Barb Nangle (Part 2): Building Healthy Boundaries After Childhood Trauma

2026-03-12

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Healing isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about finally feeling safe enough to be yourself. In Part 2, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles continue their conversation with boundaries coach Barb Nangle, diving deeper into trauma recovery, nervous system healing, meditation, and the mindset shifts that help people build healthier relationships with themselves and others. Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner ...

Healing isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about finally feeling safe enough to be yourself.

In Part 2, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles continue their conversation with boundaries coach Barb Nangle, diving deeper into trauma recovery, nervous system healing, meditation, and the mindset shifts that help people build healthier relationships with themselves and others.

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast) with over 4 million downloads and counting.

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Mental Health Quote

“Boundaries help you go from reacting to life… to actually living it.” — Barb Nangle

Episode Description

In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, boundaries coach Barb Nangle explores what happens after we begin to recognize our trauma patterns.

Growing up in dysfunctional environments can keep the brain locked in fight-or-flight survival mode, making it difficult to access the part of the brain responsible for clear thinking, decision-making, and identity.

Barb explains how codependency often develops as a survival strategy—where people learn to focus entirely on the needs of others while disconnecting from their own feelings, preferences, and boundaries.

Through recovery, meditation, and boundary-building, Barb discovered how to shift from being a reactor in life to becoming an actor—someone who consciously chooses how to respond instead of reacting from fear, anxiety, or old trauma patterns.

The conversation also dives into the importance of community, mindset work, and challenging negative self-talk, as well as how meditation and nervous system regulation can help retrain the brain toward calm and emotional resilience.

This episode is a reminder that healing doesn’t mean becoming perfect—it means learning to respond to life with awareness, compassion, and intention.

Keywords: Barb Nangle, trauma recovery, boundaries coaching, codependency healing, nervous system regulation, people pleasing recovery, meditation for mental health, emotional healing, therapy, mindset work, recovery journey, mental health podcast

Meet Our Guest — Barb Nangle

Barb Nangle is a boundaries coach, speaker, author, and podcaster who helps professional women stop saying yes when they mean no and build emotionally healthy relationships.

After nearly 40 years of therapy and personal development, Barb entered 12-step recovery at age 52, where she discovered that codependency and childhood trauma had shaped her life far more deeply than she realized. Recovery didn’t just add tools—it fundamentally changed how she related to herself and the world.

Today, Barb helps women build internal safety, stronger boundaries, and emotionally available relationships through coaching, professional speaking, and her podcast, Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery.

Connect with Barb:

Website: https://higherpowercc.com/
Podcast: https://higherpowercc.com/podcast/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbnangle/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@higherpowercoaching

Key Takeaways

Trauma can keep people stuck in reactive survival patterns.
Boundaries help rebuild internal safety and emotional stability.
Healing involves learning to respond intentionally rather than reacting automatically.
Meditation and mindset practices can retrain the brain toward calm.
Connection and community are powerful tools for recovery.

Actionable Items

Notice when you are reacting emotionally versus responding intentionally.
Try a short daily meditation or mindfulness practice.
Replace negative self-talk with supportive internal dialogue.

References Mentioned

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)
12-Step Recovery Programs
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

Important Chapters

00:00 – Trauma, fight-or-flight, and survival responses
07:00 – Becoming an actor instead of a reactor
16:00 – The importance of community in recovery
24:00 – Recognizing and interrupting negative self-talk
31:00 – Meditation and nervous system regulation
37:00 – Advice Barb would give her younger self
41:00 – Final reflections and closing thoughts

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