Triumph Over Trauma!
Triumph Over Trauma!
Legacy Builders: How your life impacts others!
What would happen if you never showed up as you were meant to? What difference would it make if your gifts remained hidden? These questions have haunted me during my recent absence from the podcast—not from a place of melodrama, but from genuine reflection on the legacy we're all building, whether we realize it or not.
Coming back after what I call "life-ing"—that season where everything demands your attention simultaneously—I've been confronted with the word "legacy" everywhere. From billboards to eyeglass frames, this concept keeps finding me, pushing me to consider what impact my life will have. Through this reflection, I've realized that purpose isn't what you do, but how what you do affects others. We are living epistles being read by those around us, making impressions that last far beyond our presence.
Not showing up in the fulness of who God created you to be actually robs people of what they need. What gifts are inside you, waiting to be unwrapped and shared? What legacy are you building through your daily choices? I'd love to hear your story.
- What is Trauma Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. An emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, abuse, neglect or natural disaster.
- How to cope with Trauma Talk to a few trusted people, open up about your struggle, seek online support groups, read self-help books or practice small acts of self-care such as meditation, breathwork, yoga and exercise can help you regain some feeling of control.”
- Find a therapist Get Started (betterhelp.com)
Online Psychiatric Medication & Mental Telehealth Services - Rx Anxiety, Depression & Insomnia Treatment | Cerebral - Triumph Over Trauma Scripture: II Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto to God, who always causes us to Triumph in Christ....
- Books I'm reading on my healing journey.
- It Didn't Start with You! - How Inherited Family
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to Triumph!
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to Triumph!
Hey y'all, welcome to Triumph Over Trauma, the podcast. Listen y'all. I created this podcast because, like so many other people, I've had a traumatic past. I didn't always realize how those things affected me negatively and how I even carried them into my adult life, and so I wanted to create a space where other people could come and we could have candid conversations on how you identify trauma, how do you navigate it and how you recover from traumatic experiences. If this resonates with you, then join me. I am your host and trauma survivor, ms Eve McNair. Let's get into it. What's up guys? Welcome back to Triumph Over Trauma. Listen.
Speaker 1:I know that it's been a while since the last time that you heard my voice. It has not been intentional. All I can say is that life has been life, as they say and I know it's so cliche um, but in this season of my life it literally has been life and I've been trying to get a grip on who I am in this season, how I want to show up, where I want to go, what I want, what I need, and it's literally been difficult for me. Um, if I'm honest, it really has been challenging to take hold of it and to grasp it and to keep it and to maintain my own goals and dreams. I will say this that I think that I have been distracted, and not necessarily by negative things, but sometimes you can be distracted even while you're doing good. But sometimes you can be distracted even while you're doing good, right? Even while you're serving your communities, even while you're parenting, even while you're being that friend or that sister, that cousin, that mother, whatever the case may be. Sometimes you could be distracted by other people's need for you, right, and, believe it or not, sometimes those needs or other people's needs can pull you away from where God needs you. Ultimately. And I never want to be pulled away from my purpose, and I'm starting to realize that purpose is not what you do, but it is how what you do affect others, right? So how I show up in this world will affect somebody else, right? And as I've had this time away from the mic, so to speak, as I've had this time even away from work, I've been giving a lot of thought to how my life will impact others people's lives, right, like what would happen if I never press record again, what would happen if I never showed up the in the way in which I know God has caught me too right. What would happen? What difference would it make? And not in like a bleak or like melodramatic way, but like what would there be a difference? Me and I realized that when you think about you, know the impact that you, that that you're making in that you will leave on life. That's actually what legacy is, and I've I've been given a lot of thought to that word, believe it or not. I've actually been bumping into the word legacy for like two and a half years. It feels like I mean, it seems like I see it so often on billboards, commercials, magazines.
Speaker 1:Even the other day I was actually in my optometrist office and I was picking out some reading glasses because, child, it's, it's time for me to get some readers. I was trying to read my bible and I'm all squinting and looking at it, all crazy and like or it's time for me to get some readers. I was trying to read my bible and I'm all squinting and looking at it, all crazy and like or it's time for me to get some reading glasses. And so my optometrist was telling me about my vision and everything. She was like you pretty much have perfect vision. You just probably need could benefit from some reading glasses and maybe, um, some, you could use these also when you're driving at night. So I'm like, okay. So she says, go pick out your frames and you know we'll get your prescription together. And so I'm picking out my frames and one of the frames I picked actually was from a company called Legacy.
Speaker 1:And I was just like, ok, god, like you are really, really trying to get me to see something here, you're really trying to get me to focus on the fact that not only can you, not only can you and should you be building legacy even now, but you should be concerned about what, if, what, if any legacy you will leave behind, and scripturally. When I think about that, I know that there's a scripture in the bible that says, um, we are living epistles being read of men Right, which basically means we are letters, we are books being read by somebody else. While we are alive and whenever the Lord calls us home, there is an impact that we will leave on this world based on the way that we've lived our lives, based on the way that we've shown up, based on the way that we've utilized to utilize the gifts and talents that God has given us. And so, when I thought about whether or not I should return to the podcast or whether or not it was really even making a difference to anybody. I was like you know what, even if my name is not renowned, even if you know my podcast never blows up, even if nobody really you know, outside of my faithful few who listens to me, even if nobody knows me, so to speak, it will still be worth it to me if I can help somebody, anybody you know, one body Like. If, if, if, if what I say on this podcast makes a difference in anybody's life, that's enough for me. And so I've been again been given a lot of thought to the impact that I want to leave as I return to the podcast space. That's my question to you today what is the impact that you hope to leave on others? What will your legacy be? Believe it or not? You're building legacy even now. You're building legacy right now in the way that you live, in the way that you show up, what you do with your time, with your talent, all of that. And so the legacy that I'm building and hoping to leave is a legacy of triumph.
Speaker 1:When I think about the name of the podcast, which is Triumph Over Trauma. I think about becoming victorious, I think about overcoming, I think about persevering, I think about the fact that outside of the grace of God, I literally would not be here physically, mentally or emotionally, I would not be present because of the trauma that I've experienced and how that trauma affected me. I know a lot of times, like in the church world, we hear things like you made it through what took other people out, or you survived what other people succumb to, right. But that's true for me, like that's real talk for me, because I was so damaged and I was so badly affected by the trauma I experienced that I literally shouldn't be here. And there were periods in my life where I was not here. I was physically here but emotionally, mentally, cognitively, I was not present. I was trapped in all of the pain and every experience I had. It just held me hostage and I could not live, I could not exist, I could not breathe, I could not create, I could not be, because I was just so imprisoned by the pain.
Speaker 1:Outside of the grace of God, I'm telling you like it's literally been only his grace, it's literally been only his mercy. When he first introduced himself to me, I like to say I had no idea even how the trauma I'd been through affected me, but as I developed a relationship with him, he started to show me things about myself and about what I had gone through and about why I made certain decisions and choices in my life. Little did I know it was all predicated on what I had experienced early in my childhood, which was very traumatic for me, and so I feel like it's my life's mission to tell people who, specifically people who have experienced trauma, whatever type of trauma it's been, whether it's a childhood experience, an adulthood experience. Life itself can be traumatic, but I feel like it's my life's mission to tell people, regardless of the type of trauma that you have experienced, there is a way out, there's a way to triumph, there's a way to triumph, there's a way to overcome, and I have found the way, or the way has found me.
Speaker 1:The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, but he has found me, his truth has found me, and I did not even think I was discoverable, right. I did not even think that anybody could locate me, but his grace and his mercy located me, even in the state that I was in halfway halfway not here like halfway and mentally halfway gone, if that makes any sense, yeah, and so I have to speak to that. I have to speak to the fact that I was out of my mind. I have to speak to the fact that I was riddled with anxiety and fear. I have to speak to the fact that I was dissociative. I have to speak to the fact that I was battling with depression, anxiety and dissociation. I have to speak to that because I would be remiss if I didn't tell somebody, even if it's one body, even if it's one person, who can say you know, your testimony gave me hope or what you said about being able to overcome gave me some encouragement. Even if it's just one person, I would have told somebody. I may have saved a life, I may have inspired somebody to make a different choice or different decision, and hopefully that decision is to trust God with their trauma, right.
Speaker 1:So that's what my contribution to the world is, and I realized that this is the space in which I belong, right, and for so much of my time I was kind of like shying away from, really, really like living in this space, living in the truth of what I have to offer, because I was like nobody's talking about their traumas, nobody's, you know, talking about the pain, or nobody is actually visiting the effects of their trauma and how it plays out in their everyday life. And I'm like I don't want to be the only one talking about it, like I'm don't want to become the trauma queen in that regard, like you know, in a negative sense but I realized that I have something that somebody else needs. Right, I have something to offer that is valuable to those who need it, and it may not be everybody, but there is a people to which I am called, there is a people to which I am meant to help. But so are you right? So are you right? So are you? There is, or there are, I should say, people that are predestined to cross paths with you, and you have to be able to identify what it is that you have and what contribution or impact you're going to make on the lives of those that God allows to come into your space for you to share space and time with. Right, I understand that everybody is not called to the same space. Right, there are physicians in this world. There are lawyers in this world. There are those who contribute to the world through fine arts. There are those who contribute to the world through literature. There are those who contribute to the world in so many different ways. There are motivational speakers, there are pastors. There are so many different ways in which God's created us all to show up. But we have to be able to identify what we're here for, what our purposes are, and I think I said early in the podcast that your purpose is not what you do, but it's how what you do affects those around you, right? So that's your challenge Begin to pray regarding what your purpose is, what your contribution to this world is meant to be.
Speaker 1:The Bible says that when I think it's Ephesians 4 and 8, it says that when Jesus ascended, when, after he had been crucified, died and rose again, the Bible says that on his way back to the father, he led captivity. Captive, which means he basically took care of his enemies, which was death, right. And the Bible also notes in that same passage, that he gave gifts to men, and not just men as far as the male species is considered, but to mankind, right? It says that he gave gifts unto men. So we're all gifted in different ways and in different capacities, but we it's to be shared. And so in what ways are you sharing the gifts in which you know God has placed in you? Sometimes it is difficult to share what you don't know that you have right, it's almost as if you have this present. It's wrapped up beautifully, but before you can know to whom you should give it to, you have to know what is inside right. So you have to know what is inside of you. What has God placed inside of you? And the only way to know what you've been given is to ask the giver. So check this out.
Speaker 1:According to Google, or maybe I should say AI, because everything is artificial intelligence at this point. Don't even get me started on chat gbt anyway. Nevertheless, I digress. According to google, uh, there is. Studies show that there is a significant amount of people who struggle to identify their purpose. They don't know why they're here with their hair, for why they were created, and for a lot of people that leads to depression, anxiety, isolation, low self-esteem, poor decision making. You know, so many negative things happen as a result of one not knowing what their purpose is. I hope you don't hear my dog in the background, um, but there are so many people who struggle to identify what their purpose is and again, it has several negative um effects on them, right.
Speaker 1:But when I take a moment to think about you know the fact that I'm alive, right? I think, like God's created this world, saw that this world needed a me, needed a you, and if I were not needed in any way, shape or form because he does all things well I would not have been here, like I. There was no, there would have been no reason for me to ever have been born, because he knew that there would be somebody somewhere that could relate to my story, what I've been through, what I've experienced, that I could help. So I'm needed and you're needed. You may not have experienced the amount of pain or trauma, travesty or tragedy that I have experienced or that other people have experienced, but that does not take away from your purpose. I just happen to have found purpose in my pain, but you have purpose.
Speaker 1:You have talents, abilities and skills that you're meant to share with others, right? I think about even hairstylists, even makeup artists. I think about those who choreography or choreograph how do you say it? Choreograph dances, and those who are comedians, those who make people laugh, and those who are entertainers, those who are actors and actresses. I feel like God knew that the world would need these people, like the God knew that the world would need these people. And can you imagine if your favorite entertainer or your favorite athlete or the bomb is makeup artists, or the bomb is stylists that you know weren't here? Right? I want to be able for somebody to say, wow, if you weren't here, if you didn't do what God has called you to do, I don't know where I would be Right. That's what legacy is about. That's what impacting this world is about. God saw the world and said the world needed a you, and for you not to show up in the capacity and all of the greatness and all of the glory that God has placed on you is to rob the world of the gift he saw that was needed when you were created, of the gift he saw that was needed when you were created.
Speaker 1:Now, I understand that there might be some people thinking like I don't even know the Lord, let alone know what my gifts or talents are. Right, so let me tell you something it's easy to know him. It's easy to introduce yourself to him or have him introduce himself to you. All you need to say, all you need to do, is confess Lord, I'm a sinner, I have sinned, I have fallen short of your glory. I need you to come into my life, come into my heart, forgive me of my sins. Be the Lord of my life, the saver of my life. Lead me, guide me and direct me, and show me what my purpose is. Show me why I'm, why you created me, what I'm supposed to do, where I'm supposed to go, who am I supposed to be, who am I supposed to help? And he will.
Speaker 1:The Bible says, if you acknowledge him in all your ways, he will direct your path, he will show you, he will lead you, he will guide you. And you know, we know that, like God is omniscient, he knows all things. And so sometimes, when you have that knowing, that intellect, you feel like well, why do I need to ask him if he already knows? And it's only because he delights in answering. He delights in answering those hard questions, those difficult things, that those things that are difficult for us to verbalize. He delights in answering them. So we should ask them so that he can answer them, so that he can help you understand that you have a contribution, that you are meant to impact this world, that you are meant to build and leave a legacy.
Speaker 1:Listen, I hope all this makes sense to you. I know that this episode is a little on the short side, but I needed to express to you what was on my heart, what was in my mind, what I have been reflecting about, reflecting on and thinking about, and I'm going to endeavor. So I'm going to, with all that being said, I am going to endeavor to continue to seek the Lord for strength, for help, to make sure I'm showing up on the show, on my socials, on everywhere, because I've realized I have purpose, there's an impact I'm supposed to leave and there's a legacy I am supposed to build. Okay, listen, you might be thinking like you know what girl? You made a couple points that I feel like I can identify with. And not only can I identify with some of the points you made, but I can identify with the trauma, with the struggles, with the mental health issues. I can identify with all of that and I need to be able to tell somebody you know my story.
Speaker 1:Listen, I want you to be a guest on the show. I want you to share with us what you've been through, what you've experienced, whether you have questions about it, whether you just need help to identify, navigate or recover from your traumatic experiences, hit me up. I am Miss Eve on all of my socials Instagram, facebook, tiktok. I don't really do Snapchat like that and I don't have X, formerly known as Twitter, but you can hit me up on TikTok, instagram and Facebook. Just inbox me like girl. I want to be on your show. I heard your podcast and I have something to say, something to share, something to ask. Let me know, and I would love to have you on the show.
Speaker 1:This podcast is available everywhere you stream podcasts. You might be listening on Spotify, on Google, on iHeartRadio, on Stitcher, on Amazon, on Apple Podcasts. Wherever you stream podcasts, obviously you're listening to it right now. It is available everywhere, so maybe you might want to get your voice out there. Maybe you might want to reach other people, maybe that might be a part of your purpose, right? So hit me up, let's see how we can get you on the show. Let's see how we can build an episode around what you have to say. All right, until next time. Remember now, thanks, be unto God, who always causes us to triumph. Have a blessed day. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.