In this episode of The Grass Gets Greener podcast, I'm joined by Andrew O'Brien, host of the PTSD Podcast. Andrew joins me to share his story of overcoming multiple forms of trauma to find his purpose and spread a message of hope throughout the world.
Click the play button below to check it out!
The Details
Traumatic experience:
Andrew has experienced four major traumas in his life. First, he was raised by a mother who was a prostitute and was witness to that lifestyle which also left them without a stable home. He then joined the Army and was deployed to war in Iraq. A year after coming back from deployment he attempted to take his own life. And then he most recently had to testify against his mother at her trial for murder.
Effects of the traumatic experience:
Andrew turned to drugs to cope with the lifestyle he was raised in. He also struggled with how to treat women.
Overcoming the traumatic experience:
Three things have really helped Andrew get to where he is today. The first was getting permission to feel and finally facing his past. He then realized that he needed to forgive himself and his mother in order to be able to move on. Lastly, finding his passion has been a big part of his healing as well.
What Andrew does today:
Andrew is an award-winning international speaker spreading a message of hope throughout the world.
Final Question:
Given what you know now, if you could go back to when you were going through the tough times and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Andrew's Answer: Stop pushing it down and attack every issue as it happens.
Links Mentioned
PTSDpodcast.com - Andrew's website where you can connect with him and find out more about his work
Facebook - The Grass Gets Greener's new Facebook page
Kickstarter - Ted Ryce's Be The Change Movement Kickstarter campaign
Episode 6 - Ted Ryce's podcast episode
How You Can Help
Want to support this show? You're awesome! I would really appreciate it. There are three things you can do that won't take up much of your time but will go a long way.
- Subscribe
- Leave a 5-star rating if you think this show deserves it
- Write an honest review for others to see why they should tune in
That's all! You can do each of these things here on iTunes or here on Stitcher.
Please leave a comment and let me know if you have any stories or questions.
A note about comments:
Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated to ensure mutual respect. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.
