Dr. Kate Truitt: Trauma, Grief, Burnout, and the Brain | Finding New Waters Podcast

About this episode

Dr. Kate Truitt discusses trauma, grief, and burnout through a brain-based lens, sharing personal experiences and practical tools for healing.

In this episode of Finding New Waters, B Reeves sits down with Dr. Kate Truitt, clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, for a conversation that moves from survival to real tools. Dr. Kate shares what it was like to be hit by a drunk driver, the identity shift of “self” coming back online, and why even experts struggle to use their own tools at first. They break down trauma through a brain-based lens: safety, belonging, and agency. You’ll also hear the clearest explanation of grief as a learning process, what “traumatic grief” looks like, and why forgiveness is not a mandate. Dr. Kate also teaches a simple “moving hug” mindful touch practice and explains why “we can’t think our way through” the parts of the brain that hold trauma. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS [01:00:00] Welcome and introduction [01:01:05] Hit by a drunk driver: broken neck, brain injury, crushed spine [01:02:32] “Not so well at the beginning”: the pressure of being an expert [01:03:56] Writing a book during recovery: burnout + self-compassion [01:05:16] Milwaukee → Kansas City → Los Angeles: the road to her work [01:05:22] Scholarship and a modeling contract [01:05:31] Modeling, anorexia, and the pivot into academia…

People in this episode

Host: B Reeves

Guest: Dr. Kate Truitt

Topics covered

• trauma
• grief
• burnout
• mental health
• self-compassion
• mindfulness

Keywords

• trauma
• grief
• burnout
• self-compassion
• mindful touch
• neuroscience
• mental health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Goldie Hawn’s MindUP

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