What happens when the story you’ve carried for years—I should have known, I should have stopped it—meets the truth your body has been holding all along?

In this episode, Valerie sits with Lauren—a mother, veteran, and grassroots community advocate committed to building authentic connection and resilient communities. Lauren served two tours in Iraq as a logistician, later worked as an IT project manager, led change as a nonprofit executive, and has successfully administered multiple programs and businesses. Beneath all of those roles is another identity she rarely spoke about for years: survivor. That lived experience became a catalyst for earned wisdom and deep transformation, shaping her commitment to paying forward the grace and compassion she herself received.

Together, Valerie and Lauren walk through betrayal, survival, grief, and the long middle space where healing isn’t dramatic or linear—but real. This is a grounded conversation about naming rape, navigating high-performance environments after trauma, and what silence can quietly cost our faith, relationships, and sense of self.

Lauren shares the moment everything shifted—a call for help from a parking lot—and the unexpected turning point of working with a male therapist through cognitive processing therapy. She speaks candidly about releasing stored grief, rebuilding safety with men, and how co-regulation, breath, and simple presence can bring a spiraling nervous system back to steady ground. Along the way, humor, ceremony, and community become anchors, reminding us that healing rarely happens alone.

Listeners will also find practical wisdom for rebuilding after trauma or moral injury: choosing one safe person, moving at your own pace, setting boundaries with the reminder not at the expense of me, and marking heavy moments complete through intentional ritual. Valerie and Lauren gently explore the complicated realities of reporting, career impact, and how agency can grow as language—and self-understanding—changes.

At its core, this episode is not about what was done to someone.
It’s about what becomes possible when someone is finally witnessed.

Take what steadies you. Leave what doesn’t.
You don’t have to carry this alone.

Contact Valerie

Support the show

Remember YOU are loved and worthy of being witnessed!

If today’s episode stirred heavy feelings, you are not alone. Please reach out to a trusted friend or a professional if you need support:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | rainn.org
• SAMHSA Mental Health/Substance Use: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• 988 LIFELINE: Call, Text or Chat https://988lifeline.org
• Veterans Crisis Line: Dial or text 988, then press 1
• Help for Veterans suffering with CPTSD https://saveawarrior.org/

*This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

Want to tell your story? Send a DM or an email

Find us on IG @defiance_of_silence_podcast valerie@defianceofsilencepodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defiance_of_silence_podcast?igsh=MWVxMHI3OXY1cm1paA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

A special thank you to https://www.broadcastingtexas.org/ for believing in this project!

Ready for a gentler way to face hard memories without getting stuck retelling the same story?

In this episode of Defiance of Silence, we sit down with Victoria Garcia, a warm, down-to-earth therapist with over ten years in the mental health field, trained in EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Passionate about helping people untangle the past and build lives that truly work for them, Victoria blends science, heart, and humor to make healing feel human, accessible, and grounded.

Together, we demystify EMDR and explore what “being ready” really means. Victoria explains in plain language how bilateral stimulation works, why pacing matters, and how therapists identify targets by pairing memories with core beliefs like I’m not safe, It was my fault, or I should have done more. This isn’t about reliving trauma—it’s about helping the nervous system reorganize so the past no longer runs the present.

We talk about the preparation that makes EMDR effective: naming body sensations, using slow body scans, and even working with colors as anchors for those who struggle to label emotions. For people who dissociate, overthink, or feel disconnected from their bodies, these practices become bridges back to safety and presence.

Victoria shares real-life examples of healing in motion, like panic softening into neutrality and triggers losing their grip. The story doesn’t disappear, but its hold loosens.

We also cover when EMDR isn’t the right move, why safety skills come first, and how virtual EMDR can be surprisingly effective using apps that tailor pace and visual cues.

For first responders, nurses, caregivers, and helpers, EMDR applies deeply—often touching beliefs like I should have done more. Victoria shows how those quiet burdens can finally be witnessed and released.

We close with a gentle guided body scan you can return to anytime.

Your story deserves a witness.
Your body deserves peace.

Learn more about Victoria’s work at
🌿 www.victorioustherapy.com

Contact Valerie

Support the show

Remember YOU are loved and worthy of being witnessed!

If today’s episode stirred heavy feelings, you are not alone. Please reach out to a trusted friend or a professional if you need support:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | rainn.org
• SAMHSA Mental Health/Substance Use: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• 988 LIFELINE: Call, Text or Chat https://988lifeline.org
• Veterans Crisis Line: Dial or text 988, then press 1
• Help for Veterans suffering with CPTSD https://saveawarrior.org/

*This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

Want to tell your story? Send a DM or an email

Find us on IG @defiance_of_silence_podcast valerie@defianceofsilencepodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defiance_of_silence_podcast?igsh=MWVxMHI3OXY1cm1paA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

A special thank you to https://www.broadcastingtexas.org/ for believing in this project!

Silence can protect us for a while—but eventually, it costs everything. In this powerful episode, Valerie sits down with Nicole, a decorated veteran, detective, and survivor whose 26-year career in law enforcement and the military was defined by service, strength, and relentless achievement. Rising to the role of Special Agent in Charge and Sergeant in the MA Army National Guard, Nicole Ferry also graduated from the FBI National Academy and holds advanced degrees in Criminal Justice and Public Administration. Her journey, however, was marked by unspoken trauma: military sexual trauma at age 19, the moral injury of losing a colleague to suicide, and the toll of chronic hypervigilance and pain.

Nicole shares the messy reality of recovery—navigating the VA system, seeking culturally competent care, and spending 142 days in a first responder treatment program where she confronted her own patterns: addicted to leadership, willing to abandon herself to save others. She opens up about the somatic fallout of panic, insomnia, and a near-fatal medication reaction, and how a service dog named Cash quietly transformed her sense of safety.

Through her advocacy for mental health and suicide awareness, Nicole leads impactful discussions and global resilience training, drawing from her own battle with PTSD and trauma. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Survive First Foundation, helping others find hope and healing.

This episode offers practical tools and gentle honesty:

• Setting boundaries after sharing hard stories
• Using shaking and rhythmic movement to discharge what isn’t yours to carry
• The importance of safe witnesses
• How healing begins when the vow of silence finally breaks

If you’ve ever felt alone in service, believed you had to be exceptional to be worthy of help, or carried strength at the cost of your own safety, Nicole Ferry's story will meet you where you are and invite you to breathe, soften, and try again.

nicoleferry.com

nicole@nicoleferry.com

www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-ferry-mpa

CopLine 1-800-copline 1-800-267-5463

Contact Valerie

Support the show

Remember YOU are loved and worthy of being witnessed!

If today’s episode stirred heavy feelings, you are not alone. Please reach out to a trusted friend or a professional if you need support:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | rainn.org
• SAMHSA Mental Health/Substance Use: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• 988 LIFELINE: Call, Text or Chat https://988lifeline.org
• Veterans Crisis Line: Dial or text 988, then press 1
• Help for Veterans suffering with CPTSD https://saveawarrior.org/

*This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

Want to tell your story? Send a DM or an email

Find us on IG @defiance_of_silence_podcast valerie@defianceofsilencepodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defiance_of_silence_podcast?igsh=MWVxMHI3OXY1cm1paA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

A special thank you to https://www.broadcastingtexas.org/ for believing in this project!