The Healing Life

Three weeks ago, I found out I'm autistic. This episode is about what that's been like — the thing I've always felt inside myself that finally has a name, the mask coming off, tending to the severe burnout in which I found myself, addressing communication issues that nearly ended my marriage, and why I'm scared and okay at the same time.

In this episode, I share my journey toward healing my connection to my body after a childhood defined by purity culture, sexual assault, and the message that my body was a problem to be controlled. I talk about pelvic floor physical therapy, what happened to my nervous system after surgery in 2020, how I found Rosen Method bodywork and why it changed everything, a dysautonomia diagnosis that sent me back to square one, and what eating disorder recovery taught me about the through-line connecting all of it. Learn more about Rosen Method at www.rosenmethod.com.Content note: This episode includes non-graphic discussion of childhood sexual assault, pelvic floor dysfunction, panic attacks, dysautonomia, and eating disorder recovery.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and the criminal justice system. No graphic details are shared. If you or someone you know needs support, RAINN's 24/7 hotline is available at 800.656.HOPE (4673), through chat at RAINN.org/hotline, or by texting “HOPE” to 64673.April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and as a childhood sexual assault survivor, this awareness month and episode are close to my heart.In this episode, I share my story of abuse, silence, disclosure, healing, and the legal process that didn't go the way it should have. I also dig into the research on grooming, on why survivors don't disclose, and on the staggering gap between how often sexual assault occurs and how rarely perpetrators face real consequences.I also share the three unshakeable beliefs that carried me through the worst of it and still carry me today.SourcesGewirtz-Meydan, A., & Finkelhor, D. (2020). Sexual Abuseand Assault in a Large National Sample of Children and Adolescents. Child Maltreatment, 25(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559519873975Manay, N., & Collin-Vézina, D. (2021). Recipients ofchildren’s and adolescents’ disclosures of childhood sexual abuse: A systematic review. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116, 104192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104192McAlinden, A.M. (2012). 'Grooming' and the sexual abuseof children: Institutional, internet and familial dimensions. Oxford University Press.McElvaney, R., Moore, K., O’Reilly, K., Turner, R., Walsh,B., & Guerin, S. (2020). Child sexual abuse disclosures: Does age make a difference? Child Abuse & Neglect, 99, 104121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104121RAINN. (n.d.). The criminal justice system: Statistics.Retrieved from rainn.org. Data sourced from Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2012–2016 (2017).Winters, G. M., Jeglic, E. L., Johnson, B. N., & Chou,C. (2024). The prevalence of sexual grooming behaviors among survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 154, 106842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106842

What does it mean to make peace with your body? In this episode, I sit down with Elle, the artist behind Elle Em Art and a female body acceptance advocate, for a conversation about the journey from body shame to body acceptance. We talk about diet culture, the lies we were told growing up, what sustainability actually looks like when it comes to how we see ourselves, and why body acceptance might matter more than body positivity. Elle shares how art became the unexpected path to seeing herself differently, and I share some of the hardest and most tender moments in my own journey. Connect with Elle:Instagram: @ElleEmArtTikTok: @ElleEm.ArtContent note: This episode includes some discussion of eating disorder recovery, diet culture, and body image. No graphic details are discussed. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline is available at 1-866-662-1235.

Forgiveness is one of the most loaded words in the English language. In this episode, Amanda shares why she stopped chasing it, and what she found when she did.

You've heard that you should love yourself. But what does that actually mean, and what does it take? In this episode, Amanda traces her own long and nonlinear journey with self-love: from not knowing her own favorite color post-divorce, to losing herself again in the hardest years of a severe illness, to finding her way back through the messy work of sitting with every part of herself. She also shares how Internal Family Systems has taught her about the self that never leaves, no matter what you've been through. This episode is for anyone who has found, lost, or is trying to find themselves again.

Healing is often thought of as something you complete. But what if it isn't? In this first episode, Amanda introduces The Healing Life - what it is, why it exists, and what healing as a lifelong practice actually looks like. She shares her own three buckets: what she's healed, what she's working on, and what she hasn't touched yet. A vulnerable, honest start to an ongoing journey.

What does it actually look like to keep choosing healing as life unfolds? Amanda Briggs explores that question through honest reflection, lived experience, and unhurried conversation. Each episode offers language, perspective, and companionship for the journey. This show is for people committed to healing — not as a finish line, but as a way of living.