Overcoming Childhood Trauma & Loss: How to Redirect Your Journey - Alan Smith, Guest

Overcoming Childhood Trauma & Loss: How to Redirect Your Journey - Alan Smith, Guest

From American Mothers: Mom to Mom Podcast by American Mothers Inc

February 17, 2026 · 29 min · Season 5 · Episode 162

About this episode

Alan Smith shares insights on overcoming childhood trauma and loss by redirecting personal narratives.

Most of us live our lives based on the meaning and emotions we’ve attached to our past, often without realizing those 'stories' aren't the whole truth. Today, Deanne is joined by Alan Smith, who shares how he learned to separate the difficult events of his life—including childhood trauma and the loss of his son—from the narrative he was telling himself about them. Alan introduces a life-changing framework for breaking down our experiences to discover what is a 'secondhand' script and what is your 'firsthand' truth. This episode is a powerful guide for any mother ready to stop living by old expectations and start redirecting her journey toward a place of peace and clarity. The Framework: Redirecting Your Story The Event vs. The Story: Learning to see the difference between what actually happened and the emotion-driven meaning we created around it. Deconstructing the Narrative: How to look at a painful memory and ask: "What part of this is my experience, and what part was brought to me by someone else?" The Power of Firsthand Context: Moving from being "dictated to" by your past to making empowered choices based on your present truth. The "Secondhand" Discovery: Identifying the…

People in this episode

Host: Deanne

Guest: Alan Smith

Topics covered

  • childhood trauma
  • loss
  • narrative
  • self-discovery
  • empowerment
  • mental health

Keywords

  • trauma
  • loss
  • narrative therapy
  • self-improvement
  • mental health
  • personal growth
  • expectations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Mothers, Inc.

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