(Content note: includes discussion of sexual abuse and trauma.)

In this episode, I sit down with my sixteen-year-old daughter, Elli, to talk about something we don’t often hear directly from teenagers: what happens when fear takes over your life after trauma. Elli shares how being sexually abused changed the way her brain worked, how it made the world feel unsafe, and how she began to pull away from people who loved her because letting anyone close felt terrifying.

She also shares the small, brave steps she’s taken to walk herself back toward trust — choosing to stretch her comfort zone, say yes to new experiences, and slowly build a life that isn’t ruled by fear.

This isn’t a conversation about having it all figured out. It’s about what it looks like, in real time, for a sixteen-year-old to tell her story,  ...