November 13, 2025 • 27 mins
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What if the moment your life wobbled was the invitation you’ve been postponing? That’s where Jennifer Ginty found herself — after years of “not yet,” the closure of her beloved boutique pushed her to say “right now” to healing complex PTSD and major depressive disorder. We sit down with Jen to unpack how she built a care team, returned to hospitalization to map helpful modalities, and rediscovered group therapy as a powerful, validating community rather than a public reckoning.
Jen also shares the origin story of My Moody Monster, a rugged, Velcro-limbed plush designed to channel anger and anxiety into safe, physical release for kids and adults. We walk through real-life scenarios: a sibling clash, an overwhelmed parent, a tense work call, veteran or LEO with post-traumatic stress. The monster becomes a cue for co-regulation, a bridge to conversation, and a tool for repair — rip to discharge, rebuild to reconnect, reflect to plan next time. New Normal Big Life (NNBL) listeners listeners get 15% off their entire order on http://www.mymoodymonster.com
Use the code POD15
For families searching for practical emotional regulation, this is both inventive and accessible. Along the way, we talk trauma science, why big feelings change body chemistry, and how consistent, body-first strategies often work better than lectures. If this conversation helped you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick star rating & review — it’s the best way to support our work and help more people find practical healing tools.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
So by the time my abuser went to prison, I was in
college and I just wanted tolive that life.
I wanted to live the quotenormal college life.
I wanted to be free of mytrauma.
And so I said not yet to mystory, to my trauma, to my
(00:25):
healing journey.
I said not yet after collegebecause I was going into a
career.
And then not yet because I wasgetting married.
And finally, not yet.
I was having children.
And I didn't want to take awayfrom those two beautiful boy
souls that I had had to focus onme.
SPEAKER_00 (00:47):
Hi, friends.
Welcome to the New Normal BigLife podcast.
We bring you natural news andstories about nature that we
hope will inspire you to getoutside in an adventure, along
with a step-by-step plan to helpyou practice what you've learned
and create your own new normaland live the biggest life you
can dream.
I'm your host, Antoinette Lee,the Wellness Warrior.
Today on the New Normal Big Lifepodcast, we're talking with an
(01:09):
expert in complex PTSD and majordepressive disorder about an
innovative, kid-friendly toolthat allows families to talk
about emotions andcommunication.
Meet the creator of My MoodyMonster, Jennifer Ginti.
Jen is the host of a mentalhealth podcast about the moments
that spark change.
(01:30):
After being featured on multiplemental health and parenting
podcasts, Jen had a powerfulrealization.
Her story of pushing away thehard work of facing her trauma
was just one journey.
And there are countless otherjourneys out there, each just as
important and impactful.
This is what inspired Jen tocreate When Not Yet Becomes
(01:50):
Right Now, a podcast in spacefor exploring the many different
paths we take in life.
Let's meet our guest, Jen Gendi.
Hi Jen.
Welcome to New Normal Big LifePodcast.
SPEAKER_01 (02:01):
Oh, thank you so much, Antoinette, for having me
on.
I'm so excited for ourconversation.
SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
So am I.
And you know, I find that thepeople who are the most helpful
are those that have gone throughsolving the problem for
themselves that they're solvingfor other people.
Tell us about your backstory andhow you got into the work that
you were doing.
SPEAKER_01 (02:24):
Sure.
So I am a uh single mom and Ilive with complex PTSD and major
depressive disorder fromchildhood trauma.
I lived with my abuser, who wasmy father throughout my
childhood.
And I lived with two olderbrothers, and we were all abused
by our abuser.
(02:46):
And when I was 14, my middlebrother uh decided to tell a
trusted adult about what washappening in our family.
And, you know, life kind of blewup in a different way than when
our abuser was taken from ourhome.
And I think a lot of peoplethink when an abuser is gone,
that that's just kind of the endof it for kids, that they're,
(03:09):
you know, now they're away fromtheir abuser, no more abuse,
everything should be okay.
But there are a lot of differentlittle uh traumas that kids go
through afterwards.
And for me, it was specificallyin uh the court system.
Uh, we were we were asked to uhbe a part of a criminal, uh
(03:31):
criminal trial with my abuser.
And you know, they they kind ofwanted us to go along with their
story, with what they wanted todo, instead of really taking our
experience.
So it got really hard and and itgot very uh tiring to deal with
(03:54):
these people who, like the DA,who wanted us to bend to their
will and to not listen to ourown experience.
I wanted them to have all of me.
And finally, after years andyears of pushing through, my
brain told me right now, rightnow is when you have to do this
(04:16):
journey.
It's time to get on the journeyand to take care of myself.
SPEAKER_00 (04:22):
Wow, that's such a powerful story.
Thank you so much for sharing.
And when not yet became rightnow, what did that look like for
you?
What happened in your life?
What happened in your head?
What happened in your body?
SPEAKER_01 (04:38):
Yes, yes, this was the important part of it, that
right now moment.
Uh, I was I was having to closemy boutique that I had in my
town.
Uh, I had to go into bankruptcy,and I felt like a very important
part of myself was gone.
Uh, you know, kind of like anidentification of myself had
(05:02):
left because I had had to stepaway from being the shop owner
that people love to come to talkto and visit and get advice
from, and you know, fit injeans.
That was what my boutique wasreally all about was fitting
women in jeans.
And I loved it, but I couldn'thold on to it.
And so I lost an identity inthat time.
(05:25):
So that's when I started gettingthe brain fog, getting the uh,
you know, feel the tirednessfeeling, not being able to
communicate well with people,and not having great
relationships.
And that is that moment that mybrain said to me, now, right now
(05:46):
you have to do this.
You have to go on this journey.
And because I had gone throughthe uh years after my abuse in
therapy, and I had at one pointgone into hospitalization, I
knew that I had to put togethera team.
A team of trusted professionalsthat were going to be able to
(06:11):
help me.
And first of all, I knew Ineeded an individual therapist.
And I also knew that I should goback into hospitalization.
I, you know, I knew that thatwas going to be something that
could help me to get on track,to figure out what therapy
modalities I might be able touse that will help me get
(06:34):
through the diagnoses I had, thecomplex PTSD and the major
depressive disorder.
So that were that was really thebiggest two steps.
After hospitalization, I uh Igot into groups, therapeutic
groups.
And that was something that wasvery different from me.
(06:55):
Because when I was a kid and Iwas made to go into group
therapy, I hated it.
Absolutely hated it.
Like, why would a teenager wantto sit with a bunch of other
teenagers and talk about awfulstuff?
Right.
So as an adult, going into grouptherapy was an eye-opener for me
(07:18):
because I was able to have acommunity surrounding me of
people who understood what I wasgoing through and probably had
gone through similar things asme.
And I found it to be reallyimportant in uh this current
healing journey.
SPEAKER_00 (07:37):
Before we cover the next topic in this episode, I
want to introduce you to theadventure sports lifestyle with
what I call a micro story aboutan adventure that I've had.
The adventure sports lifestyleand my deep connection to nature
is essential to my good health.
So here's the story.
It's fall, y'all.
Do not allow yourself to startstaying inside.
(07:57):
Fall is not the time, nor iswinter, to forget about the
health benefits of being outsidein nature.
So I know it's getting darkerearly and it's cold, and you're
starting to think, well, I'mgoing to hibernate like a bear,
just go to work and school, andpretty much just stay indoors
(08:19):
until spring comes.
But that's a fast way to startexperiencing seasonal affective
disorder or sad.
If you want to keep the winterblues away, continue to get
outside and adventure.
So lace up your walking shoes,go for a walk in a corn maze or
(08:39):
a pumpkin patch, or even just inyour community doing urban
trekking, a suburban park, orgetting into the backcountry if
that's accessible to you.
I hope this inspires you to getoutside and adventure alone with
friends, family, or people thatyou love the most.
And thinking back about yourtime in group therapy as a
(09:03):
teenager versus as an adult,what do you think was the
difference?
Was it just being a teenager andnot wanting to bear your soul to
in the public uh way, or was itsomething else?
SPEAKER_01 (09:18):
I think it was as a teenager, I just didn't want to
look at my trauma.
I didn't want to be reminded ofit over and over and over.
I just wanted to let it go.
And as you know, there's reallyno way of letting go of this
trauma and just living the youknow simple, quote, normal life
that people want to live.
(09:40):
It sticks with you.
It stays with you, it changesyour body chemistry, it changes
the neurons in your brain.
So there really is no way to runand hide from this trauma.
SPEAKER_00 (09:54):
So tell us about your uh my moody monster and how
people use it.
How did you develop it?
And where can we get it is themost important question.
SPEAKER_01 (10:07):
Yes.
So Moody actually came out ofgroup therapy for me.
I was in a therapeutic group andI was talking about how I was so
frustrated with my diagnoses,with you know, the emotions, the
big feelings that I wasconstantly having with my PTSD.
And I said, I wish I had amonster that I could just rip
(10:30):
apart, throw across the room,drown in water, whatever I
needed to do to get this out,right?
And people in the group werelike, Yeah, you should have
that.
So I was like, huh, hmm, let'ssee, what can I do about this?
And I'm not a seamstress, I'mnot a tailor in any way, but I
(10:50):
went home and I started work onthis kind of ragtag plush
monster, and I made their arms,legs, and head of Velcro so that
I could rip them apart and getall that frustration out.
The very first doll's name wasPTSD Pete.
So I named them for, you know,for what I specifically needed
(11:12):
them for.
And as I was using Pete, Irealized that it really was
helping me a lot with just thosemoments where it's just too much
and you need to emotionallyregulate and find something to
help you to get that out.
And many times people need aphysical outlet.
(11:33):
And sometimes people will go fora run, they'll, you know, use
weights, or they'll do somethingthat with their body that helps
them to release that energy.
And for me, Pete was doing thetrick.
SPEAKER_00 (11:46):
My Moody Monster seems like it's a great
kid-friendly tool to help themmanage, communicate, deal with
their emotions.
But I can also see how an adultmight want to use it also.
Can you talk about how differentage groups might use my moody
(12:06):
monster?
SPEAKER_01 (12:08):
Yes.
So I wish I had Moody for mykids, especially my oldest.
He went through a lot ofbehavioral issues, and we used
to call him the Tasmanian devil,because he would just let all of
this frustration out physicallyand kind of make a mess of
things.
And afterwards, he'd go througha shame spiral.
Like he was a bad boy for doingwhat he did, getting out all of
(12:32):
this frustration in thisphysical way.
So when I started thinking ofMoody as a tool for children, I
realized it would be perfect forthese little cavemen kids who
have all of this emotion.
I called my sons little cavemen.
And they they can use this in asafe way with their adults, with
(12:56):
their caregivers to better copeand then be able to maybe not so
much talk about it, butunderstand that they have a safe
space with their family to beable to talk about their
emotions.
SPEAKER_00 (13:13):
Can you tell us how or demonstrate how someone might
use it?
You can make up a scenario andmaybe show us um how to interact
with the doll as how a parentmight coach their child with
using it and also how an adultmight use it.
Yes.
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
So let's say that you have you have two kids, you
have an older and younger child,and that younger child is really
getting on the older child'snerves, maybe taking their toys.
Maybe they broke something thatwas the older child's like
favorite thing.
And that older child has so muchinside them that is boiling up
(13:59):
because they just want torelease the anger on the person
that's doing the breaking, doingthe bothering.
But with Moody, they have achance to grab onto this buddy
that they can really get thatfrustration frustration out with
(14:19):
by ripping them apart.
The best part about Moody withtearing them apart is that I
worked for years on finding thestickiest velcro I could
possibly find.
So Moody is actually prettydifficult to rip apart.
So for a child, it takes so muchenergy to rip each part of Moody
(14:42):
off of their body that they'rereleasing this tension that's
building up in their core andletting it just explode with
Moody.
And also recognizing that thisis what Moody is there for.
This is their purpose, is to bethat buddy to get all of that
(15:04):
anger out, all that just mad,mad energy.
So what Moody also does is thatthey show the parent, okay, so
my child is using Moody rightnow.
I need to get into a mindsetwhere I can help my child.
And I always tell parents, wehave to build our own emotions
(15:27):
toolbox, right?
These, you know, coping skillsthat we can use for ourselves
because we didn't, we didn'treally learn that when we were
kids.
For me, I mean, I'm Gen X, and Iknow for a fact that emotions
were not something to show.
They were something to push downand battle through and you know,
(15:50):
never really talk about them.
So for parents, Moody signals,okay, I have to get into the
right frame of mind so that Ican help my child.
And then finally, when the childis ready, you can put Moody back
together again, together, sothat you can talk about what was
(16:10):
that big thing that wasbothering you?
What can we do next time to helpyou better cope with the big
feelings that you were having?
So it's a really greatcommunication tool for the
entire family.
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I love a lot of things about mymoody monster.
(17:26):
I work with children inadventure camp, and I notice
that there are some children whoreally have a hard time
regulating their emotions.
And when they feel overwhelmed,sometimes they want to hit
someone.
(18:19):
Being able to use that energy,refocus that energy on Moody in
a way that is helpful and notharmful or destructive sounds
genius.
I really love that idea.
SPEAKER_01 (18:35):
I use Moody during Zoom calls, during, you know,
just everyday things that may gowrong.
I just rip them apart.
And knowing that that's whatMoody, I created Moody for,
helps me to let go of maybe alittle bit of shame that I'm
feeling these feelings and thatI am getting, I'm feeling a bit
(18:58):
out of control, right?
Moody's there for that.
So let's use them for exactlywhat I created them for.
So can we see Moody in action?
Oh, yes, absolutely.
So that this is Moody.
So you can really hear the theVelcro, right?
(19:19):
It's a really great sensorytool.
You know, and just get all ofthis out.
You know, throw their body partsaround, punch their belly.
That's okay.
We can use Moody for that.
And I've created a coloring bookthat goes along with them to
talk about that.
Hey, I'm here to do it.
You're not hurting me.
(19:41):
Let's get this out together andfigure it out together.
SPEAKER_00 (19:45):
And where can we find Moody?
SPEAKER_01 (19:48):
Moody is on the well, I have the website, My
Moody Monster, and I'm on allthe socials as My Moody Monster.
And so at YouTube, I have abunch of different like lessons.
I have Moody story time forkids.
We read uh books about bigfeelings, about you know,
different groups of people.
(20:09):
Like during Autism AwarenessMonth, I read books all about
autistic children or autisticpeople in history.
And you know, just teaching kidsthat emotions are valid.
All of them are.
It's just how we use, you know,we use our bodies and our minds
to better cope with them.
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
I love this so much.
You also have another way thatyou help people who are working
through complex PTSD, and it'sthrough your podcasts.
We've not yet becomes right now.
SPEAKER_01 (20:43):
Yes, yes.
So that goes back to my historyof holding off on my healing
journey.
And I was going on mental healthpodcasts and parenting podcasts,
and I realized that I wastelling this story over and
over, and realizing with thepeople that I was talking to,
they also had similar journeys.
(21:04):
So I thought, you know what?
I think what I really want to dois share those life journeys
that people have and to tellpeople out there that they're
not alone.
That's really the major, youknow, thought process in the
podcast was if I can help oneperson feel less alone, then
(21:26):
I've done my job.
SPEAKER_00 (21:27):
That's so you're so right about that in in terms of
feeling like you're the only onewho's going through this,
especially because of socialmedia.
Social media is a platform thatallows people to show the best
times of their life.
Although people do go on socialmedia to have a meltdown and
tell their followers all thethings that are going wrong in
(21:49):
their life.
But we so often see people attheir best, and it looks like
everyone's having more fun and abetter life than than you are,
especially if you're goingthrough something difficult at
the time.
So I love that you have thisspace where people can go and
see.
I'm not the only one who'ssuffering.
I'm not the only one who's gotchallenges right now.
SPEAKER_01 (22:11):
Yeah, yeah.
I think it's really importantthat we have a community.
I find podcasting to be abeautiful community.
I've met so many people alongthe way who have become dear
friends, who I've gone to forfor help at times and been there
to help those that I, you know,I've met and just really enjoy
(22:34):
being a part of that community.
SPEAKER_00 (22:36):
Oh, I can agree with you there.
My podcast community is sobeautiful.
I actually every morning, someof my listeners will go to my
account on X and say goodmorning to me and read my post
and get information and reshareit.
And it just is such a beautiful,welcoming community.
(22:56):
I I love it too.
So I'm glad that you have thatas well.
Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01 (23:01):
And you are doing such a wonderful um thing for
people as well.
Uh, New Normal Big Life is anincredible podcast, and I really
enjoy listening to you.
SPEAKER_00 (23:12):
Oh, thank you so much, Jen.
I'm so excited to share my moodymonster.
And for listeners, you can findlinks in the show description.
What else do you want to leavelisteners with, Jen?
SPEAKER_01 (23:24):
Yes, I would love to tell people that a healing
journey is uh a roller coasterride, and there really is no
beginning or end to it.
You go through the ups and thedowns, and you you can realize
(23:44):
through that that there are waysthat you can cope, but there are
also days that you need to giveyourself grace.
We need to tell ourselves thatwe don't constantly have to be
uh running around doing all wecan possibly do.
We can also take that time tosit back, to give ourselves that
(24:05):
grace and understand that thereare days that are going to be a
little better than others.
And ultimately, you're going onthis healing journey for a very
long time.
I don't really see ends tohealing journeys.
I see, you know, if somebodyasks me where are you at in your
healing journey, I say I'm inthe middle of it.
And 10 years from now, I willprobably say in the middle of
(24:29):
it.
So definitely give yourselfgrace.
SPEAKER_00 (24:32):
That's a beautiful insight to end with.
Thank you so much for joining mehere in the Northwoods Cabin.
Thank you so much for having me.
Until next time, friends, I'mAnfinitely your wellness warrior
here at the New Normal Big LifePodcast.
I hope one day to see you on theriver, in the backcountry, or in
the horse bind living your bestlife.
Struggling with health problemsor seeking natural health
(24:53):
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So by the time my abuser went to prison, I was in
college and I just wanted tolive that life.
I wanted to live the quotenormal college life.
I wanted to be free of mytrauma.
And so I said not yet to mystory, to my trauma, to my
(00:25):
healing journey.
I said not yet after collegebecause I was going into a
career.
And then not yet because I wasgetting married.
And finally, not yet.
I was having children.
And I didn't want to take awayfrom those two beautiful boy
souls that I had had to focus onme.
SPEAKER_00 (00:47):
Hi, friends.
Welcome to the New Normal BigLife podcast.
We bring you natural news andstories about nature that we
hope will inspire you to getoutside in an adventure, along
with a step-by-step plan to helpyou practice what you've learned
and create your own new normaland live the biggest life you
can dream.
I'm your host, Antoinette Lee,the Wellness Warrior.
Today on the New Normal Big Lifepodcast, we're talking with an
(01:09):
expert in complex PTSD and majordepressive disorder about an
innovative, kid-friendly toolthat allows families to talk
about emotions andcommunication.
Meet the creator of My MoodyMonster, Jennifer Ginti.
Jen is the host of a mentalhealth podcast about the moments
that spark change.
(01:30):
After being featured on multiplemental health and parenting
podcasts, Jen had a powerfulrealization.
Her story of pushing away thehard work of facing her trauma
was just one journey.
And there are countless otherjourneys out there, each just as
important and impactful.
This is what inspired Jen tocreate When Not Yet Becomes
(01:50):
Right Now, a podcast in spacefor exploring the many different
paths we take in life.
Let's meet our guest, Jen Gendi.
Hi Jen.
Welcome to New Normal Big LifePodcast.
SPEAKER_01 (02:01):
Oh, thank you so much, Antoinette, for having me
on.
I'm so excited for ourconversation.
SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
So am I.
And you know, I find that thepeople who are the most helpful
are those that have gone throughsolving the problem for
themselves that they're solvingfor other people.
Tell us about your backstory andhow you got into the work that
you were doing.
SPEAKER_01 (02:24):
Sure.
So I am a uh single mom and Ilive with complex PTSD and major
depressive disorder fromchildhood trauma.
I lived with my abuser, who wasmy father throughout my
childhood.
And I lived with two olderbrothers, and we were all abused
by our abuser.
(02:46):
And when I was 14, my middlebrother uh decided to tell a
trusted adult about what washappening in our family.
And, you know, life kind of blewup in a different way than when
our abuser was taken from ourhome.
And I think a lot of peoplethink when an abuser is gone,
that that's just kind of the endof it for kids, that they're,
(03:09):
you know, now they're away fromtheir abuser, no more abuse,
everything should be okay.
But there are a lot of differentlittle uh traumas that kids go
through afterwards.
And for me, it was specificallyin uh the court system.
Uh, we were we were asked to uhbe a part of a criminal, uh
(03:31):
criminal trial with my abuser.
And you know, they they kind ofwanted us to go along with their
story, with what they wanted todo, instead of really taking our
experience.
So it got really hard and and itgot very uh tiring to deal with
(03:54):
these people who, like the DA,who wanted us to bend to their
will and to not listen to ourown experience.
I wanted them to have all of me.
And finally, after years andyears of pushing through, my
brain told me right now, rightnow is when you have to do this
(04:16):
journey.
It's time to get on the journeyand to take care of myself.
SPEAKER_00 (04:22):
Wow, that's such a powerful story.
Thank you so much for sharing.
And when not yet became rightnow, what did that look like for
you?
What happened in your life?
What happened in your head?
What happened in your body?
SPEAKER_01 (04:38):
Yes, yes, this was the important part of it, that
right now moment.
Uh, I was I was having to closemy boutique that I had in my
town.
Uh, I had to go into bankruptcy,and I felt like a very important
part of myself was gone.
Uh, you know, kind of like anidentification of myself had
(05:02):
left because I had had to stepaway from being the shop owner
that people love to come to talkto and visit and get advice
from, and you know, fit injeans.
That was what my boutique wasreally all about was fitting
women in jeans.
And I loved it, but I couldn'thold on to it.
And so I lost an identity inthat time.
(05:25):
So that's when I started gettingthe brain fog, getting the uh,
you know, feel the tirednessfeeling, not being able to
communicate well with people,and not having great
relationships.
And that is that moment that mybrain said to me, now, right now
(05:46):
you have to do this.
You have to go on this journey.
And because I had gone throughthe uh years after my abuse in
therapy, and I had at one pointgone into hospitalization, I
knew that I had to put togethera team.
A team of trusted professionalsthat were going to be able to
(06:11):
help me.
And first of all, I knew Ineeded an individual therapist.
And I also knew that I should goback into hospitalization.
I, you know, I knew that thatwas going to be something that
could help me to get on track,to figure out what therapy
modalities I might be able touse that will help me get
(06:34):
through the diagnoses I had, thecomplex PTSD and the major
depressive disorder.
So that were that was really thebiggest two steps.
After hospitalization, I uh Igot into groups, therapeutic
groups.
And that was something that wasvery different from me.
(06:55):
Because when I was a kid and Iwas made to go into group
therapy, I hated it.
Absolutely hated it.
Like, why would a teenager wantto sit with a bunch of other
teenagers and talk about awfulstuff?
Right.
So as an adult, going into grouptherapy was an eye-opener for me
(07:18):
because I was able to have acommunity surrounding me of
people who understood what I wasgoing through and probably had
gone through similar things asme.
And I found it to be reallyimportant in uh this current
healing journey.
SPEAKER_00 (07:37):
Before we cover the next topic in this episode, I
want to introduce you to theadventure sports lifestyle with
what I call a micro story aboutan adventure that I've had.
The adventure sports lifestyleand my deep connection to nature
is essential to my good health.
So here's the story.
It's fall, y'all.
Do not allow yourself to startstaying inside.
(07:57):
Fall is not the time, nor iswinter, to forget about the
health benefits of being outsidein nature.
So I know it's getting darkerearly and it's cold, and you're
starting to think, well, I'mgoing to hibernate like a bear,
just go to work and school, andpretty much just stay indoors
(08:19):
until spring comes.
But that's a fast way to startexperiencing seasonal affective
disorder or sad.
If you want to keep the winterblues away, continue to get
outside and adventure.
So lace up your walking shoes,go for a walk in a corn maze or
(08:39):
a pumpkin patch, or even just inyour community doing urban
trekking, a suburban park, orgetting into the backcountry if
that's accessible to you.
I hope this inspires you to getoutside and adventure alone with
friends, family, or people thatyou love the most.
And thinking back about yourtime in group therapy as a
(09:03):
teenager versus as an adult,what do you think was the
difference?
Was it just being a teenager andnot wanting to bear your soul to
in the public uh way, or was itsomething else?
SPEAKER_01 (09:18):
I think it was as a teenager, I just didn't want to
look at my trauma.
I didn't want to be reminded ofit over and over and over.
I just wanted to let it go.
And as you know, there's reallyno way of letting go of this
trauma and just living the youknow simple, quote, normal life
that people want to live.
(09:40):
It sticks with you.
It stays with you, it changesyour body chemistry, it changes
the neurons in your brain.
So there really is no way to runand hide from this trauma.
SPEAKER_00 (09:54):
So tell us about your uh my moody monster and how
people use it.
How did you develop it?
And where can we get it is themost important question.
SPEAKER_01 (10:07):
Yes.
So Moody actually came out ofgroup therapy for me.
I was in a therapeutic group andI was talking about how I was so
frustrated with my diagnoses,with you know, the emotions, the
big feelings that I wasconstantly having with my PTSD.
And I said, I wish I had amonster that I could just rip
(10:30):
apart, throw across the room,drown in water, whatever I
needed to do to get this out,right?
And people in the group werelike, Yeah, you should have
that.
So I was like, huh, hmm, let'ssee, what can I do about this?
And I'm not a seamstress, I'mnot a tailor in any way, but I
(10:50):
went home and I started work onthis kind of ragtag plush
monster, and I made their arms,legs, and head of Velcro so that
I could rip them apart and getall that frustration out.
The very first doll's name wasPTSD Pete.
So I named them for, you know,for what I specifically needed
(11:12):
them for.
And as I was using Pete, Irealized that it really was
helping me a lot with just thosemoments where it's just too much
and you need to emotionallyregulate and find something to
help you to get that out.
And many times people need aphysical outlet.
(11:33):
And sometimes people will go fora run, they'll, you know, use
weights, or they'll do somethingthat with their body that helps
them to release that energy.
And for me, Pete was doing thetrick.
SPEAKER_00 (11:46):
My Moody Monster seems like it's a great
kid-friendly tool to help themmanage, communicate, deal with
their emotions.
But I can also see how an adultmight want to use it also.
Can you talk about how differentage groups might use my moody
(12:06):
monster?
SPEAKER_01 (12:08):
Yes.
So I wish I had Moody for mykids, especially my oldest.
He went through a lot ofbehavioral issues, and we used
to call him the Tasmanian devil,because he would just let all of
this frustration out physicallyand kind of make a mess of
things.
And afterwards, he'd go througha shame spiral.
Like he was a bad boy for doingwhat he did, getting out all of
(12:32):
this frustration in thisphysical way.
So when I started thinking ofMoody as a tool for children, I
realized it would be perfect forthese little cavemen kids who
have all of this emotion.
I called my sons little cavemen.
And they they can use this in asafe way with their adults, with
(12:56):
their caregivers to better copeand then be able to maybe not so
much talk about it, butunderstand that they have a safe
space with their family to beable to talk about their
emotions.
SPEAKER_00 (13:13):
Can you tell us how or demonstrate how someone might
use it?
You can make up a scenario andmaybe show us um how to interact
with the doll as how a parentmight coach their child with
using it and also how an adultmight use it.
Yes.
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
So let's say that you have you have two kids, you
have an older and younger child,and that younger child is really
getting on the older child'snerves, maybe taking their toys.
Maybe they broke something thatwas the older child's like
favorite thing.
And that older child has so muchinside them that is boiling up
(13:59):
because they just want torelease the anger on the person
that's doing the breaking, doingthe bothering.
But with Moody, they have achance to grab onto this buddy
that they can really get thatfrustration frustration out with
(14:19):
by ripping them apart.
The best part about Moody withtearing them apart is that I
worked for years on finding thestickiest velcro I could
possibly find.
So Moody is actually prettydifficult to rip apart.
So for a child, it takes so muchenergy to rip each part of Moody
(14:42):
off of their body that they'rereleasing this tension that's
building up in their core andletting it just explode with
Moody.
And also recognizing that thisis what Moody is there for.
This is their purpose, is to bethat buddy to get all of that
(15:04):
anger out, all that just mad,mad energy.
So what Moody also does is thatthey show the parent, okay, so
my child is using Moody rightnow.
I need to get into a mindsetwhere I can help my child.
And I always tell parents, wehave to build our own emotions
(15:27):
toolbox, right?
These, you know, coping skillsthat we can use for ourselves
because we didn't, we didn'treally learn that when we were
kids.
For me, I mean, I'm Gen X, and Iknow for a fact that emotions
were not something to show.
They were something to push downand battle through and you know,
(15:50):
never really talk about them.
So for parents, Moody signals,okay, I have to get into the
right frame of mind so that Ican help my child.
And then finally, when the childis ready, you can put Moody back
together again, together, sothat you can talk about what was
(16:10):
that big thing that wasbothering you?
What can we do next time to helpyou better cope with the big
feelings that you were having?
So it's a really greatcommunication tool for the
entire family.
SPEAKER_00 (16:23):
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I love a lot of things about mymoody monster.
(17:26):
I work with children inadventure camp, and I notice
that there are some children whoreally have a hard time
regulating their emotions.
And when they feel overwhelmed,sometimes they want to hit
someone.
(18:19):
Being able to use that energy,refocus that energy on Moody in
a way that is helpful and notharmful or destructive sounds
genius.
I really love that idea.
SPEAKER_01 (18:35):
I use Moody during Zoom calls, during, you know,
just everyday things that may gowrong.
I just rip them apart.
And knowing that that's whatMoody, I created Moody for,
helps me to let go of maybe alittle bit of shame that I'm
feeling these feelings and thatI am getting, I'm feeling a bit
(18:58):
out of control, right?
Moody's there for that.
So let's use them for exactlywhat I created them for.
So can we see Moody in action?
Oh, yes, absolutely.
So that this is Moody.
So you can really hear the theVelcro, right?
(19:19):
It's a really great sensorytool.
You know, and just get all ofthis out.
You know, throw their body partsaround, punch their belly.
That's okay.
We can use Moody for that.
And I've created a coloring bookthat goes along with them to
talk about that.
Hey, I'm here to do it.
You're not hurting me.
(19:41):
Let's get this out together andfigure it out together.
SPEAKER_00 (19:45):
And where can we find Moody?
SPEAKER_01 (19:48):
Moody is on the well, I have the website, My
Moody Monster, and I'm on allthe socials as My Moody Monster.
And so at YouTube, I have abunch of different like lessons.
I have Moody story time forkids.
We read uh books about bigfeelings, about you know,
different groups of people.
(20:09):
Like during Autism AwarenessMonth, I read books all about
autistic children or autisticpeople in history.
And you know, just teaching kidsthat emotions are valid.
All of them are.
It's just how we use, you know,we use our bodies and our minds
to better cope with them.
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
I love this so much.
You also have another way thatyou help people who are working
through complex PTSD, and it'sthrough your podcasts.
We've not yet becomes right now.
SPEAKER_01 (20:43):
Yes, yes.
So that goes back to my historyof holding off on my healing
journey.
And I was going on mental healthpodcasts and parenting podcasts,
and I realized that I wastelling this story over and
over, and realizing with thepeople that I was talking to,
they also had similar journeys.
(21:04):
So I thought, you know what?
I think what I really want to dois share those life journeys
that people have and to tellpeople out there that they're
not alone.
That's really the major, youknow, thought process in the
podcast was if I can help oneperson feel less alone, then
(21:26):
I've done my job.
SPEAKER_00 (21:27):
That's so you're so right about that in in terms of
feeling like you're the only onewho's going through this,
especially because of socialmedia.
Social media is a platform thatallows people to show the best
times of their life.
Although people do go on socialmedia to have a meltdown and
tell their followers all thethings that are going wrong in
(21:49):
their life.
But we so often see people attheir best, and it looks like
everyone's having more fun and abetter life than than you are,
especially if you're goingthrough something difficult at
the time.
So I love that you have thisspace where people can go and
see.
I'm not the only one who'ssuffering.
I'm not the only one who's gotchallenges right now.
SPEAKER_01 (22:11):
Yeah, yeah.
I think it's really importantthat we have a community.
I find podcasting to be abeautiful community.
I've met so many people alongthe way who have become dear
friends, who I've gone to forfor help at times and been there
to help those that I, you know,I've met and just really enjoy
(22:34):
being a part of that community.
SPEAKER_00 (22:36):
Oh, I can agree with you there.
My podcast community is sobeautiful.
I actually every morning, someof my listeners will go to my
account on X and say goodmorning to me and read my post
and get information and reshareit.
And it just is such a beautiful,welcoming community.
(22:56):
I I love it too.
So I'm glad that you have thatas well.
Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01 (23:01):
And you are doing such a wonderful um thing for
people as well.
Uh, New Normal Big Life is anincredible podcast, and I really
enjoy listening to you.
SPEAKER_00 (23:12):
Oh, thank you so much, Jen.
I'm so excited to share my moodymonster.
And for listeners, you can findlinks in the show description.
What else do you want to leavelisteners with, Jen?
SPEAKER_01 (23:24):
Yes, I would love to tell people that a healing
journey is uh a roller coasterride, and there really is no
beginning or end to it.
You go through the ups and thedowns, and you you can realize
(23:44):
through that that there are waysthat you can cope, but there are
also days that you need to giveyourself grace.
We need to tell ourselves thatwe don't constantly have to be
uh running around doing all wecan possibly do.
We can also take that time tosit back, to give ourselves that
(24:05):
grace and understand that thereare days that are going to be a
little better than others.
And ultimately, you're going onthis healing journey for a very
long time.
I don't really see ends tohealing journeys.
I see, you know, if somebodyasks me where are you at in your
healing journey, I say I'm inthe middle of it.
And 10 years from now, I willprobably say in the middle of
(24:29):
it.
So definitely give yourselfgrace.
SPEAKER_00 (24:32):
That's a beautiful insight to end with.
Thank you so much for joining mehere in the Northwoods Cabin.
Thank you so much for having me.
Until next time, friends, I'mAnfinitely your wellness warrior
here at the New Normal Big LifePodcast.
I hope one day to see you on theriver, in the backcountry, or in
the horse bind living your bestlife.
Struggling with health problemsor seeking natural health
(24:53):
solutions, we've got youcovered.
Don't miss our latest podcastepisodes, exclusive blog posts,
and free ebooks packed withlife-changing wellness tips.
Be sure to help others find thisgreat information by leaving us
a star rating and a reviewwherever you get your podcasts.
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