Structure & Scars
Structure & Scars is a trauma-informed podcast for anyone navigating the emotional aftermath of life’s hardest chapters. Hosted by Nikki Hensler Gordon, a licensed trauma therapist and crisis response expert, each episode explores themes of recovery, resilience, and regulation — without toxic positivity or clinical jargon.
Through grounded storytelling and practical insights, Structure & Scars highlights what it means to heal in real life — one part at a time. Whether you're a trauma survivor, clinician, or someone trying to understand mental health more deeply, this podcast offers a steady voice in the storm.
Podcasting since 2025 • 14 episodes
Structure & Scars
Latest Episodes
The Kids Are Alright
When a celebrity dies and you feel something that seems too big for someone you never met — that grief is not disproportionate. For kids who grew up in homes where the adults were inconsistent, conditional, or unsafe, the characters on the scre...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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14:44
Don't Call Me Daughter
The "oldest daughter" trope has gone viral — and it's getting it wrong. What social media is calling a personality type is actually a survival pattern. In this episode we shift the narrative off the child who adapted and back onto the system th...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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22:22
Ready, Steady, Go: The IronStar Origin Story
IronStar didn’t start as a program, a brand, or a strategic plan. It started as a series of conversations about something that many first responders already know but rarely say out loud: the systems that are supposed to support the people doing...
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20:17
Fixed the Newel Post!
In this episode of Structure & Scars, we’re talking about the quiet, crushing guilt so many adult survivors carry during the holidays — the belief that you owe care, time, or emotional labor to a parent who never showed up for you.
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18:19
November 5th, 2009: Honoring the Fort Hood 13
This episode honors the lives lost in the Fort Hood shooting on November 5th, 2009. It includes a timeline, the names of the 13 fallen, and a moment of silence with a ceremonial bell toll.There are no graphic details. The attack...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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7:15