What does it really mean to become a cycle breaker?

In this episode of Conversations That Heal, I sit down with Rain for an incredibly honest conversation about childhood trauma, resilience, healing, and what it takes to intentionally create a life that looks different from the one you came from.

Rain’s story began with circumstances she had no control over. She was born in prison, experienced poverty and multiple evictions, battled renal vasculitis and endured years of chemotherapy, witnessed her mother’s addiction and arrest, and was eventually taken across the country by an estranged father into another environment affected by alcoholism and violence.

But this conversation isn't only about what Rain survived.

It's about who she decided to become.

We talk about how childhood trauma can follow us into adulthood—affecting our sense of safety, relationships, self-worth, and even what feels normal to us. Rain shares how healing required her to stop bypassing difficult emotions and begin facing what she had experienced.

She also talks about becoming a cycle breaker, not simply by saying she wanted something different, but through the choices she makes every day.

Through her relationship with her husband, Carlos, and his family, Rain began experiencing what safety could actually feel like. Her healing journey has also included therapy, reading, EFT, hypnotherapy, breathwork, meditation, and inner-child work.

We also talk about the unexpected path that eventually led her into entrepreneurship—from leaving college and briefly joining Amway to building Raintavia LLC, where she now provides operations and technology support for online businesses.

One of the things I appreciated most about this conversation was Rain's reminder to “trust in chaos.”

Your beginning may explain parts of your story, but it does not have to determine how the story ends.

You can heal.

You can choose differently.

You can become the person who says:

The cycle stops with me. 💙

🎙️ Conversations That Heal Healing One Conversation at a Time.

#ConversationsThatHeal #CycleBreaker #TraumaHealing #ChildhoodTrauma #Resilience #InnerChildHealing #HealingJourney

What happens when you grow up loved and supported, but there is still a part of you wondering where you came from?

In this episode of Conversations That Heal, I sit down with Dr. Adam Anthony for a powerful conversation about foster care, adoption, identity, faith, and the journey of finding yourself.

Dr. Anthony was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, abandoned at the hospital, placed in foster care, and eventually adopted through a foster-to-adopt program. Although he grew up in a stable and loving family, there was still a longing to understand his biological roots—what he describes as the “ghost kingdom” many adoptees experience.

We talk about the complicated emotions that can come with searching for your biological family, the fears adoptive parents may carry, and why adoptees need community, mentorship, therapy, and support as they navigate questions about identity and belonging.

Dr. Anthony also shares how his faith shaped his journey, how telling his story helped remove the shame once attached to it, and how his experiences eventually became part of his purpose.

Today, through Mpowerment, he equips and supports those working with young men of color who come from foster care and adoption backgrounds.

One thing that stayed with me from this conversation is the power of knowing your story without allowing the painful parts of that story to determine who you become.

Sometimes healing isn't about finding every missing piece.

Sometimes, somewhere along the journey, you realize:

I found me.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Adam Anthony, his work, or the services and support he offers, you can connect with him here:

Website: https://www.empowermentbydradam.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-adam-anthony

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowermentby_dradam

Dr. Anthony offers services and resources for individuals, families, organizations, and professionals connected to foster care, adoption, identity development, mentorship, and the support of young men of color. Visit his website for additional information about his current services and offerings.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StephanieJeffreys

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-heal/id1805456580

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2uQXlvyY97Nv6kALy6cxo9

iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/271336545

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eb49e137-b976-41b6-9351-a33e3792994f

🎙️ Conversations That Heal Healing One Conversation at a Time.

#ConversationsThatHeal #IFoundMe #Adoption #FosterCare #Identity #FaithAndHealing #HealingJourney #Mpowerment

Have you ever spent so much time waiting for someone else to choose you that you forgot to ask whether you were choosing yourself?

In this episode of Conversations That Heal, I’m talking about the emotional toll of waiting to be chosen, in relationships, friendships, family, careers, and even spaces where we have spent years trying to prove that we belong.

For some of us, this started long before adulthood.

When you grow up believing you have to perform to receive love, attention, or affection, you can carry that same belief into your adult relationships. You overgive. You overextend. You accept the bare minimum. You work harder to prove your value, hoping that eventually someone will look at everything you bring to the table and finally say, “I choose you.”

But I’ve had to confront something in my own journey:

Being needed is not the same as being loved.

And someone choosing me does not determine my worth.

God has already chosen me.

In this episode, I share what I’m learning about stepping back from the need to be needed, recognizing when childhood wounds are influencing adult choices, and asking myself a different question:

“Am I choosing me?”

Choosing yourself doesn't mean you stop loving other people. It means you stop abandoning yourself in the process of loving them.

It means refusing to audition for love.

It means no longer accepting less because you're afraid nothing better will come.

It means recognizing that you don't have to convince someone of your value in order to possess it.

I close this episode in prayer, asking God to give us the courage to release relationships and dynamics that no longer serve us, seek Him before seeking validation from others, and learn how to choose ourselves differently.

Maybe you've spent enough time waiting to be chosen.

This time, choose you. 💙

🎙️ Conversations That Heal Healing One Conversation at a Time.

#ConversationsThatHeal #ChooseYourself #ChoosingMe #SelfWorth #ChildhoodWounds #Relationships #FaithAndHealing #HealingJourney