From Burnout to Breakthrough: Karla’s Journey Through Trauma and Back to Herself

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In this powerful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green sits down with Karla Warwick—a woman of incredible resilience, candor, and courage. With a career in journalism, marketing and communications, across numerous areas (including working with ministers and prime ministers!), Karla opens up about her multifaceted identity: mother, professional, wife, and now, celebrant.

Karla vulnerably shares her unexpected journey from high-functioning burnout and trauma into healing, self-compassion, and ultimately, post-traumatic growth.

They explore her role in parenting children with complex mental health challenges, and navigating a world that often doesn’t understand what’s happening behind closed doors.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• The hidden pain of high-functioning burnout
  Karla reveals how long she ignored the signs that her body and mind were shutting down — and what finally made her pay attention.
• When your identity is tied to giving
  They explore the danger of over-identifying with being the helper, the doer, the one who always has it together — and what happens when that identity starts to unravel.
• Turning toward the pain
  Karla shares the visceral experience of allowing long-buried feelings to surface — and the unexpected physical and emotional pain that came with it.
• The power of space, grace, and support
  The role Karla’s husband and support network played in her healing, simply by holding space without judgment or pressure.
• Using TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) and somatic tools
  How Karla integrated body-based techniques like TRE and meditation to start feeling again and realign her internal systems.
• The trauma archetypes & post-traumatic growth
  Karla discusses how editing the Break Your Trauma Cycle book not only reignited her professional passion but became a lifeline in her personal healing journey.
• Self-worth, compassion & identity transformation
  From not knowing her value to confidently reconnecting with her purpose, Karla shares how she rebuilt her sense of self.

Karla shares the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of what it felt like to "crash" after years of pushing through adversity. She opens up about the personal cost of chronic self-abandonment, the emotional toll of being a high-achiever, and the critical moment that forced her to stop, listen to her body, and truly rebuild from within.

This conversation is a powerful testament to the necessity of slowing down, the importance of nervous system regulation, and the life-changing gift of doing the real inner work — even when it hurts.

Connect with Karla:

Website
LinkedIn
Break Your Trauma Cycle book

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Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.