Life goes beyond the house that you grew up in. But you may spend many years healing from the time you spent growing up in it. For my sister and I, we have found this to be the case. And we have also found that deciding to create something new for yourself and generations that come after you is the most courageous and purposeful embarkation of one's life. My sister and I share no DNA. She was adopted at Birth by our parents and has faced a layer of adversity as a person of color that I will never be able to fully understand. We grew up together in Florida in a fragmented and tumultuous environment that she left at 15. Our experiences and healing has led us back to one another after being separated for many years in our adolescence. Our bond has transcended time, space, and blood - but being cut from the same cloth, our definition of home is one another. This episode is a dialogue between the both of us in exploring how childhood trauma impacts every aspect of your life and how consciously rebuilding, reparenting, and relearning gives you the gift of resilience. We unpack the impact of how growing up amidst instability shaped our lives and gave us mutual purpose to break the cycle of generational trauma. To be vulnerable about what made you who you are today, even if it is a heavy past that you have learned and healed from - is to be free from letting it define you. Angelica is the strongest person that I know - and her experiences are one that I am honored to give voice to on Figuring Sh!t Out. --- CHAPTERS: 0:00-3:58: Introduction, Episode Overview, & Preface 4:00-10:15: Sisterhood + Siblinghood, Angelica's Adoption, Divine Orchestration 10:15-15:50: Roles + Trauma Responses in a Dysfunctional Household, Living in Survival, Mental Health 19:03: Leaving Home at 14 & Experiencing Racism in a Prejudiced Town 23:39: Beginning Healing, Reparenting the Inner Child, Letting Yourself Be Loved 28:43: Anger, Forgiveness, & Breaking Patterns to Relearn Safety 39:26: Releasing + Recognizing Coping & Defense Mechanisms 49:17: Chosen Family, Building a Life You Want, & Loving Yourself through your Evolution STAY TUNED: JOIN TikTok: butterflyfountain Youtube: Vanessa Fontana JOIN THE MAILING LIST HERE: FSO Website YOU ARE YOUR OWN HERO | E-BOOK & GUIDE BY ME 3 (free w/ community access!!) FREE DOWNLOADABLE GUIDEBOOK ON INTUITION VS ANXIETY SEASON TWO TRAILER If you liked this episode, you'll like this one too! Episode 8: Healing is Not Linear & Life is Now IF YOU LIKED THIS EPISODE, PLS RATE THE PODCAST ON YOUR PREFERRED STREAMING PLATFORM & TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS 3 Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/figuring-sh-t-out/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy