mid February, where after taking a week of vacation from my private practice, I went back into my office and I had a letter from somebody who lives in Canada. And for those of you who know, I live in the United States, I'm in New Jersey and this letter came with this magnet that says "sing after every storm."
[00:05:54]
And the letter itself was just so beautiful, the artwork and the message of appreciation for the work that I am doing from somebody who would have never known me if it weren't for this podcast. And that was one of those humbling and defining moments where I realized that what I'm doing and what we're all doing here is so much more than just a hobby.
[00:06:20]
It's a movement. So I think at that point, David and I, and again, for those of you who don't know, David is my husband and he's also our tech guy. So David does all of the backend work for this podcast. He does all of the editing. He does really anything and everything that has to do with technology because I am not technologically savvy in the slightest.
[00:06:44]
So that requires a lot of work. And David and I really hit the ground running over the last two months and we built a website from scratch that is just for the podcast. And when I say website, It's really not just a website, it's a platform for all things Light After Trauma related. So this website, which is www.lightaftertrauma.com, houses everything that you need.
[00:07:18]
It has all of the episodes. It has all of the blog posts. It has a link where you can subscribe. It has an application for you to be a guest on the podcast. So if you are somebody who thinks that you would make a good fit to be on the podcast, you can go right on the website and apply.
[00:07:36]
It also has an entire section for the Survived and Thrived Stories. So let's talk about that for a minute, because that is a new segment of the podcast that I've talked about here and there, but I just want to talk about again. So we have a launch date, May 14th. We are going to be launching the other segment of the podcast, which is a series of minisodes and it's called Survived and Thrived Stories.
[00:08:07]
Now, this part of the podcast is a result of how many people reached out to me after hearing the podcast and would say things like, you know, I wish I had the courage to speak about what happened to me, but I just don't, I'm not there right now, or people who have messaged me and have shared parts of their stories, but wished to remain anonymous.
[00:08:33]
And it got me thinking, you know, I want to create space for people who want to be able to share parts of their story or all of their story, but don't necessarily want to be identified. And this part of the podcast resonates with me and it's so special to me because when I first started sharing my story, it wasn't through speaking.
[00:08:58]
It was through writing. In fact, what I did is I wrote in anonymously to a podcast. My favorite murder by the lovely Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff. If you are a true crime lover as an aside, and you haven't listened to this podcast, please go listen to it. It's like at the top of the charts in true crime and comedy, and it is the best show, but they were asking for hometown stories and one of my traumas is, you know, I'm a victim of a crime.
[00:09:30]
So I wrote in sharing my story to them and between that, and then having so many people reach out to me and share parts of their stories. That is where the inspiration came to add this segment, Survived and Thrived Stories. So with that, I've already had a lot of people reach out to me to ask questions.
[00:09:48]
Like how long can it be? What do I need to talk about what needs to be in there? And here's my response to all of that, which is make it whatever you want it to be. Send an email to lightaftertrauma@gmail.com. And you can sign the email with your initial, with your first name, with no name, with a nickname, whatever you want, and you can share as much or as little of your story as you want.
[00:10:14]
There is also a spot where you can do this on the website. Again, that's lightaftertrauma.com. But as I said, this is about you sharing parts of your personal journey. So whether you want to talk about how you are in recovery from PTSD, how you were just diagnosed with PTSD, a small victory in your day, whatever it may be, and again, however much, or however little. Please write in and please tell us whatever's on your heart. What will happen is each week we will put out a mini episode. It will probably be about 10 to 15 minutes long where I read these emails and I will, of course respond and give feedback in the best way that I can to whatever it is that you write in about.
[00:11:05]
So that is the gist of the segment on Survived and Thrived Stories. Please write in, we look forward to hearing from you. And now to transition, I want to talk a little bit more about the website. So there's also a place on the website where you can support the podcast. So what do I mean by that? When you click any of the support the movement or support the podcast buttons on the website, it's going to take you directly to the Patreon.
[00:11:35]
As you can tell David and I put a ton of time and effort in set this podcast. It has basically become a full-time job and it's really a lot of hard work. And it's also very expensive between the editing software and the podcast software and the scheduling software. And then the time that it takes for David to edit all of the podcasts and to work on the website and to be able to land interviews and conduct those interviews and come up with important questions, it's just...
[00:12:13]
there's a lot of time effort and a lot of money that goes into it. And I love it. I am not complaining one single bit. However, with that being said, it would be really nice to be able to cut down a little bit on my private practice so that I could spend even more time and give even more attention to the podcast in the form of, you know, bonus content, merchandise, Q&A sessions, live Facebook events and other things like that, that I think would be really, really helpful and intriguing for everybody.
[00:12:53]
So with that, I humbly and kindly ask for a $5 monthly donation via Patreon. That's really the equivalent to one drink at Starbucks, but ultimately, any amount that you can give would be greatly appreciated and would continue to help David and myself to keep putting out great high quality content for all of you.
[00:13:21]
So again, head on over to lightaftertrauma.com, there's a few different sections on the website. One that I can think of as right at the top, where it says support the movement. You can click on there and then you can donate. So thank you so very much in advance. And lastly, I want to get into a few changes on social media.
[00:13:44]
So we have changed the name of our Instagram and the Twitter handle. So Twitter is @lightafterpod. There's no underscores. There's no periods. There's no spaces. It's just light after pod. And then the Instagram is @lightaftertrauma. Again, no underscores, no spaces. Just lightaftertrauma on Instagram.
[00:14:12]
And as a reminder, please be sure to look us up. It's the Lighy After Trauma group on Facebook it is a private Facebook group, we have over 60 members and it's a really awesome group for trauma survivors to be able to connect. So if you are on Facebook, don't forget to look us up and join it is Light After Trauma.
[00:14:34]
So, all right. That is a lot that I threw at you. It's a lot of really exciting things that are happening, could not do any of this without your support. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And lastly, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that April is national sexual assault awareness month, and really the one and only thing that I would like to say to that is, is believe survivors.
[00:15:06]
So I will end with that. Everybody have a fantastic week. Next week, we have an interview with Robert Cox, from the Mindful Recovery podcast. He will be speaking about the loss of his son. It's a really fantastic interview, very, very sad, but also incredibly inspirational. So you have that to look forward to and have a great week, much love.
[00:15:32]
Thanks for listening everyone. For more information, please head over to lightaftertrauma.com or you can also follow us on social media. On Instagram. We are @lightaftertrauma and on Twitter, it is @lightafterpod. And if you're on Facebook, please be sure to join our Facebook group. It is a private community where trauma survivors are able to connect and chat with one another.
[00:15:58]
That Facebook group is called Light After Trauma. So just look us up on Facebook and be sure to join. Lastly, please head over to patreon.com/lightaftertrauma to support our show, we are asking for $5 a month, which is the equivalent to a cup of coffee at Starbucks. So please head on over again. That's patreon.com/lightaftertrauma.
[00:16:22]
Thank you and we appreciate your support.