Trauma From Childhood Through Adulthood - Resilience & Relationships - Dr. Patricia Grenelle, Stephanie Olson, & Rebecca SaundersTrauma From Childhood Through Adulthood - Resilience & Relationships - Dr. Patricia Grenelle, Stephanie Olson, & Rebecca Saunders
Resilience in Life and Leadership
Dr Patricia Grenelle shares her path from childhood sexual abuse and complex trauma to becoming a forensic psychologist and author, reflecting on how writing her memoir supported her healing. Hosts Stephanie Olson and Rebecca Saunders join her in discussing complex PTSD, narcissism, gaslighting, misogyny, and the long but hopeful journey of recovery.
22:20•5 Aug 2026
From ‘Nice Normal Family’ to Healing: Dr Patricia Grenelle on Complex Trauma and Hope
Episode Overview
- Complex PTSD often begins in childhood and can shape a person’s entire life, making recovery a long-term process rather than a quick fix.
- Experiences of abuse may feel normal within a family system, so recognising them as abuse can happen many years later, often with professional support.
- Writing and sharing personal stories can be therapeutic and help survivors connect with others who feel less alone in their experiences.
- Contacting hotlines, therapists, or trusted people is encouraged for anyone unsure whether what they went through was abusive.
- Helping others is most effective when it comes from a place of processed healing rather than from unaddressed trauma and pain.
“There is hope and there is a way out and they need to start finding it, start taking action.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of trauma, survival, and slow, stubborn healing. This conversation on Resilience in Life and Leadership centres on Dr. Patricia Grenelle’s journey from childhood sexual abuse and narcissistic trauma to becoming a forensic psychologist and author. You’ll hear Patricia explain how her memoir, *We Were a Nice Normal Family*, began with the belief that she had "nothing to say" and turned into a powerful story that helps others realise they are not alone.
Writing became therapeutic for her, letting her see events through both her professional lens and her lived experience: "I started writing it, and I was like, my gosh, I do have something to say." Hosted by Stephanie Olson with co-host Rebecca Saunders, the talk digs into complex PTSD, how it differs from single-incident trauma, and how abuse can feel "normal" when it’s all you’ve ever known.
Patricia shares how she only recognised her experiences as abuse at 27, after a therapist named it, and how that understanding reshaped her relationships, highlighting gaslighting, control, and misogyny. The episode also touches on modern misogynistic trends such as the "manosphere", and the worrying impact these attitudes can have on sexual assault and societal views of women. Practical guidance runs throughout: Patricia stresses contacting hotlines, talking to someone trusted, and facing the painful truth that something harmful happened.
Recovery, she says, is long-term, with lingering triggers, anger, and frustration, but that doesn’t mean hope is out of reach. This is for anyone questioning their past, wrestling with complex trauma, or supporting survivors. It’s frank, sometimes heavy, and yet anchored in the belief that "there is hope, that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. And head towards it.
Don’t give up." If you’ve ever wondered whether your story matters or whether healing is possible, this conversation might be a step forward.
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