Episode 20 -Finding Peace Through Trauma, Healing & Community with Malisa Hepner
By Jessica Garrison
Episode trigger warnings: Trauma, substance abuse
Through Podmatch, we have met our next guest Malisa Hepner. She is an embodied, real, compassionate, and messy woman. Malisa emphasizes the importance of community throughout her episode, which just solidified even further how perfect she is to guest with us. There are some triggering elements to her story, but all of them have shaped her into who she is now and are part of her layers. However, there are resources below and on our website for anyone who may need them.
While discussing supporting women in living unapologetically, Malisa says that she has found peace within herself. There is no final destination for this, as it is an ongoing journey to learn about yourself and experience what it is you need to feel that peace. It looks different for everyone, but this concept can be applied universally as you work towards embracing your own layers. With Malisa, she had a call to the deepest parts of herself, admitting when she was afraid, nervous, or feeling stuck. When she would tell stories from her past, there was a disconnect between herself and the words because of all the trauma that surrounded it. Through her journey, she has learned to live her life proudly, saying that it is so profound to find peace. Malisa wants to bring this message of hope to other women that no matter what they’ve gone through, they can find peace, too.
In living out FEEL, Malisa says that she is clear about community, which ties into her values and why she loves supporting other women through this work. She has worked to release expectations, just as we all should, because no one is perfect. We all mess up eventually, but it’s how you take those mistakes and use them as a foundation to build yourself back up. Don’t live in regret, but take it as a learning opportunity. For example, Malisa says that she has learned not to take things personally, because everyone has their own journey they have to go on and you cannot hold responsibility for everyone. This has helped her have more of an awareness for what feelings are coming up and when, which helps her stay true to her heart and her body. She can separate what she is feeling from the emotional load she may be taking from others. The connection is all there, but it’s just about which direction you start in.
Malisa hosts her own podcast, Emotionally Unavailable, where she speaks with guests about a variety of topics that link back to loving and appreciating herself. What began as a journey to become more emotionally aware has led Malisa to where she is today: full of love, stability, and peace. Where will yours lead?
Ways to Engage: Make the connection between your emotions and your physical body. Malisa connected overthinking to having pain in her back. When you start to tense up or feel that uncomfortability, get to the root of the problem rather than just treating the surface. Do you have a headache because you haven’t been sleeping well or nourishing yourself properly? Are you feeling under the weather because you’ve stretched yourself too thin with your schedule? Learn to let your body and mind fall in sync and pay attention to what it’s trying to tell you.
Additonal Resources:
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or Text 988