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TRUE WORK-LIFEBALANCEWhat does true work-life balancereally mean? Hint: the scales tiptowards lifeADVOCATING AS A SPECIALNEEDS MOMRead about a mother's quest for compassion &empathy for all special needs childrenFINDING YOUR MAGICEncanto has been a Disney Hit, and it hasalso shed some light on the traumaschildren face in adulthood. Read oneeducators take on the filmJuly 2022

Always,Lorilee BinstockEditor in ChiefAuthentic Insider | Page 02Dear Readers,We are in the heat of summer and while school is out,many people will still be working and grinding. But are youliving to work or working to live? Sarah Correa-Dibardiscusses how Gen Zers in America are living the ideals oftrue work-life balance. How can we tip the scales towardsourselves?Parenting is difficult and it's true that it takes a village.Educator Cameron Johnson breaks down the Disney hitEncanto and generational trauma. How does it feel toparent a special needs child? Children's Book Author,Michelle Wagner, decided to write a book to advocate forher child with cochlear implants. Read her story behindthe book, Micky on the Move.In this month's Prosecutor POV, Kathryn Marsh examinesa story she hears all too often. Believing survivors canseem like a common-sense concept, but sadly, it rarelyplays out that way (trigger warning).Podcaster Samantha Moss provides her medical musingswhile living with chronic pain from multiple medical issuesand how she created lemonade from lemons. 2015 Amtrak Survivor and Author Geralyn Ritter sharesan excerpt from her newly released book, Bone by Bone.Marci Moberg continues her series on healing traumathrough the subconscious mind. This month she discussesher work with psychedelics.Cali Binstock provides a Healing through Art Prompt withMeditative Painting. And as in every issue, we have yourAIM Playlist for Sounds of Summer, along with my picksfor children and adult books. Plus, check out Joy Larkin'sTwin Flame Readings to see what's in store for you thismonth. Lorilee Binstock

Authentic Insider | Page 03Monthly Contributors

Authentic Insider | Page 04July Contributors

Authentic Insider | Page 05Gen Z ContributorSubconscious Healing Series Contributor

Y O U RS U M M E RI S S U EProsecutor's POV: Kathryn Marsh10 Believe SurvivorsGen Z POV: Sarah Correa-Dibar14 Decentering Work From Our LivesHealing Through Art: 44 Meditative Painting46 AIM Playlist47 Recommended Books49 Joy's Reading1029I N E V E R Y I S S U EI N T H I S I S S U E421433Authentic Insider | Page 06By: Samantha MossBy: Laura Lynn23 When Life Gives Your Lemons:Living with Chronic Illness29 Uncovering Suppressed TraumaBy: Marci Moberg18 3 Unexpected Lessons From MyWork with Psychedelic Plant Medicines33 Finding Purpose as a Special Needs MomBy: Michelle WagnerJ U L Y 2 0 2 2By: Geralyn Ritter38 Bone By Bone42 Finding Your MagicBy: Cameron Johnson

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t’s a Tuesday, and Ella gets dressed for school. Sheputs on leggings under her uniform skirt, a t-shirt, anda sweater. She’s doubling up today because she knowsJohn will pick her up and every layer counts. She gets onthe school bus with a pit in her stomach but goes onabout her day. At school, all the teachers love Ella. She’squiet but smart. She makes straight As and never actsout. Throughout the day, Ella watches the clock hoping3:45 pm wouldn’t come, but it does. She packs up herschool supplies and heads for the door. John is waitingto pick her up. He waves when Ella comes into thecafeteria with all of the other car riders, and all toosoon, they’re on the way out the door and getting intoJohn’s car.The drive home is the same as every Tuesday. Johnput’s his hand on Ella’s leg and starts to rub his hand upand down her thigh. Ella tenses. She knows what’scoming. When they get home, Ella goes to her room,and John comes in and closes the door. He sits down onthe bed and tells her that her Mom will be home in 30minutes, so they have to be quick. Ella says no, just likeshe does every Tuesday, but John says maybe he willstart picking up her younger sister and save her momthe trip. Determined to protect her little sister, Ellawalks over to the bed and tries her best to block outeverything that happens next. It’s the same thing thathappens every Tuesday, from when John pushes hisfingers inside her to when he puts his penis in hermouth. Authentic Insider | Page 10Why We Need to BelieveSexual Assault Survivors Written by Kathryn Marsh, Prosecutor POVI

Authentic Insider | Page 11Shortly after he finishes, her Mom arrives home with herlittle sister. Ella doesn’t say anything to her Mom,because if she does, what will John do to her sister?On Wednesday, Ella tells a friend at school, and thatfriend tells her mom. The friend’s mom calls childprotective services. An investigation begins and Ellafinally tells someone what’s happening. Trusting theadults, the police, and the prosecuting attorney to keepher and her sister safe, she believes she can finally makeJohn stop.Months later, Ella walks into a courtroom. She stares at14 strangers looking at her, the Judge, and John. It’s soquiet and they’re all just looking at her, even John. Theprosecutor asks Ella to tell the strangers about what Johnhas been doing to her. Ella explains that it started whenshe was 8, a couple of years ago. Ella tells them whatTuesdays were like for her. When Ella is finished, John’sattorney starts asking questions. What were you wearingthe first time John touched you? The last time? What didyou have for dinner the last Tuesday it happened? Whatdid you do after dinner? Over and over asking for tinydetails that Ella didn’t know the answers to, and sinceshe has promised to tell the truth over and over again,she says, “I don’t know.”John’s attorney continued – “if he was abusing you allthese years, that’s a shocking thing, right? So you shouldremember, right? How could you get straight A’s? Howcome no one at school suspected anything?” For over anhour, he asked Ella questions she couldn’t answer. Whenhe finished Ella looked at all those strangers staring ather. She thought they didn’t believe her now, that thiswas all for nothing, that she would never be safe.The prosecuting attorney asked her another question-“Ella, why don’t you remember what specific leggingsyou were wearing under your uniform skirt? What T-shirt? Or even what you ate? Ella’s voice cracks when shereplies, “because it was a Tuesday, just like everyTuesday before, it just happened all the time and I can’tremember one Tuesday from another.” Ella looked onemore time at all those strangers in the courtroom, stoodup on her 10-year-old legs, and walked out of thecourtroom hoping and praying the adults got it right.Sadly, Ella’s story is not unique. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13boys in the United States will experience child sexualabuse (CSA) and only 12% of all CSA cases are neverreported to the police. Further, only 30% of CSA isreported during the victim’s childhood. When it comesto child sexual abuse, strangers are not the danger. Over90% of all child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someoneknown and trusted by the child. The trauma of child sexual abuse stays with a survivorforever. On average CSA carries an economic cost of$283,000 during the individual survivor’s lifetime. Thesecosts derive from counseling, health care, special

education, sick days, court costs, and more. The JohnsHopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found in2015 that the economic impact of child sexual abuse inthe United States was roughly $9.3 billion. Child SexualAbuse is a personal crisis but is also a national health andeconomic crisis. Every day brave boys and girls find the courage to speakthe truth, and so often the adults in the room get itwrong. They either don’t believe the children who comeforward or they don’t properly protect the children fromcontinued and ongoing abuse. No one wants to believethat someone they entrusted their children with wouldabuse their children. No one wants to have to decidebetween a roof over their and their children’s heads orbelieving what they would rather not talk about or haveto acknowledge.We live in a culture where we expect DNA evidence,pictures, videos, or at the very least for children to beable to provide specific details before we are willing tobelieve. When it’s “just” touching and “oral,” there isoften no scientific evidence. When it happens in thehome or the child’s room, there generally aren’t camerasto capture the abuser approaching the child or recordingtheir interactions. The small details, what were youwearing when it happened, what did you do right after?Those are questions children who are abused over andover again cannot answer. Ask yourself, do youremember what you were wearing two Tuesdays ago?Three? When something is routine do you remember thesmall details? Why do we set such a high burden onchildren before we are willing to believe them? Is achild’s word worth less than an adult’s?Every day across the country a child is wondering onlyone thing. “Will I be believed?” What will your answerbe?*Statistics from RAINN, Public Health JHU, CDCAuthentic Insider | Page 12

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And so with the sunshine andthe great bursts of leavesgrowing on the trees, just asthings grow in fast movies, Ihad that familiar convictionthat life was beginning overagain with the summer.F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

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Authentic Insider | Page 19What I didn’t expect was that thesacred medicine would reveal my soul’ssacred role here on Earth and that ithad to do with these sacred plantmedicines. Here are three unexpected lessons I’velearned so far:

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What is psychedelic integration?Authentic Insider | Page 21

e all know the saying;“When life gives you lemons, use them to makelemonade”It conjures up the notion of strength,determination, optimism, resourcefulness, andresilience.All characteristics I’ve drawn on to deal with the“chronic illness lemons” continuously thrown atme.My lemons often feel like balls catapulting out ofone of those tennis training machines. You knowthe ones where the balls keep pumping out, so youcan become a Wimbledon champion.WhenLife GivesYouLemons...Lemon JugglingThere are days when my lemons all come at onceand I need specialized juggling skills.In my Blog and Podcast, I often talk about my bonepain, due to broken bones caused by my rare bonedisease. It’s generally all-consuming. When I say broken bones it's probably hard toimagine exactly what I mean, so let me explain.2 right femur breaks;7-foot fractures;Left side sacral fracture;Severe Lumbar Spinal Stenosis from L3 to S1;Spinal Compression Fractures;Compressed nerves at L4 causing intermittent Paralysis(my last episode was in September 2021 resulting in 5weeks bedbound in hospital, with a further 7 weeks athome, with carers and a rehab team, assisting me tostand, sit upright and mobilize a little). I'm still waiting for a customized wheelchair to be builtto allow me to get out of the house. I've beenhousebound for 6 months.My first major break was my left femur. It literally snappedin two on the 6th of October 2014, as I was walking to mybedroom door. That day is indelibly written in my mind. It'san epic story for another time and one I tell in my recentlypublished book, "My Medical Musings, A Story of Love,Laughter, Faith, and Hope; Living with a Rare Disease"After the initial left femur break, which is struggling to heal8 years later, I also have:By Samantha MossWAuthentic Insider | Page 23

I also have a permanent Colostomy due to an inoperablerectal prolapse, significant Hair Loss, Rheumatoid Arthritisand more recently Anemia has been added to the list.These are my main lemons. These lemons often all play up at once. They don’t care ifI’m tired, have to get ready for an appointment or have awriting deadline. They don’t care if I’d like to relax whilewatching a favorite TV show. They love to interrupt,disturb, poke, prod, and generally misbehave when Idefinitely have no desire to make lemonade!!So, what can I, or any of us do, on lemon juggling days?We can only try to find a way to make the best whenfaced with life-changing situations.We are all unique, so my brand of "life-coping lemonade,"will likely look different from yours.I want mine to be clear, not cloudy.I want it to be a little sweet but not sugary.I want it to be soothing, comforting, and refreshing.I want it to have ingredients that will remove the sour,acidic taste they have if left raw.The key is a range of ingredients all working together,which will help manage my lemons and make it uniqueand right for me.These lemons often all play up at once. They don’t careif I’m tired, have to get ready for an appointment orhave a writing deadline. My Brand Of Life Coping LemonadeAuthentic Insider | Page 24

Optimism – always finding a reasonto smile and be grateful.Faith – not just my solid faith in God but faith inmy medical team, faith in my strength andresilience;Hope – tomorrow will be a better day;Love – is a great reason to push through. Lovefor my husband, family, and friends;Trust – in medical advice, carers, friends, andfamily;Courage – resolve to not give up;Patience – realistic expectations of myself, ofothers, and processes outside of my control;Determination – resolve to push through pain, ifsafe to do so, to achieve necessary goals.Peace – keeping stress levels under control;Optimism – always finding a reason to smile andbe grateful.There are a few key elements to my Lemonade.Some tangible and some intangible.My intangible ingredients are so important:My Lemonade IngredientsAuthentic Insider | Page 25

Medication;Keeping medical appointments;Bed rest;Pacing;A good diet;Relaxation time;Connecting with family and friends;Good hygiene and grooming – nice clothes, hair styled or pretty headwear and a littlemakeup;Each of these intangible ingredients helps me find reasons to keep going, to achieve a newpurpose in my life when there is every reason to stay in bed and pull the covers over myhead.My tangible lemonade ingredients include:Each of these intangible ingredients helps mefind reasons to keep going, to achieve a newpurpose in my life...Authentic Insider | Page 26

Keeping my home clean and tidy;Keeping a schedule of all tasks/ appointments/special events etc on my phone;My online volunteer work;My Blog / Podcast;My Online Support Forum for people withchronic illness.All of the above are tangible crutches to lean on togive me a renewed focus and purpose. When life’slemons are pounding you from every direction,these ingredients provide a navigation map.My book, blog, and podcast, all have a recurringtheme:"Chronic Illness is a part of your life, not all of yourlife"Once you have your own life-changing ingredientsin place, they will help you create a lemonade tosoothe you in your time of need and providestrategies to conquer what seems insurmountable.You can begin to live a purposeful life and not beconsumed by your chronic illness.No matter your struggle, when overwhelmed, take abreak. Breathe. Cancel all activities. Make some timeto just sit for a while and think about what you needto change, or live with, to deal with your challengingcircumstances. What do you need to have emotional well-being?This is an important starting point. When we don’tfeel strong emotionally, it makes it so much harderto deal with the physical or practical issues. Write down all your "life-changing lemonade"ingredients that will change, or help you cope with,your circumstances.This lemonade needs to contain all the things youknow are good for you.No matter your struggle,when overwhelmed, take abreak. Breathe. Cancel allactivities.It’s a process, it may take weeks or months. Takeyour time, change ingredients if needed.Remember, "Chronic Illness is a part of your life, notall of your life,"Authentic Insider | Page 27

iving in Hawaii is a dream to most people;but as a child, it was a suppressed nightmare.I was the oldest of six children and lived in abig house with extended relatives. The househad seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, threeliving rooms, and two kitchens. My dad was afirefighter and my mom, was a housewife.Things seemed like a normal childhood at thetime, but now when I look back, I know that itwasn’t.There were people coming in and out of thehouse throughout the day and every once in awhile, my parents would host crap games. Asa child, I would wake up in the middle of thenight to use the bathroom and see my momcleaning the floor. When asking for schoollunch money, my dad would pull out a wad ofcash and accidentally give me $100. Onetime, my brother and I were hiding in thewalk-in closet while adults started walkinginto the room and that is where we saw themsmoking Crystal Meth. Of course, we didn’tknow what they were doing at the time; butas I got older, I realized what my life was.I was 12 years old when the S.W.A.T. teamraided our house. I remembered it was nightand I was in the back room when I heard thefront door trying to be knocked down. Oncethey got in, all the adults had dropped to thefloor and they took all the children to anotherside of the house. I remembered one of mycousins crying, but I was wondering whybecause it was my parents they took away,not hers. It was at that point I realized I wasnumb to certain things, that I was more of anobserver of what was happening, instead ofgoing through the emotions of what I wasexperiencing.Now, after that experience and growing upinto adulthood, I never knew I neededhealing. Being in the military, they speakabout mental health, but I felt I was normaland didn’t need any type of therapy. Afterhaving two children and going through adivorce, I had to really look at my life and theevents that led me to that moment. This iswhen I made the decision to look deeperwithin myself and heal the pain I’veWritten by Laura LynnAuthentic Insider | Page 29

experienced in life. I began this amazinghealing journey two years ago and haven’tstopped since.Throughout my healing journey, there werethe surface-level experiences that I had toheal, most of which were more recent anddue to past relationships; two failedmarriages and several relationships inbetween. Then there were the deeper-levelexperiences that have been suppressed dueto my traumatic childhood. What Idescribed earlier was just a glimpse of thereality I wanted to forget forever.Then I discovered Hypnotherapy and itchanged my life forever. Little did I know,my healing journey with Hypnotherapywould have me face the ‘skeletons in thecloset’ that I’d hope to never speak of. Forthe first time, when someone asked me,“what happened in your childhood?” Tearsran down my face as I said, “I was sexuallyabused.” It was like a release came out of my constricted throat. I felt a relief, as that wasthe first time that I ever told someone. At first, I thought I was cured and that Ididn’t need to do anything more with that.Then I discovered that there were moreparts of me that were holding onto thosehorrific experiences. I came to realize thateach time I had been sexually abused, thatpart of me was suppressed and shoved intothe closet so that I could live a somewhatnormal life. At that point, I knew I was on amission to heal those parts and heal myinner children if I wanted a better life. I hadto face those shadow parts, the parts thatheld onto shame, disgust, anguish, and hate.I became an internal warrior. Nothing wasgoing to hold me back anymore.I could feel myself becoming stronger, Icould sense myself knowing who I was andwhat I was capable of. I chose me, I chose toheal, I chose to overcome my traumaticexperiences by facing them. I started to put Authentic Insider | Page 30

the pieces of the puzzle of myself backtogether. I really began to love myself, forgivemyself, and forgive every one that had everhurt me. Nothing could have been soliberating and nothing can stop me from nowbecoming the best version of myself.That is when I discovered my calling as aHypnotherapist and now I help other peopleheal from their pain and heal their traumaticexperiences in life. My message to others is,“You’re not alone and you don’t have to dothis alone. It is possible to heal your trauma. Itis possible to be free from the pain you’vebeen carrying for so long. It is possible to livea happy life. It is possible to let go of the oldyou to create a new you. Your experiencedoesn’t define you. You can’t change whathappened, but you can change how it affectsyou now. Take back your power and chooseto heal.” I really beganto love myself,forgivemyself, andforgive everyone that hadever hurt me.Laura Lynn is a Certified Hypnotherapist, IntuitiveStrategist, and Medical Intuitive. She has a passion forthe energetic healing arts for the Body, Mind, and Soul.Eclectically collaborating various modalities that shehas learned over the years, she is able to help peopleon many different levels of their being. She has theability to hold space for people that have experienceddeep sexual trauma because she is a survivor herself.She can help people on one side of spectrum withsomething as simple as wanting to shift unhealthyhabits, to the other side of the spectrum withcomplexities like healing trauma. Her mission in life isto have a global impact by starting a ripple effect ofhealing that radiates to the heart of every living being. Authentic Insider | Page 31

-Walt Whitman

FINDING PURPOSEFINDING PURPOSEAs a Special Needs MomAs a Special Needs MomBy Michelle Wagnerthat moment when the audiology specialiststold us that Mickey was profoundly deaf. It wasthen that we were asked the question ofwhether we wanted a speaking child or asigning child. Speaking child, we both said. Wecouldn’t imagine life without hearing Mickey’ssweet voice. As such, we quickly becameexperts on the research, which pointed tobilateral cochlear implants as Mickey’s bestshot of having a “normal” life. When Mickeywas 3 years old, he underwent a 6-hour longprocedure of receiving bilateralcochlear implants. As Mickey’s hearing e adopted Mickey at 18 months oldfrom Russia. Over the first few weeks, werealized that Mickey wasn’t responding tosound, and it wasn’t a language barrier aswe first thought. I remember banging potsand pans loudly in the kitchen, my heartsinking when he didn’t respond. Afterseeing Mickey’s pediatrician, and ultimatelyan ENT, Mickey was diagnosed with hearingloss and was fitted with hearing aids at age3. After no improvement in Mickey’shearing, we took him to UCSF and wentright into the fast lane. I still rememberAuthentic Insider | Page 33

Authentic Insider | Page 34Mickey & his Grandma I remember banging pots andpans loudly in the kitchen,my heart sinking when hedidn’t respond.

The best part ofthe book isshowing howMickey can havea normal life,being in schoolwith other kids.Authentic Insider | Page 35Mickey & his mother,Michelle

Mickey is now 14 and thriving the way Iknew he was destined to.Authentic Insider | Page 36

r. M, my kind and straightforward orthopedicsurgeon, sent me for a series of X-rays on my chest,neck, back, and pelvis. When we met to go over them,he told me the news I was most eager to hear: I couldstart bearing weight on my left side. My pelvis washealing, and I would be able to walk again! I could beginusing a pair of crutches. He said putting weight on myleft side would hurt, but it wouldn’t do any damage tomy body. He looked me straight in the eyes with aserious expression and pointed his finger. “Come backin six weeks,” he instructed, “and I want to see you walkthrough that door when you do.” An almost-mischievous grin spread across his face, and I felt tearswell up in my eyes.When I’d gathered my emotions, I asked about the joltsof sudden pain I had been feeling in my right leg. Dr. Mexplained that the pain was caused by the internalfixation hardware in my pelvis. The metal bar screwed TRAUMA SURVIVOR ON REGAINING CONSCIOUSNESS AFTERAMTRAK DERAILMENTinto each side of my pelvis, holding the right and leftsides together, and it was lying directly on a majornerve on the right side. He explained matter-of-factlythat it was unavoidable, given where they had to placethe bar and screw it into my hip bone. I felt betterknowing what was causing the strange, debilitatingpains down my “good” side. I had wondered if it was allin my head. “We’ll remove the bar in September,” hesaid. “That may solve the issue, but there are noguarantees.”Once again, I felt like a yo-yo. The benefit of the leading-edge orthopedic surgery I had received allowed thehardware to be placed inside my body and allowed meto recover at home instead of spending many moremonths in the hospital with giant metal bars protrudingfrom my hips. But the searing, burning nerve pain downmy right leg was the price I would pay, with only anassurance that it “should” go away.By: Geralyn RitterThe following is an excerpt from Bone by Bone: A Memoir of Trauma and Healing.Authentic Insider | Page 38

Authentic Insider | Page 39“What about my ribs?” I asked. “Do you know howlong they will hurt?”Dr. M again looked at me intently but kindly, his darkeyes serious. He sighed. “Geralyn, people complainthat the pain from one or two broken ribs can last formonths. Your rib cage—he paused, searching for theright word—“was annihilated.” Dr. M neversugarcoated anything.As that statement sunk in, he explained that theproblem with broken ribs is that they are constantlymoving—they expand with each inhale and contractwith each exhale. So healing is slow and painful. Weweren’t dealing with a few clean breaks either. My ribshad been crushed into maybe twenty pieces. WhenDr. M was putting them back together it was likegluing together a broken vase. That’s why he decidedto put metal plates on my ribs, although not all thebreaks could be healed that way. Some of the ribs were left to heal in a disconnected, zigzag manner. “Youmight have pain for six to eight months, or a year, or thepain might never go away.”“Never” is a big word. I chose to focus on the low end ofhis estimate—pain for six to eight months. This wasdepressing enough. So far, with the help of massivedoses of fentanyl, OxyContin, and other painmedications, I had made it to month three. “I wake up in the night from the pain,” I explained, “andsometimes I feel like I can’t breathe because they hurt somuch.”“You need to practice deep breathing,” Dr. M said. Hetold me I needed to get the air down to the bottom of mylungs to stave off the threat of a lung infection. He’d givenme an incentive spirometer, a plastic device thatmeasures the depth of your breath. “Remember to use ita dozen times a day to fully inflate your lungs.” I couldn’t

Authentic Insider | Page 40imagine ever getting used to the heavy painfulsensation of taking a deep breath.As I made my way to my next visit, the good news Dr.M had given me was still ringing in my ears. I wouldwalk again! And soon I would be free of thewheelchair and the walker! That same day, myneurologist also gave me permission to throw awaythe cervical collar, declaring that the brokenvertebrae in my neck had sufficiently healed, and thedanger of damage to my spinal cord had passed. Andthe vascular surgeon told me the large blood clots inmy legs had resolved, so the filter implanted in myvena cava could soon be removed as well, withanother surgery later in the fall. This was progress.“Never” is a big word. I chose tofocus on the low end of hisestimate—pain for six to eightmonths. This was depressingenough. So far, with the help ofmassive doses of fentanyl,OxyContin, and other painmedications, I had made it tomonth three.A recognized expert in healthcare policy, Geralyn Ritteris executive vice president at Organon & Co., a globalhealthcare company dedicated to the health of women,with nearly 10,000 employees and a presence in over140 countries. She was formerly senior vice-president atMerck & Co., Inc., one of the largest pharmaceuticalcompanies in the world. She has spearheaded globalgovernment affairs and policy, led initiatives oncorporate governance and corporate responsibility,created and launched a widely acclaimed half-billion-dollar philanthropic initiative to end preventablematernal deaths around the globe, and served asPresident of the Merck Foundation. In 2020, on behalf ofMerck, Geralyn accepted the Disability Employer of theYear award. Ritter is also the author of a new book, Boneby Bone: A Memoir of Trauma and Healing about herrecovery from injuries in the 2015 Amtrak derailment.

ncanto had to touch nerves, right? Who was the villain? Who was the hero? It didnot follow the “traditional” Disney format ofgood versus evil. Sure, the music waswonderful and I am still not allowed to talkabout Bruno in my house. But, what if I toldyou it addressed a core issue that many of usattempt to avoid. An issue that wegenerationally avoid. We mask it withmaterialistic ideas and creating social mediapost to keep up with the new “Joneses.” That is trauma, family trauma. The skeletonsthat we hid in the closet hoping no one sees.Parenting through this trauma can bedamaging. We do not realize the impact it hason our children because it is somethingfamiliar. We either stay the course completelyor go so far left that we fail to find real balancein what we are doing. Before we got into it, let me show you howEncanto got it right. Let's look at Abuela.Abuela had plans of a beautiful life with hertriplets and husband. Due to a raid, she losther house and husband. The “Encanto” shecreated from that moment, was used to movemountains and create a new home for herfamily. The Encanto also created abilities in herchildren. Pepa was able to control theweather with her mood. In real life, that can beseen as an anxiety so vivid that it affects the worldaround her and everyone else. Julieta's power wasto heal with food. This can be translated to havingthe need to fix everything. Can I go as far assaying she married someone that wouldconstantly need her? Bee stings all the time?Bruno's ability to anticipate what would happennext but never got a clear picture was anotherform of anxiety. The family blamed everything onhim. He then felt disappearing would be the bestthing for the family.Written by Cameron JohnsonAuthentic Insider | Page 42

1 9We are all living with different levels of trauma. Iwould never tell anyone when and how they shouldget over it. What I say is to accept your truths.This generational effect trickles down to thegrandchildren. Isabella was labeled the goldenchild. Seemingly perfect but then rebels from theideas of that perfection. Luisa can do everythingand will not, cannot admit to worry or fatigue.Camilo shapeshifts. He doesn’t feel that he'senough, so has to turn into other people. Delores isalways paying attention, afraid to miss anything.Antonio feels unheard so he talks to the animals.Then we have Maribel. The one that was seen asunexceptional. She didn’t get a gift. Her gift isn’tfigured out until later, which is the ability to helpthem see and accept who they really are. Duringthis period, Maribel learned how to cope and dealwith failure, and disappointment, but also finds thebeauty in who she was and what she was capableof. Even while waiting on the miracle, she found theability to push through because she really loved herfamily.How Disney got it right? Abuela, through herpain, wanted everything to be “perfect.” The Encantowas put in place to care for the community. Shenever took care of herself. She never mourned andfound a way to heal. Her assumption was, the “gifts”were given to the community. The real magic wasfinding the love and healing in their existence andthe sacrifice made by Abuela. That means having theability to have a “normal life”. That means learning infailure, disappointment, and finding the beauty in itall, learning how to pass those lessons on to ourloved ones for generations. Abuela’s real gift wasMaribel. She shows that it is perfect to live inimperfection. That’s real growth. We are all livingwith different levels of trauma. I would never tellanyone when and how they should get over it. WhatI say is to accept your truths. Find ways to heal yourtruths. That experience gives you the confidence tobe a better person. Tell your stories, and share yourthoughts. Grow from the release. Find your innerMirabel. Be perfect in your imperfections.Authentic Insider | Page 43

Authentic Insider | Page 44by: Cali BinstockChoose a shape, line, or design to repeat continuously. Be playful, explore, and have fun!FULLFULLYOUTUBEYOUTUBEVIDEO ON THE NEXT PAGEVIDEO ON THE NEXT PAGE

Authentic Insider | Page 45❤ , Cali

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Two educators have co-authored a story, which they andtheir children and grandchildren illustrated, about apocketbook. My Pocketbook (on sale June 30) is the storyof why we carry pocketbooks, what we place in them, howwe worry if they are lost and how they give us comfort. Inthese difficult times in our nation and across the globe,pocketbooks can be characterized as transitional objects,helping us feel at home whether we are at home or not.Pocketbooks enable us to deal with separation and itsanxiety. The story also touches on teasing and bullying, afar too common phenomenon.In this bighearted book, the real story of a young boy withdeafness in his ears is aided by his mother and teachers innavigating new school experiences. Mickey is just likeeveryone else, except he wears cochlear implants and hasto do things just a little differently than most. Thischarming tale reminds us that we can all find happiness ifwe lean on and support each other.*I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Authentic Insider | Page 47In When Sadness Is at Your Door, Eva Elandbrilliantly approaches this feeling as if it is a visitor.She gives it a shape and a face and encourages thereader to give it a name, all of which helps todemystify it and distinguish it from ourselves. Shesuggests activities to do with it, like sitting quietly,drawing, and going outside for a walk.

Bone by Bone is the author’s account of suffering near-fatal injuries in the derailment ofAmtrak 188 outside Philadelphia in 2015 and her long recovery in the years since. Theforthcoming book deals honestly with the long-lasting impact of sudden trauma andoffers hope – from the perspective of someone who has been there. And back.If abruptly leaving her husband after 17 years for another man wasn’t shocking enough,the author describes a “radical” alternative to the too-often seen tumultuous divorce.She offers instead pragmatic ways to cultivate a peaceful and amicable break-up. Thispath lead to a respectful co-parenting relationship, and more uniquely, a genuinefriendship between herself, her ex-husband, and her new love. Her story details what shedid for herself, as well as what she, her ex-husband, and her new husband did for eachother and for their children to achieve an amazing divorce. How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart—when we are continuallyovercome by fear, anxiety, and pain? The answer, Pema Chödrön suggests, might be just theopposite of what you expect. Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, Pema showsthat moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up ourhearts in ways we never before imagined. Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, sheoffers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual easeand boundless joy.*I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Authentic Insider | Page 48

Joy is a Narcissistic AbuseSurvivor who has made it her life'swork to help others through lifecoaching. She is also a healer,earth angel and psychic medium.If you would like coaching servicesfrom Joy and/or get your ownpersonal reading, please scan thebarcode below with yoursmartphone camera.READINGS INFOAuthentic Insider | Page 49