When Success Feels Empty…
Have you ever found yourself waking up in the morning knowing you should be happy and excited to start your day, but you can’t shake the repeated feeling of emptiness? Almost like you’re existing through your life rather than truly living it?
You’re doing all the things. You have a loving family and relationship. You’re successful at what you do. Your current life is so much of what you dreamed of for years.
You’re also proactive. You’ve read books on self-development, started meditating, and engaged in activities you know you enjoy.
And yet, there’s something deeper…
Something that isn’t allowing any of those changes to make the shift inside you really need.
This is what recovering from trauma truly looks like. It’s not always dramatic flashbacks or obvious symptoms. Sometimes it’s the quiet exhaustion of survival mode, the persistent feeling that something’s missing, and the frustration that surface-level solutions aren’t creating lasting change.
I get it. I’ve been where you are. And I also know the journey is not “out there” but “in here.”
But you already know that, right?
Let me share one of my darkest moments and the exact steps that led me to the freedom and fulfilment I enjoy today…
My Breaking Point: A Dark Night of the Soul
It was late one Friday night. I had just finished yet another week of 16-hour days in my business. It was a price I thought I had to pay. After all, I was used to hard work, and I believed that all of this sacrifice would eventually get me the freedom I longed for.
What had started as a “meltdown” (me being mentally, emotionally, and physically drained and unable to function properly) every 3-4 months had become an almost weekly occurrence. I knew something had to change. I just believed that if I could keep pushing, the tide would eventually turn.
But on this one particular Friday night, it all fell apart. Or more accurately, I fell apart.
I collapsed in a heap on the floor, not even able to make it onto the bed. As total exhaustion overcame me, I started full-body crying. Tears poured out with such fierceness that I didn’t think they’d ever stop. In amongst the sobs, I shouted out: “I’m done. I’m done. I give up. I can’t do this anymore.”
In a split second, my body stopped shaking. The tears ceased, and I found myself in the most peace I had ever felt. Everything went quiet. I felt like I was in some kind of suspended reality.
And then I heard the words: “It’s YOUR business. You do with it what YOU want.”
What a simple and obvious statement, right?
But in that moment, in the stillness of darkness and surrender, it was like someone turned the light on inside my mind.
The Breakthrough: When Burnout Recovery Begins
In that moment of clarity, I made some decisions about my business and set to work changing it. As a result:
- Our revenues doubled
- I dropped to working three days per week
- I could actually enjoy holidays and time with family
This is what the beginning of trauma recovery can look like, a moment of surrender that opens the door to transformation.
The Truth About Healing from Trauma and Burnout
Do We Always Need a Breakdown to Have a Breakthrough?
The simple answer is no.
Does One Breakthrough Mean We Skip Into a Perfect Future?
Not exactly.
That particular “dark night of the soul” happened over six years ago. While I made huge headway in changing, I didn’t realise the significance of staying connected to myself and to that inner voice I heard within the surrender that night.
I also didn’t know about the fawn trauma response and how that was working against me in my desire for living life on my terms.
So while a lot did change for the better, after the initial energy shift dissipated, I ended up feeling:
- Dissatisfied
- Disconnected
- Resentful toward those around me
- Like I had to keep the cogs turning in a place that wasn’t fulfilling me
My ability to be headstrong, endure discomfort, and push through is both a blessing and a curse. Maybe you can relate?
It makes us great for survival and testing situations. It makes us dependable and solid- all great skills for short bursts of time.
But those traits can also keep us moving forward in a way that will never lead us to the freedom, fulfillment, and aliveness we truly desire.
Understanding Trauma: Why Traditional Self-Help Isn’t Enough
Here’s where recovering from trauma gets interesting…
The good news is that you don’t have to sell everything you own, wave goodbye to your family, and spend six months in Tibet living as a monk in order to change. In fact, from the outside, it might not seem like much is changing at all when you begin your WholeHearted Journey.
Because this journey goes inward first.
We look at what your current blueprint is, address and heal any trauma or wounds that caused it so it can be released, and set a new thriving blueprint in place.
The Science of Trauma and Your Nervous System
We know that trauma rewires our system. Think of it like a bug in our operating system (subconscious). No matter how many upgrades we make to our software (mindset) or hardware (physical appearance/external environment), it will keep showing up as repeated patterns we can’t seem to break and keeping us trapped in a program we’re trying to outdo.
Your nervous system doesn’t mean to do this.
It’s trying to protect you. It’s trying to survive.
This is why nervous system healing is essential for true trauma recovery.
It’s why we have to go into the subconscious, debug our system, and set it up with a new program, one which is programmed to thrive, not just survive.
The WholeHearted Living Technique: A Proven Path for Trauma Recovery
That’s exactly what the WholeHearted Living Technique is all about.
What Makes This Approach Different?
Not only do we change your operating program, but we ensure you have access to the resources that mean you can continue to upgrade and debug your system whenever it needs it.
This trauma-informed healing approach includes:
- Somatic practices for nervous system regulation
- Trauma response education (fight, flight, freeze, fawn)
- Subconscious reprogramming to release survival patterns
- Embodied healing techniques that don’t require reliving trauma
- Sustainable practices for long-term transformation
You can click here to find out more about the steps involved in this process and how you can begin today, right from where you are.