In my experience, sexualization caused extreme toxic shame.  Merriam-Webster has a descriptive definition: “A painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety, the susceptibility to such emotion, a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute.” On today’s episode of the Launch Your Life Podcast, I talk about shame, my mother’s secrets, generational trauma, discovering fundamental truths about myself and more. What’s Discussed in This Episode: 00:00 Intro 1:41 Sexualization and shame 2:13 Experiencing toxic shame 3:11 The steps of grooming 4:37 Overcoming toxic shame 5:06 Sex-ed 5:33 The result of my coping mechanism 6:03 Generational trauma 7:46 My mother’s secrets 8:48 The abuse in my father’s family 9:07 My father’s shocking response 9:40 Narcissistic parents 10:39 Fundamental truths (about me) 12:03 My entrepreneurial spirit started young   Resources: Send me feedback and your thoughts: [email protected] Check my latest podcast or listen to the previous ones (https://www.launchyourlifepodcast.com)  Connect with me on Instagram (@doctormichellegordon) Follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drmgordon) Check out my LinkedIn posts (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellegordon)   For more information, here’s the references used in this podcast: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-toxic-shame#:~:text=Toxic%20shame%20is%20a%20feeling,childhood%20or%20as%20a%20teen https://psychcentral.com/blog/psychology-self/2018/09/childhood-toxic-shame#1   https://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Behaviors-of-Sexual-Predators-Grooming.pdf   https://www.health.com/condition/ptsd/generational-trauma For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to The Launch Your Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.   Thank you for tuning in! If You Like It, Donate To My Venmo! Thanks!: https://account.venmo.com/u/drgordon See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.