Trauma healing, nervous system regulation, and hope after abuse are possible — even after unimaginable pain. In this powerful Part 2 conversation, Lesa Koski talks with Dr. Dawn Marie about trauma healing, childhood abuse, vagus nerve regulation, polyvagal theory, and practical tools that can support healing after trauma, divorce, and emotional overwhelm.

If you’ve ever wondered whether trauma healing is truly possible after years of pain, this episode offers both hope and practical next steps. Dr. Dawn Marie shares her personal story of surviving profound childhood abuse, explains how trauma affects the body and nervous system, and offers simple ways listeners can begin supporting trauma healing in their own daily lives.

This episode is especially meaningful for women navigating divorce, childhood trauma, emotional stress, or any season that has left them feeling stuck in survival mode. Trauma healing is possible, and this conversation is a reminder that even after the hardest experiences, hope remains.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to Part 2 and why trauma matters in divorce healing

(02:10) Dr. Dawn Marie begins sharing her childhood trauma story

(06:45) Abuse, early memories, and how trauma lives in the body

(12:20) Revisiting places from the past and uncovering memory

(18:15) Shame, perpetrators, and beginning the healing journey

(26:30) Why trauma is trauma and why it is time to break the cycle

(30:40) A spiritual discussion on women, Eve, and responsibility

(41:20) What healing really looks like after severe trauma

(44:10) Why bad days do not mean you are broken

(46:05) Polyvagal theory and understanding the vagus nerve

(48:30) Grounding techniques and simple tools for nervous system regulation

(51:15) African drumming, weighted hula hoop, and rhythmic healing practices

(55:00) Final encouragement and hope for women healing from trauma

Key Takeaways:

1. Trauma healing is possible, even after severe childhood abuse and long-term pain
2. Healing is not linear, and setbacks do not mean you are broken
3. Trauma affects both the body and the nervous system, not just thoughts and emotions
4. Grounding exercises and vagus nerve regulation can support healing in daily life
5. Hope grows when people begin to believe their story is not over

Guest Bio:

Dr. Dawn Marie is a board-certified psychiatrist with decades of medical experience and a deep focus on trauma healing, nervous system regulation, and emotional recovery. Through both her professional work and her own healing journey, she helps people understand that healing is possible, even after profound trauma.

Resource Links:

Part 1 with Dr. Dawn Marie: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/1cfa0fc7-1d7d-4d31-a9b0-b47aac4a11dc/

Website and Social Media links: https://www.drrisleychilds.com/

to awaken your vagus nerve: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3VuPpgmSPwk7cErnqrNhCH?si=a3824002e9774659

To calm your vagus nerve: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YC0zMSeGQRqg4XmscoyCG?si=d1b93c15519f4ecc

African Drums: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5z2d4y9MXXjQQiYC8c46Fk?si=10b08e8109634214

Amazon weighted hula hoop: https://a.co/d/06DXlzwC

Tags/Keywords:

trauma healing, childhood trauma recovery, nervous system healing, vagus nerve regulation, polyvagal theory, abuse recovery, healing after trauma, divorce and trauma, women healing after divorce, emotional healing podcast, trauma recovery podcast, hope after abuse, Doing Divorce Different podcast, mental health and healing

Welcome listeners.

2

I am thankful that you're here for

part two of my two part series with Dr.

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Dawn Marie.

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She, her first podcast was last Tuesday.

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If you wanna go back and listen to more,

we talk a little bit about trauma, and

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the reason I do that on a divorce podcast

is because it's trauma and you know,

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we all have things that we go through.

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Divorce is one, and I want

to help you do better.

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Through it.

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So go back and listen to that.

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Today's episode is, it's so good.

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Um, it's actually, it, it's a little

bit hard to believe the things that she

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went through, and I totally believe her,

but to think that there are really, are

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people in this world who, you know, raised

children the way she was raised and.

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When I look at Don Marie and how she's

helping people and the horrible things

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she's been through, it's mind blowing.

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And so just tune in and, and

listen and just have, it just makes

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me have a tremendous amount of

gratitude and it's so full of hope

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because she got through something.

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So, so very hard that there is always

hope for you to get through it too.

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So I'm, I'm just glad that you're here.

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Thanks so much.

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Speaker 2: So, the story is that

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for the first 24 years of life, uh, I

was, uh, given, um, to a gang member.

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Uh, I What?

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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My fa you know, back then Philadelphia

had a gang called the Warlocks.

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So, so you're

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Speaker: not kidding.

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You're not

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Speaker 2: kidding.

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No, I'm not kidding.

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No.

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In the late sixties, early seventies,

there were these motorcycle gangs

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that formed, some of the veterans came

back from Vietnam and these, you know,

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started these motorcycle gangs and, uh,

they would wreak havoc in South Jersey.

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And, um, and my alcoholic sociopathic

father, um, who was a very violent

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man, uh, it was part of, or it was

most likely part of the initiation,

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uh, to bring your kid to Big John and

to introduce your daughter to him.

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And that I, I had always known.

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I remember sitting on Big John's lap

and I remember being bounced on his knee

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and I remember being given candy, but I

didn't put it all together that he was

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molesting me until I had questioned one.

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Where did I get this wart?

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'cause I remembered I had this, it

was during one of my healing sessions

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and I spoke to my, um, my healer and

I said, my mother took this wort off

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with a pair of fingernail clippers.

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And he just went, oof.

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And I remember how painful it was.

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And you know, early on in this treatment,

I was really dealing with my anger that

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I had for my mother because at first

it was that she didn't protect me.

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But, you know, I've come to the

understanding that it wasn't

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just that she didn't protect me,

she actually was intentionally

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putting me in these situations.

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And, um, and she was, um.

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Having me be a part of

her sexual escapades.

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And, um, so, you know, my mother was a

perpetrator, big John was a perpetrator.

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My father was a perpetrator.

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My brothers were a perpetrator.

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And then my, my stepfather

was a perpetrator.

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So I've had six perpetrators, um,

by the time I was six years old.

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And, uh, yeah, it, it's a wonder, I'm not

a prostitute and it's a wonder, I'm rock

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Speaker: John Marie.

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I can't rem I can't even imagine.

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And until recently, I think I've

kind of been a Suzy Sunshine.

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Yeah.

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That doesn't really happen.

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Nothing like that.

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Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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It really happens.

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Yeah.

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So

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Speaker: it was the, the

group was the warlocks.

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It was, was it like a Satan Satanic?

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Speaker 2: So they're a motorcycle club.

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And so they were known

as the harpy warlocks.

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And I remember this, it was like this

green lady that had these big breasts.

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It was a harpy and it was

just, it was very ugly.

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And, um, I mean, you can go up

online, you can look up Harpy,

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warlocks, and you can see what

their old, uh, you know, insignias.

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But, uh, I can remember the day my

father took me there and, um, it

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was, uh, at the Cove in Mays Landing.

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And they have, um, you know,

there's a big lake there and

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they have a campground there.

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And I, about a year

ago I went to visit it.

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I wanted to look at it and because

there were still some things of

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memories that I've been trying to

come up with to see what's going on.

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And, um, and when I went back to

South Jersey, I revisited a few

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places to see what I remember.

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And, um, even a baseball field, um.

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I remember for the longest time

I've always been creeped out by

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baseball and by the dugouts, and

feeling so uncomfortable in a dugout.

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And, um, I recognized that, uh, the,

the other boys were molesting me in the

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dugout and behind the baseball field.

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There was this, um, I found the

exact place like that dugout is gone

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and, and redone, but that particular

baseball diamond still exists.

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And I remembered that there were

these little trails in the back

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behind it and that there was this big.

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Pile of dirt right there that, uh,

we would take our bikes and, and

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ride over and that kind of thing.

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And, uh, I found it, that dirt

spot was there and still there.

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And um, and I walked through those

couple little trails and, you know,

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and actually as I'm talking about

it, memories are still coming up.

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That they are coming up.

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And then I am thinking about

that boy who, you know, pushed

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me down and then did this to me.

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And so those kinds of things,

um, I wanted to go there and just

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because I want all that gone.

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I want that out of my brain, out

of my body, and I just wanted

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it final one last time, gone.

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So, yeah.

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Speaker: So John Marie, how old were

you when they took you to Big John?

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Speaker 2: I was four.

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I was about four.

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Speaker: This stuff really happens.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it really does.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And interesting.

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And you know, I kind of wonder

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were any kids missing during that time?

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Because he took me to this guy that

had, was, um, dishing out tarot cards.

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And my father did a tarot reading

and they wanted me to participate.

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And he showed me the Diablo

card and he was telling me that

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I need to worship the devil.

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And I said, no, I love Jesus.

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Aw.

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And yeah.

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And so he told my father,

um, she's not gonna work out.

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So what wasn't I gonna work out for?

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And I remember, say again?

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Speaker: How old were you then?

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I was

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Speaker 2: four.

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Yeah, I was four.

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How

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Speaker: did you know Jesus?

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Speaker 2: Say again?

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Speaker: How did you know Jesus?

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Speaker 2: Uh, my grand,

my great-grandmother.

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My great-grandmother

taught me how to pray.

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She taught me how to, um, yeah, she would,

she taught me how to save my prayers

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at night, and I went to Sunday school

and, um, my mom had me Sunday school.

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Speaker: And your parents were doing this?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.

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The appearance.

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I mean, the, it's, it's diabolical.

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Yeah, I know.

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Speaker: Wow.

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Okay.

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Another question.

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Were there things that you

really don't remember at all?

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Speaker 2: Um,

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Speaker: or did you have a memory

and just kind of not go there?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there's

still a few little things that I

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haven't quite uncovered and, um.

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I am gonna need to step out.

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Speaker: Yep, go.

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Speaker 2: Okay.

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I'll be right back.

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Speaker: No worries.

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Speaker 2: All right.

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Make sure you cut this part out.

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There we go.

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Speaker: I pulled you up.

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You're a trooper.

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Are you sure you wanna keep doing this?

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Oh,

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Speaker 2: no.

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I've spoken about this many times.

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And

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Speaker: does it make you sick?

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Because when I get

really scared I get sick.

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Speaker 2: No, uh, I have

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Speaker: You think this is something else?

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Speaker 2: IRR will bow.

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Speaker: Okay.

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All right.

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So this will all be cut out.

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You were talking about there are,

you said there are things I'm still

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uncovering if you wanna start there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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So I know that there was some time that

my brothers took me out in the woods and

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my, my older brother was pimping me to

his friends and he was giving me a nickel

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for every dollar 25 that they collected.

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And, but I don't, I remember the fort.

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I believe there was a mattress

that had been there, or a couch

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that had been there, but I

don't remember all the details.

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But I remember walking on, um, on the

sidewalk part, the, the curb and saying

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something to the effect that, uh, swinging

my little white purse with my little white

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shoes and my purple pants, that if you

want a piece of me, you gotta pay for it.

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Yeah.

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And, and I had to be

four or five years old.

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Yeah, I know.

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It's sick.

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And um,

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it's

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Speaker: sad.

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Speaker 2: It's very sad.

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Yeah.

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So where does, so my brother would've

had to been about 11 or 12 years old.

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Where does a 12-year-old come up with

the idea to do this to his sister and.

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I don't, only my mom can confirm it,

but I believe that she, I know she was

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stripping, uh, because there was the

longest time where I said, you know, I

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don't know why, but when I was five, I

wanted to be a stripper for some reason.

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And, you know, through the treatment I was

able to uncover the entire memory of when

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I walked in to the bedroom and saw my mom

sitting on the floor counting $1 bills.

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And I said, mommy, where

did you get all this money?

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And she said, stripping.

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And, and I can hear the bitterness in

her as she's saying it, stripping, when

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you take your money off, when you take

your clothes off in front of strange

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men, they give you a lot of money for it.

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And so then I wanted to be a stripper

and I was running out into the living

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room telling my brothers that I'm

gonna be a stripper when I grow up.

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Yeah.

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And you know, there were, there were

always these bits and pieces that were,

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um, like one was when my stepfather was,

uh, appearing behind the, the door jam to

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look at me while I was getting dressed.

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And I remembered coming out to tell

my mom, and my mom was standing

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there watching him watch me.

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And there was at least a second time.

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And I, I, where the part that's unclear

is I felt, I know I felt disbelief

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that my mother's allowing this to

happen, but I'm not sure if I went back

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into my room and then came out again.

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And then she was gone, or it was a second

time and it was probably a second time.

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But there were these smaller incidents

that I really hadn't, um, that I

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had just put away and locked away.

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Because as the older I got, the

more I recognized and it was just

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too hard of a thing to accept that

this is what my mom did to me.

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That my mother was the one

that was responsible for it.

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And it wasn't until my mid fifties where

I was able to say, okay, now I'm ready.

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Now I'm ready to

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put that shame back onto the person who

did this, and I'm ready to deal with it.

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Speaker: I'm gonna pop in and we're not

gonna put this in, but I have to tell

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you, have you seen the little thing

floating around you on the camera?

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I

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Speaker 2: have.

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Speaker: Isn't that interesting?

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Speaker 2: What is that?

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Speaker: I have no idea.

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Speaker 2: Oh, okay.

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Yeah.

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All right.

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Speaker: Yeah, like a little,

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Speaker 2: yeah, it did it, it

distracted me too a little bit.

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Speaker: Yeah.

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I was like, what is that?

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Okay.

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But we're gonna jump back in.

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Okay.

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So Don Marie.

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As I live and breathe, I've, I don't

think I've ever really talked to

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someone who's been through so much.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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And I have, as a psychiatrist, I

have, and the, you know, if my walls

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could talk from what they've absorbed.

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And there are so many times, I mean,

I know you're looking at me right

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now about how incredibly strong I

am, and I'm looking at my patients

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about how incredibly strong they are.

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And the truth is trauma is trauma.

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It's all trauma.

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Yeah.

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And it's wrong.

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And it's time to break the cycle.

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And, Hey, they just

arrested Prince Andrew.

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Woo.

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Yeah, he did, he did not know that.

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Yeah.

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I don't think it, I don't think it's

on sexual charges, but hey, they're

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gonna drum up anything to, uh, you

know, they'll drum up anything.

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Okay.

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But yeah, prince Andrew was

just arrested this morning.

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I confirmed it on X, so,

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Speaker: and I been like, I

stay away from a lot of that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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'cause

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Speaker: um, it's just heavy for me.

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Speaker 2: It's too heavy and

it's too much and it's, yeah.

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And it really paints the worldview as this

is such a dangerous, terrible place when

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in reality there are, you can say one in

12 people are psychopaths, but you ask

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could say, 11 out of 12 people are not

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Speaker: right.

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You

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Speaker 2: know, so the majority wins.

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It's just that the psychopaths

have got us believing.

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Speaker: Is that what it is?

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Because sometimes, um, I don't know.

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I just, it's hard for me to grasp.

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All the evil in the world.

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It's really hard for me

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Speaker 2: to, we're

in a spiritual warfare.

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Yes.

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But we have even since the beginning

of time and, um, we as women

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have been at the brunt of it.

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And, uh, you know, we can get

into a biblical discussion if you

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want, if you got five minutes.

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I got five

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Speaker: minutes.

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Speaker 2: Go.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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Well, so I, I looked

at, you know, here I am.

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I'm really questioning what is the Bible

saying and what is our station in life?

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And, you know, I love AI because AI

can give you a whole different view

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and a whole different perspective.

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And it's great at pattern recognizing.

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And so I just kind of had this little

discussion with my buddy Claude Ai

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about Adam and Eve and said, look, what,

what really hap what happened here?

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What does the Bible say that happened?

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And let's analyze this.

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And when you look at.

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We're the, the fall of humanity

has always been the fault of Eve

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Speaker: Uhhuh,

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Speaker 2: right?

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Because she ate the apple.

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But I'm sitting there

thinking, okay, wait a minute.

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Adam was made before Eve.

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Adam's standing there

in the garden with God.

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God told Adam, don't eat from that tree.

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If you eat any other tree here,

but don't eat from that one.

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Yeah, just don't eat that one.

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Which is pretty tempting.

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You know, you know you got this

child, we know we've all raised

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children, so Adam is his child.

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Don't eat that one.

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You got work?

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Come here, son.

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Let me help me name all the animals.

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So you have all these animals.

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That's a lot of time, right?

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So God's putting a lot of time into Adam

and, and then he and Adam is longing.

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He sees all the animals two by

two and they've all got mates.

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And you know, maybe I want somebody too,

I'd like to have somebody, the guy puts

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him in a deep sleep, anesthetizes him,

cuts out his arm, or cuts out his rib.

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Makes eve.

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First thing he says with Eve is, wow,

you know, this is, he's enthralled bone

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on my bones and whatever else he said.

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But it was all just loving and

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Speaker: mm-hmm this

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Speaker 2: is what I've belonged for.

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And then Eve's, they're out in

the garden and the ser comes along

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and the serpent's going, Hey Eve.

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Hey, how you doing?

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And did he tell you

not to do these things?

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Don't you think he's

hiding something from you?

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And you know, she picks the tree, she

eats it, she hands it to her husband.

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He was there with her the entire

time Adam was there with her.

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Adam already knew who the serpent was.

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Adam knew about the tree.

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Adam had been there longer, he was

learned versus Eve Eve's new to the show.

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She's, she's new to the place.

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Adam didn't step up and say, Hey,

snake surfing, get outta here.

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You don't belong here.

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Speaker: John Marie, I can't even

believe you're bringing this up

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because I did a bible study and

we looked at the Hebrew roots

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Speaker 2: Uhhuh and it's so

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Speaker: funny 'cause my husband would

be like, that's all nuts and crazy.

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And now it's all coming out.

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Everything that we would talk about is

like all like kind of coming to light,

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Speaker 2: right?

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It's right here.

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Right?

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And so we're looking at, and so

now here we are, we're looking at

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today's world and where women belong.

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And this is kind of my whole basis

for my women physician coaching

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group is that where do we belong?

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Because I'll tell you when I, on

my, so here's tragedy, my first

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day of rotation for surgery.

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I'm standing there at the locker room, I

looked to the left, it said surgeons and

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I looked to the right and it said, nurses

and my girlfriend and I looked at each

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other and said, which one do we go into?

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And we start laughing because

we know what it means.

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So I'm like, you know, I've

already been beaten up enough

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in my life, I'm getting do.

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And so I started walking to the

left and then she grabbed me.

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She's like, no, D dm.

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No, you can't.

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We can't.

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Come on.

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You know what that means?

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You know where we belong.

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Speaker: Okay.

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And Don Marie, this is the thing.

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This is what I want you to know.

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When I studied the Hebrew roots, when

we studied the Hebrew roots, we're

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sitting there and we're reading it and

this, this one girl goes, wait a minute.

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She goes, God told Adam not to eat

from that tree, but Eve wasn't there.

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Speaker 2: Exactly.

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Speaker: And then Adam is standing with

Eve and he doesn't tell her not to.

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Yes,

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Speaker 2: exactly.

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Yes, exactly.

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Yeah.

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Adam was a jerk.

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Adam is an idiot

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Speaker: in that moment.

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Okay, we're all sinners.

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But in that moment,

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Speaker 2: but in that

401

Speaker: moment, blame has been put on

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Speaker 2: her.

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Right.

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And he didn't shoulder his blame.

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So even if was like, Hey, the serpent

told me to do it and I did it.

406

Mm-hmm.

407

So she kind of, yes, she shifted

some blame over to the serpent.

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But then what did Adam say?

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That woman that you brought in here?

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Not my wife.

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My wife David.

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No, that woman that you Not my

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Speaker: equal,

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not

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Speaker: my partner.

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Speaker 2: Not that woman

that you brought in.

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He blamed God, you brought her in here.

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You're responsible.

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You're the one who brought her in here.

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And so Adam blames God, Adam blames

Eve, and then he acts all innocent.

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Like, well, yeah.

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And then, then I just hate

it 'cause she gave it to me.

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Speaker: Right.

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Speaker 2: You knew where it came from.

425

And your sin is more reprehensible than

Eve's because Eve is the naive one.

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Speaker: Right?

427

Speaker 2: And so Eve women are

blamed for the fall when in reality

428

the big picture was the man himself.

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Speaker: Right?

430

Speaker 2: And that's

not how we were designed.

431

Speaker: No.

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Speaker 2: When we look at

Azer Kdo, it's a powerful ally.

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We are powerful allies to men.

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Jordan Peterson said, I was listening

just to one of his little blurbs.

435

He said, men don't know how to

compete with women in the workplace.

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They know how to compete with

other men, but they, they don't

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know how to compete with women.

438

Well step back, Jordan Peterson.

439

'cause here's the thing, we're not

meant to compete with other men.

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Speaker: Mm-hmm.

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Speaker 2: We're meant

to be a powerful ally.

442

We have a whole nother unique perspective

to bring to the table so that we

443

can work side by side and together.

444

Speaker: Amen.

445

Speaker 2: So that we

can all be prosperous.

446

Speaker: Amen.

447

So, so good.

448

Dawn Marie, I didn't even, I had

no idea I would get all of this.

449

Amazing.

450

Speaker 2: It's always a

big, it's a journey with me.

451

Speaker: It's such a great conversation.

452

I'm honestly, you're

gonna have to come back.

453

I'm not, of course.

454

You just wanna have more

conversations with you.

455

Speaker 2: Yes.

456

Speaker: So, and this is

probably gonna be two parts.

457

'cause we've been chatting

way more than I thought.

458

I'll figure out how to splice it up.

459

But let's leave our

listeners with something.

460

Okay.

461

So this is like an amazing

story to hear, I feel.

462

Oh, because you're showing that

you went through all of that.

463

Speaker 2: Yeah.

464

Speaker: And you are saying you can heal.

465

So for that woman who's listening

to this and they wanna heal, what's

466

something that they can do simple right

now today that's not too overwhelming,

467

that can help them begin to heal?

468

Speaker 2: Uh, one thing is you

have to come up with a mindset that

469

there are going to be bad days.

470

And just because you have bad days and

you have setbacks, doesn't mean that

471

you're completely broken and hopeless.

472

Okay?

473

There are going to be, there's gonna

be doubt that sneaks in, there's going

474

to be moments of hopelessness, but

you're gonna continue to move forward

475

because you're going to continue

to have more and more better data.

476

Speaker: Okay.

477

Speaker 2: The other thing they can

do is regulate their vagus nerve.

478

And so they can Stevens something,

I can't remember his last name.

479

Uh, if you just look up polyvagal theory,

that's P-O-L-Y-V-A-G-A-L theory, you

480

can learn about the theory about how the

vagus nerve is stuck in those places.

481

And what I do there, there are,

he gives a whole pile of different

482

suggestions on things to do about

things, about how to ground yourself.

483

And, um, there's kind of the 5, 4,

3, 2, 1 method where, uh, you use all

484

your senses, the five things that you

could see, four things that you could

485

touch, um, three things that you can

hear, two things that you can smell,

486

one thing that you can, uh, taste.

487

And that is one means of grounding you.

488

What I like to do is I like to start.

489

Every morning, and I did it

before we came to this podcast.

490

Um, I love Spotify.

491

There's a, there's some African

drumming music, and I spend 10 minutes

492

a day on, usually on my front porch.

493

It was raining this morning,

but usually on my front porch.

494

And I look out at all my trees and I use a

weighted, it's downstairs, it's not here.

495

Um, I use a weighted, uh,

oh, a weighted hula hoop.

496

They're anywhere from, they're

about $30 off of Amazon.

497

Speaker: Mm-hmm.

498

Speaker 2: And they come

up, they're segmented.

499

And so you can adjust it to your size.

500

And I start, I do five minutes clockwise

and five minutes counterclockwise while

501

I'm listening to African drum music.

502

Because the drumming itself creates

a rhythm that helps rhythmically

503

align your vagus nerve so that you

can stabilize your vagus nerve.

504

Um, usually at first thing in the

morning, I listen to a different,

505

uh, it, it's, it's on Spotify,

it's called the Polyvagal.

506

Playlist and it starts out with some

very low music and it gets me energized

507

and then, um, brings me forward so that

I can get up out of bed and, you know,

508

go wake up my son and start my day.

509

And

510

Speaker: I'm sorry to interrupt, but the

African drumming is different than the

511

Speaker 2: poly.

512

The is a different, uh, is a different

playlist than the polyvagal playlist.

513

Yeah.

514

Speaker: Can you do me a favor?

515

Speaker 2: Yeah.

516

Can

517

Speaker: you email those to me so

I can put them in the show notes?

518

Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, absolutely.

519

Yeah.

520

So that we can get the Spotify link.

521

Sure.

522

Mm-hmm.

523

Um, so yeah, these are just, well,

there's gonna be three that I'm gonna

524

send you, and then I have another

playlist, uh, that I developed for

525

my friend with the help of some ai.

526

I just, I looked up GR and I said,

Hey, I need some music that will take

527

me, you know, based on the polyvagal

theory, that will take me from agitation.

528

And hyperactivity down to calm

so that I can go to sleep.

529

And I came up with a nice list

and I pulled things that I liked.

530

And, um, you know, I had my friend,

I tell him from the time you leave

531

the emergency room put on this

one, it starts out with Nora Jones.

532

And, uh, and then it goes all the

way out to um, just, uh, some, some

533

beautiful chanting music that's on there.

534

Um, it, um, Nara KA is on there.

535

There's just all this music that,

uh, is rhythmically dynamic.

536

Um, tour.

537

It's taking your vagus nerve from that

flight response and that nervous energy

538

down into a calm, restful energy.

539

And so that's what I've done.

540

Speaker: I feel like I need to

do that a couple times during the

541

day, but now I just have to ask

you about that weighted hula hoop.

542

Speaker 2: Yeah.

543

Speaker: Do you actually hula hoop because

I can't really hula hoop very well.

544

Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so the

weighted hole hoop is, no, I know.

545

I never could either.

546

I know I was never able to h hoop.

547

I could never get it down.

548

And then I had the, we Fit for

a while and I was like, wow, you

549

Hulu for the first time in my life.

550

It was exciting, but yeah.

551

And then the kids broke it, but um,

yeah, so that was the end of that.

552

Oh wow.

553

So, um, yeah, so we weighted hula hoop.

554

It's interesting, it's segmented

so you can adjust the size and you

555

just, I put mine around my hips now

because my waist is getting thin

556

enough, so I put it around my hip.

557

And it also just kind of gives, it

gives me a different balance area

558

because I'm trying to work the hips

a little bit more than, and so it

559

helps to, it does more than one thing.

560

It helps develop your core, so

you're developing your core body

561

and, um, and it, it has a string

so it's not gonna fall off.

562

So it's a string with a

little weight at the end.

563

Oh, yeah.

564

Yeah.

565

So, and you just, you know, I

just swing it around and then

566

I just start moving my hips.

567

And I could probably, now, as much as

I've been practicing, I could probably do

568

a, a real hula hoop, um, at this point.

569

Uh, but, um.

570

Yeah.

571

So you just, you know, you don't

have to worry about the whole of

572

hope falling off all the time.

573

You're actually getting the benefit and

you're, um, so you're getting the benefit

574

of, of establishing, you know, your core.

575

I'm standing taller afterwards because

I have to adjust myself while I'm doing

576

it to keep it moving and keep it going.

577

So there's that added benefit.

578

And then between the drumming and

the rhythmic, the rhythmic beats

579

of the drums and the rhythmic,

580

there we go.

581

The rhythm of the, the rhythm of

the, of the who will hoop itself

582

all helps adjust the vagus nerve.

583

Speaker: Okay.

584

I love that.

585

Okay, so there's the little tidbit for

people, something that they can do to

586

help them get through trauma right now.

587

Speaker 2: Yeah.

588

Speaker: And as we're getting to the end

here, we're, you're freezing up a little,

589

so it's probably a good time to stop.

590

But Don Marie, this is not goodbye.

591

Speaker 2: Yeah.

592

' Speaker: cause I really, really want

to chat with you more because I have

593

love, I feel like I have a new friend

and I love this conversation so much.

594

I so appreciate you.

595

Thank you for doing what you're doing,

and we never really got into how

596

you kinda switch careers, but we're,

we're gonna talk about that next time.

597

Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.

598

Absolutely, absolutely.

599

Speaker: Might feel better.

600

So thank you for sharing your story.

601

Speaker 2: You're welcome.

602

Thank you.

603

Yeah.

604

Speaker: I loved having you here.

605

You're just a gem.

606

Thank you, Don Bri.

607

Speaker 2: Thank you, Lisa.

608

I.