Samantha Jean Washington: Pain Is Not Permanent

Samantha Jean Washington

Episode Introduction: 

“My mother used to put me on the cheese grater – the sharpest part of it, the one with the little teeth sticking out. This sounds like I made it up, but no. I would be on my knees, arms like this crossed across my chest.” 

A mother is the very being who breathes life into you. She is hailed, revered and worshipped for being an epitome of love, sacrifice and tenderness. But what if she happens to cause you more trauma and abuse than any known individual?

Samantha Jean joins Herdyne in this episode of Redefining Grief and expands on her traumatizing past. Talking of her mother, she says "There was no hugging. There was no ‘I love you.’ We were just there." She makes understand that the opposite of love is not always hatred. The opposite of love could be indifference. 

She grew up around a lot of violence – emotional, physical and verbal. The relationship she had with her mother was that of abuse. Her mother used to put her on the painful part of a cheese grater, down on one knee. Her hips and knees used to hurt – it was ugly. On top of all this, there was an emotional distance between them. 

Samantha struggled to find a means for escape – she tried sports, and even joined the army. But fitness was just a mask that she used to conceal the festering trauma underneath- one that kept haunting her, following her. 

Today, she is a trauma-informed personal and group trainer and founder of the company Mended fitness. Her intention is to provide a safe place for trauma survivors to train their mind and body to break free from the shackles of their past.

Today's episode is her narrative of rising from the ashes. If you are someone who feels that trauma never completely faded from your life, this episode might just transform your life. 

 

About Our Guest 

Samantha has been in the fitness industry for 8 years. She is a veteran military spouse, and a mother of two. She grew up playing sports. She used it as an outlet to avoid the hardships at home. When she joined the military, she became anxious and depressed. The trauma flash backs and mental health issues that she experienced in the past got worse. She separated from the military and eventually found an opportunity to teach group fitness. Fitness was where she found solace. She became certified and became a fitness instructor. As she began to teach at different gyms, she noticed that there was something missing in the community. There was a lack of care, community, confidence and safety. She decided to start her own business for trauma survivors because she saw the power of fitness and what it did to save her life. she experienced. It was pivotal in her healing and self-care goals.

Episode Quotes

• “Healing is about preparation. If you are not prepared, you will not heal” - Samantha [11:03]

• “I don't want you to be tough. I want you to be real. I want you to show up in your true space” - Herdyne [12:44]

• “Grief can become a just a distraction that robs us of this opportunity of living a full life “- Herdyne [29:26]

• “All the things that happened, it kept on refining me.”- Samantha [42:36]

• “I had to understand that I didn't need validation from other people to be who I was.” -  Samantha [51:06]

 

Redefining Grief Pearls of Wisdom, P.O.W., Questions

• What have you learned about yourself since redefining your grief journey? [52:50]

That I’m resilient. Even while I had a traumatic childhood, I was still a person. I still had things that I could call my favorites, I still had things that I enjoyed. Yes, I had a traumatic childhood, but my identity is not limited to that.

• If today was your last day on earth, and you were granted five words or less? What would it be? [54:53]

Pain is not permanent.   

 

Episode Time-Stamps

• [12:44] – Samantha paints her life story with us in broad strokes
• [15:10] – Samantha narrates a dream that awakened her fighting spirit
• [18:26] – Herdyne in turn, shares her dream 
• [34:29] – Samantha shares her precious POWs
• [46:53] – Samantha gets real 
• [50:49] – The final questions

Connect with Samantha

• Website: https://mendedfitness.com/
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-washington
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesamanthawashington/ 

This episode is brought to you by our supportive, informative, and complimentary Grief Crusader Community. Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefCrusader

 

Recommended Resources

• To learn more about Redefining Grief: http://herdynemercier.com 
• To advertise on the podcast: herdyne@mercierwellness.com 
• For questions about booking or sponsoring the podcast: info@mercierwellness.com 
• To schedule a consultation: https://calendly.com/mercier-wellness/consultation or http://herdynemercier.com/contact-me/  
• To check out all our past episodes: http://herdynemercier.com/#podcast 

 

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