Trauma-Informed Healing and Supporting Children w Nicole ThompsonTrauma-Informed Healing and Supporting Children w Nicole Thompson
3-21 NoKiddin' Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast
Bobbi "the Awesome" Malatesta talks with Nicole Thompson about how childhood trauma and anxiety shape behaviour, addiction and health. The conversation focuses on recognising trauma in children, breaking generational patterns and taking personal responsibility for healing.
45:03•29 Oct 2026
Trauma, Kids and Anxiety: Nicole Thompson on Healing Beyond Childhood
Episode Overview
- Trauma can range from overt abuse to subtle emotional harms, and is anything that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope.
- Children’s behaviours such as anxiety, regression, irritability or disconnection may signal trauma rather than "bad behaviour".
- Open, regular conversations and non-judgemental listening help children feel safe enough to share difficult experiences.
- Unhealed childhood trauma can contribute to addictions, relationship patterns and physical illnesses in adulthood.
- A practical starting point for healing is to question one’s reactions and behaviours and then seek professional support when ready.
“Trauma is anything that overwhelms your body's ability to cope.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol – or any addiction – when trauma sits at the root of it? This episode of the 3-21 NoKiddin' Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast zooms in on that tough question through the lens of childhood trauma and anxiety. Host Bobbi "the Awesome" Malatesta chats with Nicole Thompson, an author and retired school psychologist whose own childhood was marked by severe abuse, poverty, parental addiction and loss.
Nicole shares how witnessing domestic violence, living in unsafe conditions and losing her mum to suicide shaped her life’s mission to support children in pain. Her definition of trauma is refreshingly clear: "Trauma is anything that overwhelms your body's ability to cope," whether it’s obvious "big T" events like violence or subtler "little T" experiences such as emotional neglect and living with an alcoholic parent.
You’ll hear Nicole break down how unhealed trauma often shows up as anxiety, impulsivity, bedwetting, irritability or total disconnection in children, and how schools sometimes respond with punishment instead of compassion. She explains the difference between a school psychologist’s role and clinical therapy, and stresses the power of open communication between home and school. For adults in recovery, Nicole’s message hits hard: those adverse childhood experiences don’t magically vanish at 18.
They can shape relationships, fuel addictions and even contribute to physical conditions like high blood pressure or heart disease. Her starting point for healing is simple but challenging – consistent self-questioning: Why am I reacting like this? Why do I take everything personally? Am I proud of this behaviour?
Throughout, she insists, "It wasn't your responsibility that you experienced the trauma, but it's your responsibility to heal." If you’re dealing with addiction, parenting through chaos, or trying to break generational patterns, this conversation might help you see where to start. Could this be the moment you begin asking those hard questions for yourself and for the kids in your life?
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