October 17, 2024 ā¢ 26 mins
Dive into the power of storytelling and podcasting as tools for healing. Whether you're turning personal trauma into a compelling true crime podcast or writing from a survivor's perspective, this conversation will inspire and guide you on your journey.Key Takeaways:
š Want my step-by-step roadmap to success? Download my FREE Guide: From Overwhelmed to Writing here: http://authornation.online/writing
Explore valuable insights and 3 actionable steps post-show at https://authornationtube.com/healing-through-storytelling-and-podcasting-turning-trauma-into-a-true-crime-podcast/
š Want my step-by-step roadmap to success? Download my FREE Guide: From Overwhelmed to Writing here: http://authornation.online/writing
- Discover how Healing through Storytelling and Podcasting can transform personal trauma into powerful narratives.
- Learn the process of turning trauma into a true crime podcast that captivates and educates your audience.
- Explore strategies for writing true crime from a survivorās perspective with authenticity and sensitivity.
Explore valuable insights and 3 actionable steps post-show at https://authornationtube.com/healing-through-storytelling-and-podcasting-turning-trauma-into-a-true-crime-podcast/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hello, everyone, Welcome to author Nation Interviews. Today we are
diving into how to tell your own crime story, where
we'll explore dealing with the trauma of retelling and working
through on healing like through your story, and much more.
I am your host, Melodie Anne Owen, and I'm here
(00:33):
to guide you towards actionable insights and strategies that will
not only help your writing, but also connect with your
readers on a deeper level. Because at author Nation, we're
committed to equipping you with the tools, the inspiration, and
the community you need to become a successful nonfiction authors.
(00:54):
And with that, I like to tell you about these
wonderful treasure trove of resources at author nation dot online
that is flying past you below as well. Go check
that out. Okay. So, whether you're sipping on your morning
coffee or winding down after a long day, settle in
as we explore how understanding your own story can transform
(01:16):
your writing and your ability to share your story with
the world. Let's introduce our guest, Leonor Ratre, is a storyteller,
trauma survivor, writer, speaker, and community builder with a passion
for sharing her personal understanding of post traumatic growth as
well as her story of living with trauma and post
(01:40):
traumatic stress disorder. In her podcast stand Up eight, she
shares her story of surviving a crime. It's a true
crime from a survivor's perspective. The crime she survived was
a robbery, kidnapping, and assault that happened in British Columbia,
Canada in nineteen ninety two. Until now, she has never
(02:02):
told her side. Let's welcome Lenore, Hi Leonore.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
How are you today, Hi Meladie, I'm good, Thank you
good good.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Let's just let's start off. Just tell us about your
podcast stand Up eight. Why did you decide to share
your story now?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I guess the short answer to why now is really
to do with my help. It got to a point
about eight years ago where I became very sick and
through going to various doctors, I was having stroke symptoms,
(02:47):
I was having heart attack symptoms, cancer symptoms. I was
just a mess. And it wasn't until I saw a
psychologist that introduced the concept to PTSC, which I'll be honest,
I have a lot of trust in the systems at
that point and PTSD seemed like a very far fetched diagnosis.
(03:11):
But ultimately, by keeping the story inside it was making
me sick. And the PTSD journey and the storytelling journey
to myself first I really realized the power of the
connection between your mental and your physical health.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, exactly. And so at that time, did you do
some kind of work with a psychologist or a therapist
of some sort before you started the podcast?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
The writing this story in particular began as a therapeutic tool,
and in the PTSD therapies that I was led through,
they're very similar to what well, it was the same
format that you would give to war Vets, and it
(04:04):
seemed a little extreme. I'm not gonna lie. When he
was launching into it, I really didn't understand the relevance
to what I was carrying. But have learned so much
through that process and in the initial writing, yes, it was.
It was painful, it was challenging, and it's been quite
(04:25):
a long road, but eventually it led into a bigger picture,
a bigger picture impact and that I'm hoping the story
will have in its release.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Yeah. And so PTSD was not a thing until after
the war and Vets came home with all these issues,
and that's actually where people realized, oh, there's this thing
called post traumatic stress disorder. So I'm not surprised that
they're still using the same model really for you know,
telling the story, right, it's as much as maybe there's
(05:03):
a better way. I don't know, but that that makes sense.
So after after that, you started retelling your story for
the podcast. Now, how is it different? Like, these are
two different retellings, right, One is what is a private
attempt to understand and and and maybe not fully healed,
but you get on that healing path, and the other
(05:24):
is public for the public. It's it's forward facing, it's
people facing. How are those two different.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, it's I mean it's it's a for me personally,
it's been the road in how how best I heal?
And I best heal through storytelling, through writing. So the
the typical PTSD therapies were more of a verbal format
and I couldn't do it Like I couldn't do it. It
(05:55):
took me to too much of a dark place and
it was through the writing that that it got it out.
So the road to leading up to the podcast, the
difference in that is extreme. Night and day. I knew
I wanted to tell this in some way that wasn't
(06:17):
I'd always struggled with the way true crime was presented.
And I'm not anti true crime in any way, but
I think especially when you've spent nine days with somebody
who is extremely mentally unwell psychotic individual, you get to
(06:39):
know what makes them tick and the fact that we
are putting these people on kind of a pedestal. As
a survivor, it just I saw how it fed the
person that had me and how it would feed him.
So but back to your question, the pro it started
(07:04):
as therapy. It got me into writing. I attended there's
a major writing conference here called the Surrey International Writers Conference,
which is for writers, the mecca to go to in
terms of connections and education and pitch opportunities. So I've
been going there religiously and I met my writing mentor
(07:26):
there and his background is with CBC Radio and he's
also a published author of his own a memoir. So
with those combined backgrounds he started to mentor me. He
saw the power of the story from a news side,
but he also saw it from the memoir therapy side,
and that really what led to the podcast because it
(07:49):
is such a complicated story from a vulnerability side, and
also just all of the detail in it, and he
liked how I told it as opposed to how I
wrote it. So he said, let's create the book in
an auditory and that's really where its how it developed.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, awesome. Okay for the audience out there, for you
guys listening, you're probably wondering what is this story? So
there will be there is a link in the show notes.
There's link below that you can go click on to
get more of the details around the story. We're not
(08:35):
going to get into the details of the story. This
is actually not a true crime show. We're not going
to get into those. But if you are interested in understanding,
you know this this episode by understanding the story, I
encourage you to go check that out. All right, So
were there moments in developing the podcast where it just
became so overwhelming? And what did you do about that?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Good question, I'd have to say yes. Short answer is yes,
there were mos definitely. Retelling this in any way, shape
or form, you give a piece of yourself whenever you speak,
or you write, or you you know, especially if it's
a vulnerable story, but as a creative outlet in general,
(09:23):
I believe you give a piece of yourself. And for me,
I wasn't able to stick to strict guidelines. I had
to work at my own pace. I know my own
I know pretty well where I'm going to hit my
own walls and roadblocks, and that stalled things along the way.
(09:49):
But having the right resources mentorship JJ is his name,
that the one who mentored me and really produced it,
in engineered this whole outlet. Having that was was really
the main push that kept me moving forward. But yeah,
I mean definitely there were times where well, not just
(10:16):
even going back in my own mind, I'm lucky that
the fact that was it was a crime and it
was in the court system and it was documented, and
I have copies of statements and police reports and and
all of that kind of stuff. Going back through that,
I needed to take a day or so. Sometimes, Yeah,
(10:41):
you got to yourself, you've got to know it. But
yet in the in the long run, it was powerful
for me, you know, but it was my time to do.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah. So it sounds like, you know, when it gets overwhelming,
slow down, take your time, and you know, have support
because you have a you have a person you can
talk to or maybe persons you can talk to. Yes,
So you describe your podcast is not just a survival guide,
but a window into the long term effects of trauma.
(11:10):
So how do you balance sharing such a deeply personal
experience but also creating a narrative that listeners want to
listen to and can relate to.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
The balance between sharing something a deep experience and the narrative, Yes, well,
I guess that's that's really where the taking themes, attaching
a theme to each episode became key and telling it
(11:42):
because if I just told it day one, day two,
day three, and so on, it's a convoluted It's convoluted
and the point is lost in the detail, in the
in the I guess the ugliness or the salacious content.
So what we did JJ had pushed me to look
(12:06):
at it as a self help What tips and tricks
can can you communicate that helped you survive? And I
thought it's too big, I mean, because every situation is unique.
But what to answer your question? What did help is
looking at it and saying, okay, going through the days
(12:29):
and going through how did I stay alive? And looking
at more attributes and behaviors that we have in our
human condition that we possess, and then theming the episodes
on that and telling the stories surrounding that and that
made it. It made it make sense, and it made
(12:50):
it flow. And there's a lot of growth that's come
out of that in terms of other things I can
share and present. So, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
So you talk about eight key attributes that helped you
survive the ordeal. Could you just start by naming them
and then maybe we could dive into one.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Or two of them. Sure? Well, it was naivety, adaptability, compliance,
shutting down, storytelling, human connection, choice, and I think I'm
(13:36):
missing one in there is that faith? Faith? Yes, yeah, faith, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Thank you. So, if you're listening in and you want to,
and I really recommend go listen to Lenore's podcast, you
can find it on Apple. The link is there for you.
It's in the show notes. Pop down, subscribe to her
podcast and listen in because I love what Lenora has
just said about you know, it's not just about the
(14:04):
narrative and telling the story, but it's bringing in, you know,
the key attributes, the survival tips, the what to when right?
And actually I think that's why a lot of people
listen to true true crime what would I do if right?
And so, you know, go check that out, subscribe and
and yeah, listen to the entire story. So could you
(14:26):
tell us a little bit about let's talk about shutting down?
Can we talk about shutting down just a little bit,
because I think this is something that you know in
storytelling right during while you're in the experience, shutting down
is you know, is is a survival mechanism. And now
(14:50):
you are not shutting down at all. So can we
talk about shutting down a little bit?
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yes? Absolutely, And so do you want to talk about
the shadow down as a coping mechanism in when you're
in a state of crisis or thing. Absolutely well, that
to me, that was one of the key from a
(15:16):
psychological side, in terms of the therapy, the therapist, what
they have told me. From a psychological side, that was
one of the key attributes that kept me alive in
a situation, a violent situation, particularly with somebody who's mentally unwell.
(15:39):
Their mindset tends to be predator and you are the prey.
And I learned early on that I was no physical
match for him, and I somehow knew I All I
had was some to figure out something in my mind,
and I found that he was less reactive to me
(16:04):
when I showed no emotion. So initially, that's where my
shutting down became as a default, and I went to
a place where I didn't I didn't laugh, I didn't cry,
I didn't get angry. I was I was. You know,
the adaptability and compliance are all built in there too,
But you know, I just became Okay, I'm going to
(16:27):
get through this somehow, and I had to go to
a place of calm. So that's why I ask you
to clarify. Does this meaning just in the state of crisis?
Shutting down is a mechanism I think we can use
in any situation to find the best solution for our situation.
(16:48):
We have to go to a place of quiet, and
that mindset has been reinforced to me, I guess through
the writing and in the severe situe help me get
through it. And it's something that I certainly see is
as an attribute that I use in other stressful situations. Yeah,
(17:14):
it's a strong one. That's the one that you know,
meditation teaches us, yoga teaches us, and it's it's all
that It's all intertwined.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So when you talk about shutting down, you were talking
about coming to that place inside of you where it's
quiet rather than dissociating.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
For me, Yes, yeah, I don't. I don't necessarily it's
hard to say. I mean, it's like some psychologists might say,
analyze me and say one thing. I don't feel I
disassociated because I always felt present. I still remember thirty
two years ago. Those details are still pretty solid. So
(17:57):
so it's.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
About finding that that quiet. Yes, yeah, beautiful, thank you.
So let's let's talk about platform. Let's move away from
from all of that, you know, the crime and the
and the attributes. Let's talk about platform. So what role
has podcasting played in building your platform and how has
(18:17):
it helped connect you with others who who you know,
who who may need to hear your story.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I never thought that I would do something like this,
and it was someone else, as I've mentioned, my mentor
who saw it and need to do. And yes, the
way that helped in this day and age in building
a platform is it put Everyone has a story. I
(18:51):
truly believe we all are. We all have great stories
that told the right way are really great stories. And
everyone can publish a book these days. So self publishing
is an amazing tool. And what that does, though, is
it saturates the It just saturates the market, and that's
(19:15):
not necessarily a bad thing. But what I've learned through
the Writers' Festival per se is you need to have this.
There's a magic place of building a platform. And for
me it came to it came in the form of
the podcast and at least organizing, if nothing else, my
(19:36):
own thoughts and how to tell this story in a
way that, as I have said before, isn't just this
day by day, here's all the nitty gritty details, like,
there's got to be a bigger takeaway from storytelling, because
I think that's the power of storytelling is we learned
(19:58):
so much, even if we can't relate to the details,
the impact or the lessons learned or what resonate with us.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yeah, and I think now my audience is thinking, Okay,
how do I start a podcast? So what advice would
you give two authors who are thinking about launching a
podcast to support their book.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
I don't know if the world needs a whole bunch
more podcasts. I am involved in a podcast community, and
there are some there are some very strong hosts out
there that you know, rather than take on the task
and be another teeny voice in a giant pool, it
(20:43):
might be smarter to jump into those other established platforms
and start telling your story that way. But I'm each
person has a strength, and not everybody sounds good when
their voice is recorded, and not everybody production is another thing.
(21:04):
If people don't like how it sounds, whether it's the
production quality or what have you. So there's those don't
just do it for that sake, because it's a lot
of work for little reward. So networking and community, I
would look at that piece before and see where your
community is and then that those people will lead you
(21:27):
to the right.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Place perfect, thank you. So based on that, if somebody
is listening in and they think, yeah, but how do
I do that? What would be the first three steps
that you might suggest.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
They take for launching a podcast or.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
For finding for finding your place in the podcasting world
rather than launching your own.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Well, what was told to me is, I mean it's
always start listening to what's out there and what voices
you connect with. People are are more accessible than you think.
LinkedIn is an amazing community you can reach out and
talk to anyone, and there are in YouTube, I mean
(22:11):
there's just through all the social media channels. Try and
narrow it down that way. Number One, in person, you
can't You can't say enough about the power of being
in person, and I think we all learned that very
strongly in the pandemic. So find a local community group
(22:36):
within your your network, your neighborhood. I know there's even
libraries that have podcast meetup groups that are quite fantastic.
But yeah, I just I can't say enough about the
power of community, whether it be virtual or in person.
But build it there. Number one, two and three. Really,
(22:57):
but you know your own your own skill set. Don't
think you have to learn how to do it right.
So and that's what I'm finding now. And I have
a couple of other survivors that have reached out to
me of other terrible things and said, I want to
start a podcast, and we're now talking them coming in
(23:17):
as a voice within what I'm doing. So getting them
started there and then, and don't feel you have to
take it on all at once, I guess is all
to say daunting enough to tell your story? Yes it is.
Thank you for that. I think that was really natural Marketers.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Yes, exactly, thank you. Finally, where can people connect with you,
learn about your story and follow your work?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I am most active on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and then
I also have the podcast and up eight which is
on Apple and Spotify and YouTube. So really, and it's
just my name, but I do have I'm building a
(24:11):
community of resources to help people understand trauma, and there's
that that's my business stuff. So but if you just
search for my name, it's it's pretty findable, all right.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Perfect, Thank you Leonor for coming. I really appreciate your
time today and and and how insightful you've been. You know,
you hear a lot of people do this, do this,
do this, and and you've been a lot more thoughtful
and an understanding of you know, everyone's in a different place,
and I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Well, there's no one, two three step to life. Your
key words very differently. Thank you Leonor, my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Okay, if you are, you know, thank you for joining us. U.
If you're thinking about this, I really want to say
that I hope this conversation has provided you with valuable
insights to a path to telling your story to healing,
whether you want to tell your story just for your
own sake or whether you want to share it with
(25:16):
the world. So remember to visit author Nation online for
any resources that you might need to help you do that.
And I want you to know that I greatly appreciate
your feedback and your support. And if you've enjoyed this episode,
please consider leaving a comment or a review. Don't forget
to share it with fellow authors who will benefit from
(25:38):
the content. Your participation helps us continue delivering the insights
and the tools you need to succeed. So keep writing,
keep creating, and continue sharing your unique stories with the
world exactly too as
Hello, everyone, Welcome to author Nation Interviews. Today we are
diving into how to tell your own crime story, where
we'll explore dealing with the trauma of retelling and working
through on healing like through your story, and much more.
I am your host, Melodie Anne Owen, and I'm here
(00:33):
to guide you towards actionable insights and strategies that will
not only help your writing, but also connect with your
readers on a deeper level. Because at author Nation, we're
committed to equipping you with the tools, the inspiration, and
the community you need to become a successful nonfiction authors.
(00:54):
And with that, I like to tell you about these
wonderful treasure trove of resources at author nation dot online
that is flying past you below as well. Go check
that out. Okay. So, whether you're sipping on your morning
coffee or winding down after a long day, settle in
as we explore how understanding your own story can transform
(01:16):
your writing and your ability to share your story with
the world. Let's introduce our guest, Leonor Ratre, is a storyteller,
trauma survivor, writer, speaker, and community builder with a passion
for sharing her personal understanding of post traumatic growth as
well as her story of living with trauma and post
(01:40):
traumatic stress disorder. In her podcast stand Up eight, she
shares her story of surviving a crime. It's a true
crime from a survivor's perspective. The crime she survived was
a robbery, kidnapping, and assault that happened in British Columbia,
Canada in nineteen ninety two. Until now, she has never
(02:02):
told her side. Let's welcome Lenore, Hi Leonore.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
How are you today, Hi Meladie, I'm good, Thank you
good good.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Let's just let's start off. Just tell us about your
podcast stand Up eight. Why did you decide to share
your story now?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I guess the short answer to why now is really
to do with my help. It got to a point
about eight years ago where I became very sick and
through going to various doctors, I was having stroke symptoms,
(02:47):
I was having heart attack symptoms, cancer symptoms. I was
just a mess. And it wasn't until I saw a
psychologist that introduced the concept to PTSC, which I'll be honest,
I have a lot of trust in the systems at
that point and PTSD seemed like a very far fetched diagnosis.
(03:11):
But ultimately, by keeping the story inside it was making
me sick. And the PTSD journey and the storytelling journey
to myself first I really realized the power of the
connection between your mental and your physical health.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, exactly. And so at that time, did you do
some kind of work with a psychologist or a therapist
of some sort before you started the podcast?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
The writing this story in particular began as a therapeutic tool,
and in the PTSD therapies that I was led through,
they're very similar to what well, it was the same
format that you would give to war Vets, and it
(04:04):
seemed a little extreme. I'm not gonna lie. When he
was launching into it, I really didn't understand the relevance
to what I was carrying. But have learned so much
through that process and in the initial writing, yes, it was.
It was painful, it was challenging, and it's been quite
(04:25):
a long road, but eventually it led into a bigger picture,
a bigger picture impact and that I'm hoping the story
will have in its release.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Yeah. And so PTSD was not a thing until after
the war and Vets came home with all these issues,
and that's actually where people realized, oh, there's this thing
called post traumatic stress disorder. So I'm not surprised that
they're still using the same model really for you know,
telling the story, right, it's as much as maybe there's
(05:03):
a better way. I don't know, but that that makes sense.
So after after that, you started retelling your story for
the podcast. Now, how is it different? Like, these are
two different retellings, right, One is what is a private
attempt to understand and and and maybe not fully healed,
but you get on that healing path, and the other
(05:24):
is public for the public. It's it's forward facing, it's
people facing. How are those two different.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, it's I mean it's it's a for me personally,
it's been the road in how how best I heal?
And I best heal through storytelling, through writing. So the
the typical PTSD therapies were more of a verbal format
and I couldn't do it Like I couldn't do it. It
(05:55):
took me to too much of a dark place and
it was through the writing that that it got it out.
So the road to leading up to the podcast, the
difference in that is extreme. Night and day. I knew
I wanted to tell this in some way that wasn't
(06:17):
I'd always struggled with the way true crime was presented.
And I'm not anti true crime in any way, but
I think especially when you've spent nine days with somebody
who is extremely mentally unwell psychotic individual, you get to
(06:39):
know what makes them tick and the fact that we
are putting these people on kind of a pedestal. As
a survivor, it just I saw how it fed the
person that had me and how it would feed him.
So but back to your question, the pro it started
(07:04):
as therapy. It got me into writing. I attended there's
a major writing conference here called the Surrey International Writers Conference,
which is for writers, the mecca to go to in
terms of connections and education and pitch opportunities. So I've
been going there religiously and I met my writing mentor
(07:26):
there and his background is with CBC Radio and he's
also a published author of his own a memoir. So
with those combined backgrounds he started to mentor me. He
saw the power of the story from a news side,
but he also saw it from the memoir therapy side,
and that really what led to the podcast because it
(07:49):
is such a complicated story from a vulnerability side, and
also just all of the detail in it, and he
liked how I told it as opposed to how I
wrote it. So he said, let's create the book in
an auditory and that's really where its how it developed.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, awesome. Okay for the audience out there, for you
guys listening, you're probably wondering what is this story? So
there will be there is a link in the show notes.
There's link below that you can go click on to
get more of the details around the story. We're not
(08:35):
going to get into the details of the story. This
is actually not a true crime show. We're not going
to get into those. But if you are interested in understanding,
you know this this episode by understanding the story, I
encourage you to go check that out. All right, So
were there moments in developing the podcast where it just
became so overwhelming? And what did you do about that?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Good question, I'd have to say yes. Short answer is yes,
there were mos definitely. Retelling this in any way, shape
or form, you give a piece of yourself whenever you speak,
or you write, or you you know, especially if it's
a vulnerable story, but as a creative outlet in general,
(09:23):
I believe you give a piece of yourself. And for me,
I wasn't able to stick to strict guidelines. I had
to work at my own pace. I know my own
I know pretty well where I'm going to hit my
own walls and roadblocks, and that stalled things along the way.
(09:49):
But having the right resources mentorship JJ is his name,
that the one who mentored me and really produced it,
in engineered this whole outlet. Having that was was really
the main push that kept me moving forward. But yeah,
I mean definitely there were times where well, not just
(10:16):
even going back in my own mind, I'm lucky that
the fact that was it was a crime and it
was in the court system and it was documented, and
I have copies of statements and police reports and and
all of that kind of stuff. Going back through that,
I needed to take a day or so. Sometimes, Yeah,
(10:41):
you got to yourself, you've got to know it. But
yet in the in the long run, it was powerful
for me, you know, but it was my time to do.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah. So it sounds like, you know, when it gets overwhelming,
slow down, take your time, and you know, have support
because you have a you have a person you can
talk to or maybe persons you can talk to. Yes,
So you describe your podcast is not just a survival guide,
but a window into the long term effects of trauma.
(11:10):
So how do you balance sharing such a deeply personal
experience but also creating a narrative that listeners want to
listen to and can relate to.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
The balance between sharing something a deep experience and the narrative, Yes, well,
I guess that's that's really where the taking themes, attaching
a theme to each episode became key and telling it
(11:42):
because if I just told it day one, day two,
day three, and so on, it's a convoluted It's convoluted
and the point is lost in the detail, in the
in the I guess the ugliness or the salacious content.
So what we did JJ had pushed me to look
(12:06):
at it as a self help What tips and tricks
can can you communicate that helped you survive? And I
thought it's too big, I mean, because every situation is unique.
But what to answer your question? What did help is
looking at it and saying, okay, going through the days
(12:29):
and going through how did I stay alive? And looking
at more attributes and behaviors that we have in our
human condition that we possess, and then theming the episodes
on that and telling the stories surrounding that and that
made it. It made it make sense, and it made
(12:50):
it flow. And there's a lot of growth that's come
out of that in terms of other things I can
share and present. So, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
So you talk about eight key attributes that helped you
survive the ordeal. Could you just start by naming them
and then maybe we could dive into one.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Or two of them. Sure? Well, it was naivety, adaptability, compliance,
shutting down, storytelling, human connection, choice, and I think I'm
(13:36):
missing one in there is that faith? Faith? Yes, yeah, faith, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Thank you. So, if you're listening in and you want to,
and I really recommend go listen to Lenore's podcast, you
can find it on Apple. The link is there for you.
It's in the show notes. Pop down, subscribe to her
podcast and listen in because I love what Lenora has
just said about you know, it's not just about the
(14:04):
narrative and telling the story, but it's bringing in, you know,
the key attributes, the survival tips, the what to when right?
And actually I think that's why a lot of people
listen to true true crime what would I do if right?
And so, you know, go check that out, subscribe and
and yeah, listen to the entire story. So could you
(14:26):
tell us a little bit about let's talk about shutting down?
Can we talk about shutting down just a little bit,
because I think this is something that you know in
storytelling right during while you're in the experience, shutting down
is you know, is is a survival mechanism. And now
(14:50):
you are not shutting down at all. So can we
talk about shutting down a little bit?
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yes? Absolutely, And so do you want to talk about
the shadow down as a coping mechanism in when you're
in a state of crisis or thing. Absolutely well, that
to me, that was one of the key from a
(15:16):
psychological side, in terms of the therapy, the therapist, what
they have told me. From a psychological side, that was
one of the key attributes that kept me alive in
a situation, a violent situation, particularly with somebody who's mentally unwell.
(15:39):
Their mindset tends to be predator and you are the prey.
And I learned early on that I was no physical
match for him, and I somehow knew I All I
had was some to figure out something in my mind,
and I found that he was less reactive to me
(16:04):
when I showed no emotion. So initially, that's where my
shutting down became as a default, and I went to
a place where I didn't I didn't laugh, I didn't cry,
I didn't get angry. I was I was. You know,
the adaptability and compliance are all built in there too,
But you know, I just became Okay, I'm going to
(16:27):
get through this somehow, and I had to go to
a place of calm. So that's why I ask you
to clarify. Does this meaning just in the state of crisis?
Shutting down is a mechanism I think we can use
in any situation to find the best solution for our situation.
(16:48):
We have to go to a place of quiet, and
that mindset has been reinforced to me, I guess through
the writing and in the severe situe help me get
through it. And it's something that I certainly see is
as an attribute that I use in other stressful situations. Yeah,
(17:14):
it's a strong one. That's the one that you know,
meditation teaches us, yoga teaches us, and it's it's all
that It's all intertwined.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So when you talk about shutting down, you were talking
about coming to that place inside of you where it's
quiet rather than dissociating.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
For me, Yes, yeah, I don't. I don't necessarily it's
hard to say. I mean, it's like some psychologists might say,
analyze me and say one thing. I don't feel I
disassociated because I always felt present. I still remember thirty
two years ago. Those details are still pretty solid. So
(17:57):
so it's.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
About finding that that quiet. Yes, yeah, beautiful, thank you.
So let's let's talk about platform. Let's move away from
from all of that, you know, the crime and the
and the attributes. Let's talk about platform. So what role
has podcasting played in building your platform and how has
(18:17):
it helped connect you with others who who you know,
who who may need to hear your story.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I never thought that I would do something like this,
and it was someone else, as I've mentioned, my mentor
who saw it and need to do. And yes, the
way that helped in this day and age in building
a platform is it put Everyone has a story. I
(18:51):
truly believe we all are. We all have great stories
that told the right way are really great stories. And
everyone can publish a book these days. So self publishing
is an amazing tool. And what that does, though, is
it saturates the It just saturates the market, and that's
(19:15):
not necessarily a bad thing. But what I've learned through
the Writers' Festival per se is you need to have this.
There's a magic place of building a platform. And for
me it came to it came in the form of
the podcast and at least organizing, if nothing else, my
(19:36):
own thoughts and how to tell this story in a
way that, as I have said before, isn't just this
day by day, here's all the nitty gritty details, like,
there's got to be a bigger takeaway from storytelling, because
I think that's the power of storytelling is we learned
(19:58):
so much, even if we can't relate to the details,
the impact or the lessons learned or what resonate with us.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yeah, and I think now my audience is thinking, Okay,
how do I start a podcast? So what advice would
you give two authors who are thinking about launching a
podcast to support their book.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
I don't know if the world needs a whole bunch
more podcasts. I am involved in a podcast community, and
there are some there are some very strong hosts out
there that you know, rather than take on the task
and be another teeny voice in a giant pool, it
(20:43):
might be smarter to jump into those other established platforms
and start telling your story that way. But I'm each
person has a strength, and not everybody sounds good when
their voice is recorded, and not everybody production is another thing.
(21:04):
If people don't like how it sounds, whether it's the
production quality or what have you. So there's those don't
just do it for that sake, because it's a lot
of work for little reward. So networking and community, I
would look at that piece before and see where your
community is and then that those people will lead you
(21:27):
to the right.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Place perfect, thank you. So based on that, if somebody
is listening in and they think, yeah, but how do
I do that? What would be the first three steps
that you might suggest.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
They take for launching a podcast or.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
For finding for finding your place in the podcasting world
rather than launching your own.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Well, what was told to me is, I mean it's
always start listening to what's out there and what voices
you connect with. People are are more accessible than you think.
LinkedIn is an amazing community you can reach out and
talk to anyone, and there are in YouTube, I mean
(22:11):
there's just through all the social media channels. Try and
narrow it down that way. Number One, in person, you
can't You can't say enough about the power of being
in person, and I think we all learned that very
strongly in the pandemic. So find a local community group
(22:36):
within your your network, your neighborhood. I know there's even
libraries that have podcast meetup groups that are quite fantastic.
But yeah, I just I can't say enough about the
power of community, whether it be virtual or in person.
But build it there. Number one, two and three. Really,
(22:57):
but you know your own your own skill set. Don't
think you have to learn how to do it right.
So and that's what I'm finding now. And I have
a couple of other survivors that have reached out to
me of other terrible things and said, I want to
start a podcast, and we're now talking them coming in
(23:17):
as a voice within what I'm doing. So getting them
started there and then, and don't feel you have to
take it on all at once, I guess is all
to say daunting enough to tell your story? Yes it is.
Thank you for that. I think that was really natural Marketers.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Yes, exactly, thank you. Finally, where can people connect with you,
learn about your story and follow your work?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I am most active on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and then
I also have the podcast and up eight which is
on Apple and Spotify and YouTube. So really, and it's
just my name, but I do have I'm building a
(24:11):
community of resources to help people understand trauma, and there's
that that's my business stuff. So but if you just
search for my name, it's it's pretty findable, all right.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Perfect, Thank you Leonor for coming. I really appreciate your
time today and and and how insightful you've been. You know,
you hear a lot of people do this, do this,
do this, and and you've been a lot more thoughtful
and an understanding of you know, everyone's in a different place,
and I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Well, there's no one, two three step to life. Your
key words very differently. Thank you Leonor, my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Okay, if you are, you know, thank you for joining us. U.
If you're thinking about this, I really want to say
that I hope this conversation has provided you with valuable
insights to a path to telling your story to healing,
whether you want to tell your story just for your
own sake or whether you want to share it with
(25:16):
the world. So remember to visit author Nation online for
any resources that you might need to help you do that.
And I want you to know that I greatly appreciate
your feedback and your support. And if you've enjoyed this episode,
please consider leaving a comment or a review. Don't forget
to share it with fellow authors who will benefit from
(25:38):
the content. Your participation helps us continue delivering the insights
and the tools you need to succeed. So keep writing,
keep creating, and continue sharing your unique stories with the
world exactly too as
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