Cycle Breaker and Change Maker with Renata Ortega

In Episode 4, I introduced the idea of letting go—specifically, letting go of relationships that are no longer healthy or aligned. Today, we’re diving deeper.

Letting go isn’t a one-time action. It’s a process, a practice, and for many of us—a profound act of self-liberation.

And if the mere thought of letting go of someone brings up guilt, fear, or anxiety—you are not alone. That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.

Suppor...

Hello, and welcome back to the Cycle Breaker and Change Maker Podcast. I’m Renata Ortega, and if you’ve made it here today, I want you to take a moment to acknowledge your courage. Today’s topic is one that touches so many of us in ways that aren’t always obvious until we start to look inward. We’re diving deeper into a topic we began in Episode 3—abandonment.

This episode comes with a gentle caution—if abandonment is something you’...

In episode 2, I introduced the concept of the negative relationship cycle—how we often find ourselves in harmful or unbalanced relationships without even realizing we’re repeating a pattern we never chose in the first place.

Today, we’re going to go deeper. This episode is for anyone who’s ever thought, “Why does this keep happening to me?” or “Why do I keep ending up with people who hurt me, drain me, or make me question my worth?”

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Andrea Page founded FITMOM in April 2000, one year after her first son was born. The birth of FITMOM was the result of her own personal struggle to overcome severe postpartum depression in her first year as a mom. She found exercise to be the key to her survival and wanted to help support other new moms on their journey to health and wellness in their postpartum years.

Throughout her career, Andrea has been deemed an International e...

Annalisa Vicente is a wife and proud mother of two amazing boys. She is an early childhood educator, motherhood coach, and best-selling author. Annalisa is a passionate maternal mental health advocate. She is determined to break the stigma around mental illness by normalizing vulnerability. Her journey has been deeply enriched by her work with children with diverse needs and their families, teaching her the profound impact of resil...

Today’s episode is deeply personal and something I believe many of us quietly struggle with. We’re going to talk about letting go of relationships — without guilt — even if you love the person and even if society, culture, or your upbringing tells you that you shouldn’t.

Let me start by saying this: this is not an easy thing to do. In fact, it’s one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn and, honestly, continue to practice. We’re ...

 Episode 31 Title: Breaking the Cycle of Self-Harm Caused by Trauma 

Before we begin today’s episode, I want to give a gentle content warning. We’ll be talking about self-harm and eating disorders—topics that can be very sensitive and triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening. If at any point you need to pause or come back later, that’s okay. Do what feels right for you. 

This space is about compassi...

Episode 30 | Breaking Free from Negative Generational Cycles – A Three-Step Process 

A few weeks ago I polled my audience asking if hearing more about my personal story or if hearing about how to break free from negative generational cycles would be more helpful, and due to an overwhelming result I will be focusing today’s episode on how to break free.  Thank you to everyone who voted!

Generational cycles—whether it’s unhealthy relat...

Episode 29: Understanding the Flop Response to Trauma

Hello and welcome back to the podcast. If you’ve been following along, you know that we are diving deep into the Five F’s of Trauma Response. In the last episodes, we explored Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn—how they develop, how they show up in daily life, and what we can do to manage them. Today, we’re moving on to the final response: Flop.

The flop response is one of the least ...

Episode 28: Understanding the Fawn Response to Trauma

Hello and welcome back to the podcast. If you’ve been following along, you know that we are diving deep into the Five F’s of Trauma Response. In the last episodes, we explored Fight, Flight, and Freeze—how they develop, how they show up in daily life, and what we can do to manage them. Today, we’re moving on to the fourth response: Fawn.

The fawn response is often overlooked becau...

Episode 27: Understanding the Freeze Response to Trauma

Hello and welcome back to the Cycle Breaker and Change Maker podcast. If you’ve been following along, you know that we are diving deep into the Five F’s of Trauma Response. In the last episodes, we explored the Fight and Flight responses—how they develop, how they show up in daily life, and what we can do to manage them. Today, we’re moving on to the third response: Freeze.

The ...

 Episode 26: Understanding the Flight Response to Trauma 

Hello and welcome back to the Cycle Breaker and Change Maker podcast. If you’ve been following along, you know that we are diving deep into the Five F’s of Trauma Response. Last time, we explored the Fight response—what it looks like, why it develops, and how to manage it. Today, we’re moving on to the second response: Flight. 

The flight response is often associated with runn...

What is the Fight Response?

When the brain perceives danger, it quickly assesses whether fighting back is the best chance of survival. This response is hardwired into us. Think about animals in the wild—when faced with a threat, some stand their ground, puff up their chests, and prepare to defend themselves. Humans do the same thing, but in more complex ways.

The fight response isn’t just about physical combat. It can ...

If you’ve been following along, you know that I like to take a deep dive into how trauma shapes our behaviors and responses to the world around us. Today, I’m introducing something that will lay the foundation for our next few episodes: the Five F’s of Trauma Response.

This is a concept that explains how our brains and bodies react when we feel threatened, even if the threat is no longer present. Trauma lives in the body, and becaus...

 Episode 23 - Introduction to not being able to stay present as a trauma response

Are you finding it difficult to stay in the moment, constantly feeling like your mind is re-living the past or in a constant state of worry about the future? Do you often catch yourself losing focus during conversations because you are preoccupied with other thoughts or, perhaps you  disconnect and dissociate during stressful situations? If so, this mi...

Introduction to Not Being Seen as a Trauma Response

Have you ever felt invisible in your relationships, friendships, or even in your workplace? Perhaps you feel like your needs, thoughts, and feelings don’t matter, or that others rarely acknowledge your contributions or presence. Do you find yourself retreating or staying quiet, even when you’re desperate to speak up? If so, this might be a result of a trauma response—a learned beha...

 How to manage through the Holiday season as a person coping with  trauma 

If you are living with trauma, the holidays may be a time that you are dreading.  You may be overwhelmed and anxious about being around people you do not really want to be with.  You may not feel that you can manage all of the pressures the traditional Holiday season can bring. These can be financial pressures, social pressures, travel pressures and so on.  O...

Episode 20 - Introduction to entering controlling relationships as a trauma response

Are you in a relationship personal or professional with someone that makes you feel powerless or scared?  Maybe they hold grudges constantly over issues that are actually trivial?  Perhaps they make you feel like you cannot do anything right ever, or that there is something wrong with you?  

Or maybe you are in a situation where the other person make...

Episode 19 -Introduction to emotional numbness as a trauma response

Have you ever experienced a change in your emotional experience, as if your emotions became something you started to have restricted access to? Or perhaps, have your emotions started to feel  completely inaccessible?  Maybe you have experienced a feeling of distance and detachment from others, and have developed a strong preference for being alone and isolated.  Or ...