Beyond the Mask: Trauma, Identity & High-Functioning Survival with Lisa Lacy

In this episode of the JDS Podcast, host Joshua Agbontaen sits down with writer, trauma educator, and author Lisa Lacy for an honest conversation about trauma, addiction, identity, recovery, and the hidden cost of performing strength.After decades in corporate leadership, healthcare consulting, and education, Lisa’s life was transformed through addiction recovery, psychiatric hospitalization, serious illness, and the decision to stop performing wellness and start telling the truth. Her upcoming memoir, Notes From a Certified Madwoman, explores what happens when survival strategies become identities—and how healing begins when we stop hiding.Together, Joshua and Lisa discuss why so many high-achieving people silently struggle, how trauma shapes leadership and relationships, and what it means to rebuild your identity after adversity.In this episode, we discuss:* High-functioning survival* Trauma and identity* Addiction and recovery* Nervous system regulation* Identity masking* Emotional resilience* Leadership after adversity* Reinvention and healing* Performance vs authenticity* The power of storytellingThis conversation is raw, insightful, and deeply human—offering hope to anyone who’s ever felt successful on the outside while struggling internally.