When Everything Falls Apart at Once

This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about childhood neglect, the lasting effects of foster care, addiction, grief, and the kind of betrayal that can make trusting people difficult for years to come.One listener shares the heartbreak of growing up in foster care without the feeling of being celebrated or loved, while another revisits the devastating discovery that her longtime boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend.We also have an important announcement: Trauma Candy Salad will be taking a hiatus through the end of the year so Sammi can focus on her health. This isn’t goodbye, just a little time to rest, regroup, and take care of ourselves. Thank you for being here, sharing your stories, and making this community what it is. We can’t wait to be back with you.Want to share your story? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out our submission form.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @TraumaCandySaladPod.And remember, no matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness. ❤️Trigger Warnings: Childhood neglect, foster care, parental substance abuse, incarceration, death of a parent, emotional abuse, infidelity, and betrayal.

In today’s episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about the guilt that can follow sudden loss and the devastating reality of emotional and financial abuse. Sam shares the heartbreak of losing her dad to a drunk driver and the guilt she’s carried for decades over one fishing trip she turned down. Then, Galentine Girl opens up about years of coercive control, manipulation, and financial abuse in her marriage, and the difficult journey toward freedom and rebuilding her life.Trigger warnings: Death of a parent, drunk driving, grief, guilt, emotional abuse, financial abuse, coercive control, manipulation, and custody concerns.Have a story you’d like to share? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com to submit your story or learn more about the show. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @TraumaCandySaladPod.No matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness. 💗

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about the things you can survive and still carry with you long after they’re over.Julie was diagnosed with aggressive B-cell lymphoma at just 20 years old.We talk about the anxiety, hypervigilance, and trauma that can remain even after the treatment ends.Then Anonymous Allie shares the story of a 15-year friendship that ended after an argument about marriage, motherhood, career, and the choices women make for their own lives.Two stories about very different kinds of survival, the things that stay with us, and how sometimes the ending of one chapter can make room for something we never expected.If you or someone you love is struggling with any of the topics discussed in this episode, please visit TraumaCandySalad.com for resources and support.Want to share your own story or be a guest on the show? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out our submission form. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @TraumaCandySaladPod.Trigger warnings: cancer, chemotherapy, medical trauma, fear of cancer recurrence, anxiety, death/illness, friendship loss, interpersonal conflict, pregnancy, fertility, and childbirth.And remember, no matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness. 🍬

TW: Suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, overdose, seizures, psychiatric hospitalization, alcohol use, car accidents, graphic descriptions of death, sudden loss, grief, and survivor’s guilt.What happens when surviving something traumatic becomes its own kind of trauma?This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re sharing two deeply painful stories about survival, loss, and the experiences that stay with us long after the worst day of our lives.Mary J shares her lifelong struggle with suicidal thoughts, multiple psychiatric hospitalizations, and a nearly fatal suicide attempt that was far more terrifying than she ever imagined. Then, Excuse Me shares the devastating story of a night out that turned into a life-altering tragedy.Two stories. Two unimaginable experiences. And two reminders that surviving trauma doesn’t mean walking away unscathed.We’re so grateful to Mary J and Excuse Me for trusting us with their stories. ❤️If today’s episode brings up difficult feelings, please take care of yourself and remember that support is available. You don’t have to navigate the hard stuff alone.🍬 Want to share your story? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out our submission form. Your story matters, and there’s always room for you here.🎧 Enjoying the show? Follow, rate, and leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It helps more people find our little corner of the internet.📱 Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @TraumaCandySaladPod.💗 Find helpful resources and support links on our website and in the show notes.And as always, no matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness.

Today on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about what happens when the people who are supposed to protect you become the people you need protection from.Halee shares the story of losing her dad at just seven years old, struggling to process her grief, and being punished instead of supported. Then we hear from an anonymous listener who recently left a marriage where she was expected to carry the weight of the household, the children, and the emotional labor while her husband treated sex like a marital obligation.Two stories. Two very different kinds of trauma. And a conversation about grief, abuse, control, boundaries, sexual coercion, and what it means to finally decide that enough is enough.As always, take care of yourself while listening. Resources are available in the show notes and on TraumaCandySalad.com.And if you have a story you’d like to share, visit TraumaCandySalad.com and submit yours. You never know who might need to hear that they’re not alone.There’s always room for a little sweetness. 🍬

What happens when grief and relief exist in the same heart? And what does it feel like to realize the person you loved never truly loved you in the way you needed?In today’s episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we’re sharing two stories that explore the complicated emotions of love, loss, addiction, and the painful realization that being desired isn’t the same as being cherished.Our first submission comes from a young widow who became a single mother at just 32 after losing her husband to suicide. Our second submission takes us into the heartbreaking realization that being wanted physically doesn’t always mean being loved emotionally. Two stories about complicated grief, emotional neglect, addiction, self-worth, and learning that you never had to earn the love you deserved.Because being desired isn’t the same as being cherished. And you were worthy of love long before anyone ever touched you.🩷 Trigger Warnings: Suicide, suicidal death, alcoholism, addiction, grief, emotional neglect, sexual exploitation, self-worth, and relationship trauma.🍬 Want to share your own story or be a guest on Trauma Candy Salad? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out our submission form.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook: @TraumaCandySaladPodRemember, no matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness.

In today’s bowl, Kate shares what it was like to lose her mom to osteosarcoma at just 16 years old—and to be more than a daughter during her mother’s final days.Then Megan brings us back to May 22, 2011, when she survived the devastating EF5 tornado that tore through Joplin, Missouri.But surviving the tornado wasn’t the end of the trauma.Years later, severe weather can still bring Megan right back to that night. Sirens, tornado warnings, and approaching storms can trigger intense fear and panic, reminding us that trauma doesn’t always understand that the danger is over.Two stories. Two very different kinds of loss. And one painful reminder:Sometimes surviving something is only the beginning of learning how to live with what happened.🍬 Today’s candy: Gummy Bears & Blow Pops⚠️ Trigger warnings: Death of a parent, childhood grief, osteosarcoma/cancer, caregiving, traumatic loss, natural disaster, tornado/EF5 tornado, destruction of homes, fear, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD/trauma responses.If today’s stories resonate with you, you’re not alone. And if you have a story you’d like to share with us, visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out our submission form.Follow us on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @TraumaCandySaladPodBecause no matter what you’re going through… there’s always room for a little sweetness. 🍬

This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about the complicated ways trauma can change our relationship with our bodies, food, sex, love, and even ourselves.Anonymous brings Twizzlers to the salad bowl to share her experience with postpartum depression, body dysmorphia, extreme calorie restriction, and compulsive exercise. What started as an attempt to cope with how she felt after having a baby ultimately landed her in inpatient treatment at 5’7” and 105 pounds, severely anemic and with her liver struggling. Her road to recovery took more than two years—and she’s honest about the fact that healing still isn’t always easy or linear.Then Lana brings Sweet Tarts and shares a deeply painful story of childhood sexual abuse, a mother who refused to believe her, and the ways that trauma has continued to affect her relationships and attachment as an adult. She opens up about abandonment issues, hypersexuality, favorite-person relationships, ethical non-monogamy, and the intense emotional highs and lows that can come with feeling wanted, rejected, and pulled back in.Two stories. Two very different coping mechanisms. And one big question: How much of who we become is shaped by what we had to survive?⚠️ Trigger warnings: Eating disorders, body dysmorphia, postpartum depression, extreme calorie restriction, compulsive exercise, childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, BPD, abandonment, hypersexuality, and emotionally unhealthy relationship dynamics.If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the topics discussed in this episode, please check out the resources in our show notes or on our website.💌 Want to share your own Trauma Candy Salad story or be on the show? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out the submission form.And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @TraumaCandySaladPod!🎧 Listen, share, follow, and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.Because no matter what you’re going through… there’s always room for a little sweetness.

Sometimes it only takes one unexpected moment for everything to come crashing down.This week on Trauma Candy Salad, Ashley and Sammi are diving into two heartbreaking stories about the kind of loss that doesn’t always come with a warning. First, one woman watches a storm literally change the course of her life when a falling tree totals her car, leaving her without transportation, financial security, and potentially even her job. Because apparently, being one emergency away from financial disaster is the American dream. 🙃Then, we hear from a submitter who lost two of the beings she loved most in the entire world on the very same day: her grandmother and her beloved cat. Her grandma and cat were inseparable, and now she’s left grieving both of them while hoping that somehow, somewhere, they found their way back to each other.From financial devastation to unimaginable grief, we’re talking about what happens when life hits you with more than you feel capable of carrying—and how sometimes, all you can do is take it one day at a time.⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Financial hardship, job insecurity, death, grief, loss, pet loss, and emotional distress.Need help or resources for anything discussed in today’s episode? Visit TraumaCandySalad.com or check out the links in our show notes.Want to share your own story and be featured on Trauma Candy Salad? Head to TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out our submission form!And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @TraumaCandySaladPod.Because no matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness. 🍬

In this episode of Trauma Candy Salad, we’re talking about the quiet relationship hurts that can leave you questioning yourself—and whether you should have to.First, a listener opens up about her boyfriend consistently liking another woman’s pictures while barely acknowledging hers, and the excuses that leave her wondering why she even has to ask for the same attention. Then, a broken engagement after realizing her fiancé was still emotionally stuck on his ex. Because there’s only so long you can pretend you’re not competing with a relationship that ended before you ever came along.Two stories, one big question: What happens when the person you love keeps making you feel like someone else is more important?Sometimes the red flag isn’t one big betrayal. Sometimes it’s the pattern that makes you finally realize you deserve better.⚠️ Trigger/Content Warning: Relationship insecurity, emotional hurt, jealousy, infidelity-adjacent behavior, breakup, and broken engagement.Have a story of your own? Submit it at TraumaCandySalad.com and follow us @TraumaCandySaladPod on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.Listen, share, and remember: there’s always room for a little sweetness.