On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Celebrity Interviewer and Bliss Coach Judy Librach is joined by celebrity publicist, founder of OverCat Communications, and now author, Audrey Hyams Romoff, to talk about her riveting new memoir: The Ripple Eclipse: Turning the Tide of Inherited Trauma. In The Ripple Eclipse: Turning the Tide of Inherited Trauma, Audrey Hyams Romoff masterfully navigates between two seemingly disparate worlds: the glamorous, high-stakes realm of celebrity public relations and her ongoing struggle to break free from the grip of inherited trauma. With unflinching candour, wit, and a veteran storyteller’s ear for dramatic moments, Hyams Romoff expands the lexicon of silent suffering, introducing a new way to describe how pain ripples across generations and obscures joy. For over thirty years, Hyams Romoff has been a fixture on Canada’s cultural landscape, running the renowned agency OverCat Communications and shaping the public image of A-list clients, including Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katy Perry, will.i.am, Isabella Rossellini, Timothy Olyphant, and Shania Twain. She gives readers a front- row seat to remarkable behind-the-scenes moments of celebrity culture, rendered with cinematic flair. Amidst the sparkling lights, Hyams Romoff is haunted by the dark spectre of family trauma. Hyams Romoff grew up in the shadow of silence—her mother and grandmother survived the Holocaust but never spoke of it. One of Auschwitz’s youngest survivors, her mother was emotionally unreachable. Her father became her lifeline. At forty-five, tragedy struck: her parents were found dead together in their garage. Her mother’s suicide was clear; her father’s death remains a mystery. From that darkness, she emerged with a vow: to confront the trauma that impacted four generations of women in her family. Hyams Romoff’s titular metaphor, “ripple eclipse,” neatly captures how trauma, particularly one as profound as surviving Auschwitz, is not confined to the person who endures it. Instead, its impact ripples outward, affecting children, grandchildren, and generations beyond. The pain can be so great that it covers over feelings of warmth and happiness, much like the sun being blotted out during a solar eclipse. With this phrase, Hyams Romoff offers a new way to identify a legacy carried by many but rarely acknowledged. Refusing to pass darkness to her daughter, Lindsay, Hyams Romoff chooses to break her grandmother and mother’s tradition of suffering in silence. However, establishing new lines of communication can be a bumpy, enriching and amusing journey. With a PBS film crew following them, she and Lindsay visit Auschwitz and confront their family’s demons. Hyams Romoff rejects the false promise of finding “closure.” Instead, she’s learning to walk, hand in hand with Lindsay, beside their family trauma. A beautifully crafted story of struggle, survival and spectacle, The Ripple Eclipse expands the vocabulary of inherited trauma. Hyams Romoff’s journey will speak to anyone navigating the complex interplay between family legacy and personal growth. AUDREY HYAMS ROMOFF is also president of OverCat Communications, a highly respected communications agency specializing in luxury clients. She is a wife, fiercely devoted mother, and over-the top animal lover. Audrey expertly manages a complex, multifaceted existence, wearing a fabulous array of designer outfits. She holds a PhD in compartmentalization and excels at creating the illusion of living a perfectly manicured life. Join Audrey and her daughter Lindsay on a decades-long journey of intergenerational trauma and crushing grief, affecting four generations of women in their family. Join us every Saturday at 1 PM on Finding Your Bliss. You can follow us @theblissminute on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Or you can visit our online magazine at findingyourbliss.com and take one step closer to finding your bliss.
