Growing Tall Poppies : Thrive After Trauma

Dr Nat Green
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Growing Tall Poppies: Thrive After Trauma is the podcast for anyone ready to heal from trauma, reclaim their power, and step into post-traumatic growth. Hosted by trauma therapist, coach, and author Dr. Natalie (Nat) Green, this empowering podcast blends real-life survivor stories, expert insights, and practical strategies to help you move beyond pain and create a life filled with purpose, resilience, and joy. Each episode dives deep into the psychological and emotional journey of thriving after trauma—exploring identity, values, nervous system healing, resilience, and renewed purpose. You’ll hear how others overcame adversity, plus learn tools you can use to regulate your nervous system, rewire your mindset, and accelerate your growth journey. What You’ll Gain from Growing Tall Poppies: Thrive After Trauma 🌱 Real Stories of Resilience – Inspiring conversations with survivors who turned trauma into strength and transformation. 🧠 Expert Guidance & Healing Tools – Proven strategies from leading professionals on trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, and mental health. ✨ Empowering Insights – Explore the mindsets, practices, and Trauma Archetypes that unlock post-traumatic growth and freedom. 💡 Psychology Meets Coaching – Innovative approaches that bridge science, therapy, and coaching to fast-track healing and thriving. With over 35 years’ experience and her own lived journey of trauma and growth, Dr. Nat Green—creator of the ABS Method® and Archetypes of Transformation—is dedicated to ending trauma-associated suffering. Through her podcast, bestselling books, and transformative programs, she guides survivors and professionals alike to rediscover their identity, align with their values, and shine brightly beyond adversity. If you’re ready to not just survive trauma but truly thrive after it, this podcast is your roadmap to resilience, healing, and post-traumatic growth.

  1. 4d ago

    She Taught Me Why the Ordinary Days Are Everything: A Tribute to My Beautiful Friend Narelle

    Send us a Message to connect This episode is a little different. In Episode 111, I spoke about two beautiful friends facing very different battles. One of those friends was Narelle — my beautiful friend of more than twenty years, who had been living with cancer for over a decade. Narelle has since passed away. But in this deeply personal episode, I don't want to tell you the story of how Narelle died. I want to tell you a little about how she lived. About the woman behind the cancer — the friend, the nurse, the dedicated mum, the woman with the enormous smile and infectious laugh who never went without her lippy and the woman who became woven into our family's life for more than two decades. This episode is also an honest reflection on grief — including the grief that comes before loss, the extraordinary privilege and heartbreak of walking beside someone during the final part of their life, and the strange dissonance of stepping back outside into a world carrying on with its perfectly ordinary day while you're carrying something enormous inside you. I also share something deeply personal about the way our nervous systems can hold the stories of previous losses, and how something happening today can unexpectedly touch a place inside us where another goodbye still lives. Love can touch love. Loss can touch loss. But woven through all of this is something Narelle has left me thinking about deeply: The ordinary days. The coffees. The sunrises. The laughter. The conversations. Sitting at the lighthouse. The moments we barely notice while we're living them, never imagining that one day we might give anything to experience them just one more time. This isn't an invitation to live perfectly or to seize every moment. It's simply an invitation to be here for more of it. Make the phone call. Have the damn coffee. Take the damn photo. Sit at the lighthouse a little longer. Tell the people you love what they mean to you while they're still here to hear it. Because perhaps the ordinary days aren't what happen in between the important moments. Perhaps the ordinary days are everything. This episode is for you, Narelle. Thank you for the extraordinary privilege of being your friend. With all my love. Dr Nat xx If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    She Taught Me Why the Ordinary Days Are Everything: A Tribute to My Beautiful Friend Narelle

  2. Aug 10

    In the Presence of Excellence: Powerful on the Outside, Quietly Unravelling Within

    Send us a Message to connect What happens when a woman who has spent her entire life producing excellence at the world's highest level suddenly finds herself quietly unravelling? In this episode, Dr Nat Green sits down with Stacey Nye - a remarkable woman who grew up in an Olympic household, built a 20-year international career producing some of the world's greatest sporting events, and then one night, had everything turned upside down in an instant. Stacey spent six years navigating trauma, financial loss, the end of a 20-year marriage, and singlemotherhood - all while presenting a perfectly composed exterior to the world. Sound familiar? Then she sat in a chair across from Daniel Flear, founder of The F.I.X. Code Technique. Five minuteslater, she walked out a different woman. And she's never looked back. In this conversation, Stacey shares: What it was really like to grow up in an Olympic household and how it shaped her belief that anything is possibleThe night a traumatic accident turned her world upside down and the six years of quietly unravelling that followedHow she discovered The F.I.X. Code Technique and why she immediately knew: this isexcellenceWhat actually happens in a F.I.X. Code extraction and why it works so fastHow parasitic programmes enter the body during shock and how the technique disconnects themWhy high-functioning, high-achieving women are uniquely suited to benefit from this workHow the technique is being used by CEOs, pro athletes, and practitioners around the worldWhere to access a complimentary session and how to beginThis conversation is full of warmth, honesty, and practical hope. If you've ever wondered why healingsometimes feels so slow — this episode might just change your perspective. Connect with Stacey Nye Website: https://www.thefixcode.com/  Complimentary session: https://academy.thefixcode.com/Practitioner-Experience-opt-in If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    In the Presence of Excellence: Powerful on the Outside, Quietly Unravelling Within

  3. Aug 3

    When Was The Last Time You Felt Like Yourself? Maybe Coming Home Isn't About A Place

    Send us a Message to connect When was the last time you truly felt like yourself? Not the version of you that's constantly managing responsibilities, meeting expectations or holding everything together. The real you. In this deeply personal episode, Dr Nat shares the unexpected experience of returning to the regional country town where she grew up after travelling home for a funeral. What she thought would be a whirlwind visit became something much more profound—a reminder that sometimes coming home isn't about returning to a place at all. Sometimes it's about returning to yourself. As she sat beside a quiet river, breathed in the fresh country air and allowed herself to simply be, she noticed something shift. Her nervous system softened. The constant pressure to keep doing dissolved, even if only for a little while. And in that space came an important question: How many of us have quietly drifted away from ourselves without even realising it? This episode explores why so many high-functioning women can feel disconnected from themselves despite outward success, why our nervous systems often tell us we're safe only when we're productive, and why the journey back to ourselves is often much gentler than we imagine. If you've been feeling exhausted, disconnected, overwhelmed or like you've lost sight of who you are beneath all the roles you carry, this conversation is an invitation to pause, breathe and remember yourself again. In this episode we explore: Why coming home isn't always about returning to a place.How your nervous system influences your sense of identity and belonging.The subtle ways we can lose ourselves while simply trying to cope with life.Why slowing down can feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.The importance of creating moments where your nervous system feels safe enough to soften.What it really means to come home to yourself.Key Takeaways Quiet moments can reveal profound personal insights.Returning to familiar places can reconnect us with our true selves.Small, quiet shifts often indicate deep inner growth.Practicing mindfulness and trauma release can facilitate healing.Authentic self-connection is often found in simplicity.A Question To Reflect On When was the last time you truly felt like yourself? Not the version of you that's constantly doing... The version of you that simply gets to be. If this episode resonated with you... If you've been doing the inner work but still feel like something is quietly holding you back, it may not be a lack of motivation, confidence or willpower. It may be that your identity is still organised around survival. That's exactly why I created my Archetypes of Transformation™ and Invisible Ceiling Assessment™—to help you begin recognising the unconscious patterns, identity fractures and protective strategies that may be keeping you from fully stepping into the life that's waiting for you. Take the free Quiz here Because perhaps the person you're searching for isn't someone you need to become. Perhaps they're someone you've been finding your way back to all along. If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    When Was The Last Time You Felt Like Yourself? Maybe Coming Home Isn't About A Place

  4. Jul 27

    Who Taught You That Being Strong Meant Never Stopping ?

    Send us a Message to connect Have you ever noticed that even when you finally have time to rest.... you still can't? You answer one more email. Fold another load of washing. Organise tomorrow. Check on everyone else. And before you know it, another opportunity to simply be has disappeared. In this week's Conversations with Dr Nat, host Dr Nat Green explores why so many high-functioning women feel compelled to keep going—even when they're physically and emotionally exhausted. Because what if the problem isn't your workload? What if your nervous system learned, many years ago, that being strong meant never stopping? Through deeply personal stories about her Mum, her own healing journey after PTSD, and decades of working with women who quietly carry everyone else, Dr Nat explores how the beliefs we absorb in childhood continue shaping our identity, our nervous system and our relationship with rest. This isn't about blaming our parents. It's about understanding ourselves with compassion. Because once we understand where our patterns came from.... we finally have permission to choose differently. In this episode we explore:  Why so many high-functioning women struggle to slow down  How childhood beliefs shape our relationship with work, productivity and rest  Why your nervous system may feel safer doing than simply being  The invisible identity patterns that keep women over-functioning  How family role models influence our beliefs about strength and self-worth  Why slowing down can feel uncomfortable—even when you desperately need it  The difference between surviving and truly living  Three gentle reflections to help you notice your own patterns this week A Question To Sit With Who taught you that being strong meant never stopping? And perhaps even more importantly... Is that belief still serving the woman you're becoming? If this episode resonated... Please share it with someone who has always been "the strong one." Sometimes the women who hold everything together are the ones who most need permission to put the weight down. Connect with Dr Nat 🌿 Discover your Archetype - Take the FREE Archetypes of Transformation Quiz here and discover the unconscious patterns shaping your identity and nervous system. 🎙️ Subscribe to Growing Tall Poppies so you never miss an episode. 💌 Subscribe to Conversations with Dr Nat - our Weekly connection here for weekly reflections designed to help you reconnect with yourself, increase your capacity, and gently become who you were always meant to be. If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    Who Taught You That Being Strong Meant Never Stopping ?

  5. Jul 20

    You Don't Have a Productivity Problem, You Have a Permission Problem

    Send us a Message to connect Conversations with Dr Nat is a short weekly reflection for high-functioning women who are tired of just ‘surviving’ and ready to come home to themselves. Have you ever finally had time to rest.... only to find yourself cleaning the house, answering emails or searching for something productive to do? What if the problem isn't that you're bad at relaxing? What if your nervous system simply doesn't feel safe slowing down? In this second episode of Conversations with Dr Nat, host Dr Nat Green explores why so many high-functioning women struggle to rest—even when they're completely exhausted. Through a deeply personal story from a long-awaited family holiday through Europe, Dr Nat reflects on the surprising moment she realised that being needed felt more familiar than simply receiving and allowing rest. It became a powerful reminder that many of us don't have a productivity problem at all—we have a permission problem. This isn't a conversation about time management. It's a conversation about identity, nervous system safety, and the beliefs we've quietly carried for years about worth, productivity and rest. If you've ever felt guilty for slowing down...  If you've ever believed you needed to earn your rest...  If you've ever wondered why doing feels easier than simply being... this conversation is for you. In this episode we explore: • Why rest can feel uncomfortable even when you're exhausted • The hidden beliefs that make us feel we have to earn our worth • How your nervous system learns what feels safe and familiar • Why high-achieving women often struggle to slow down • The difference between productivity and permission • A personal story that changed the way I think about rest forever • Three gentle reflections to help you notice your own patterns this week A question to sit with Who taught you that rest had to be earned? If this episode resonated with you, I'd love you to share it with someone who is always looking after everyone else. Sometimes the strongest people are the ones who most need to hear that they're allowed to stop. Connect with Dr Nat 🌿 Discover your Archetype - Take the FREE Archetypes of Transformation Quiz here 🎙️ Subscribe to Growing Tall Poppies 💌 Subscribe to Conversations with Dr Nat - our Weekly connection here If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    You Don't Have a Productivity Problem, You Have a Permission Problem

  6. Jul 14

    Conversations with Dr Nat: The Hidden Cost of Always Being the Strong One

    Send us a Message to connect   Have you become the person everyone relies on? The capable one. The dependable one. The one who remembers everything, carries everyone, and somehow keeps all the plates spinning. From the outside, your life probably looks like you've got it together. But underneath the surface... you're quietly exhausted. Not just physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Nervous-system exhausted. In this very first Conversations with Dr Nat, I'm sharing something I've been noticing in so many of the incredible women I speak with every week.... and, if I'm honest, something I've recognised in myself too. This isn't a teaching episode. It's simply a conversation. A conversation about the hidden cost of always being the strong one, why slowing down can feel so uncomfortable, and how survival patterns can quietly become the way we live. I also share a deeply personal story from a time when I realised that what I had always called resilience and been so proud of at the time was, in many ways, a nervous system doing everything it could to survive. If you've ever caught yourself saying... • "I'll rest once this settles down." • "I've got it." • "I'm fine." • "I just need to get through this week." ...then I think this conversation might be exactly what you need today. In this episode, we explore: Why so many high-functioning women feel exhausted, even when they appear to be copingThe hidden mental load of always being the one everyone relies onWhy people-pleasing, over-functioning and overthinking are often survival patterns rather than personality traitsWhy slowing down and accepting help can actually feel unsafeHow your nervous system can link your worth to being useful, productive or neededThree gentle reflections to help you reconnect with yourself this weekThis isn't about becoming stronger. It's about understanding yourself with greater compassion. Because perhaps the next chapter isn't about carrying more. Perhaps it's finally feeling safe enough to put something down. Key Takeaways Being the strong one often comes with an invisible emotional cost.Your nervous system isn't trying to exhaust you - it's trying to keep you safe. Rest can feel uncomfortable when you've learned that your worth comes from what you do rather than who you are. Reclaiming yourself isn't about becoming someone new. It's about remembering who you were before survival became your identity.Connect with Dr Nat If this conversation resonated with you, I'd genuinely love to hear from you. Instagram: @drnatgreen https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/  Facebook: Dr Natalie Green  Website: www.drnataliegreen.com.au If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be so grateful if you followed the podcast, left a review, or shared it with someone who's spent far too long carrying everything on their own.  If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    Conversations with Dr Nat: The Hidden Cost of Always Being the Strong One

  7. Jul 6

    When Strength Becomes the Problem: A Vietnam Veteran's Journey Through Trauma, Burnout & Recovery

    Send us a Message to connect Burnout doesn't happen because you're weak. More often, it happens because you've spent years being strong for everyone else. In this deeply moving episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr Nat Green sits down with US Marine and Vietnam Veteran, author and speaker Keith A. Cole to explore the hidden cost of carrying trauma alone, the long road to burnout, and the powerful role that faith, connection and daily practices played in his recovery. As a member of the US Marine Corps and Wounded three times during the Vietnam War, Keith returned home determined to simply keep going. He built a successful career as a CPA, became the guardian of his younger siblings after losing both parents, and worked tirelessly to provide for those around him. But beneath the surface, unresolved trauma, relentless responsibility and decades of pushing through eventually caught up with him. Keith shares the moment everything changed, why asking for help became the strongest thing he ever did, and the practical recovery framework he now teaches to help others rebuild their lives after burnout. Whether your trauma comes from combat, caregiving, childhood adversity, chronic stress or simply years of carrying too much, this conversation is a powerful reminder that healing isn't something you have to do alone. In this episode we discuss: Keith's journey from Vietnam combat veteran to burnout survivorHow unresolved trauma silently shapes our lives for decadesWhy high achievers often ignore the warning signs of burnoutPTSD, hypervigilance and the long-term impact of chronic stressThe hidden danger of believing you always have to be strongWhy burnout is often the result of an overwhelmed nervous systemThe importance of connection and asking for supportKeith's daily recovery framework built around action, gratitude, prayer, rest, exercise and intentional reflectionPractical habits that support long-term recovery after trauma and burnoutWhy healing begins when we stop trying to carry everything on our ownMemorable quote "It doesn't take strength to suffer. It takes strength to ask for help."Connect with Keith A. Cole Website: recoverybyfaith.com https://recoverybyfaith.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kacolecpa/ Book: (available online via Amazon and bookstores or via Keith's website) Burnout: God's Recovery Plan – A Marine's Story of Trauma, Surrender, and Healing Through Faith If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who may need the reminder that they don't have to carry their struggles alone. If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    When Strength Becomes the Problem: A Vietnam Veteran's Journey Through Trauma, Burnout & Recovery

  8. Jun 29

    Two Friends. Two Very Different Battles. One Week That Changed Things Forever

    Send us a Message to connect Some episodes are planned. This wasn't one of them. This week, I found myself walking alongside two very dear friends whose lives took completely different paths. One is courageously facing the final chapter of a long battle with cancer, desperately wishing for more time. The other survived a serious suicide attempt after reaching a place where another day felt impossible. Holding those two realities within the space of twenty-four hours left me asking a question I couldn't shake: How can one person fight so fiercely to stay alive while another no longer wants to? After more than 35 years supporting people through trauma, grief, disasters, illness and life's most difficult moments, I've learned there are rarely simple answers. But I have learned this... We never truly know what another person is carrying. In this deeply personal episode, I share what these two extraordinary friends taught me about compassion, hope, invisible suffering, presence, nervous system regulation and what it really means to walk beside someone without trying to fix them. This isn't an episode about having all the answers. It's an invitation to become a little more curious, a little less judgmental, and a little more present with the people we love. In this episode you'll discover:  Why suffering can't be measured from the outside.  The profound difference between carrying someone's pain and walking beside them.  Why presence is often more healing than advice.  What 35 years of supporting people through trauma has taught me about being human.  How to stay compassionate without becoming emotionally exhausted.  Why nervous system regulation matters most during life's hardest moments.  Three simple questions that may change the way you move through this week. If this conversation touches your heart, I'd love you to share it with someone who may need the reminder that they are not alone. And if you're the one carrying more than anyone knows, please don't carry it alone. Reach out to someone you trust, your GP, a mental health professional, or a crisis support service in your area. There is support available, and you deserve it as you are worth it ! If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen 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.

    Two Friends. Two Very Different Battles. One Week That Changed Things Forever
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Growing Tall Poppies: Thrive After Trauma is the podcast for anyone ready to heal from trauma, reclaim their power, and step into post-traumatic growth. Hosted by trauma therapist, coach, and author Dr. Natalie (Nat) Green, this empowering podcast blends real-life survivor stories, expert insights, and practical strategies to help you move beyond pain and create a life filled with purpose, resilience, and joy. Each episode dives deep into the psychological and emotional journey of thriving after trauma—exploring identity, values, nervous system healing, resilience, and renewed purpose. You’ll hear how others overcame adversity, plus learn tools you can use to regulate your nervous system, rewire your mindset, and accelerate your growth journey. What You’ll Gain from Growing Tall Poppies: Thrive After Trauma 🌱 Real Stories of Resilience – Inspiring conversations with survivors who turned trauma into strength and transformation. 🧠 Expert Guidance & Healing Tools – Proven strategies from leading professionals on trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, and mental health. ✨ Empowering Insights – Explore the mindsets, practices, and Trauma Archetypes that unlock post-traumatic growth and freedom. 💡 Psychology Meets Coaching – Innovative approaches that bridge science, therapy, and coaching to fast-track healing and thriving. With over 35 years’ experience and her own lived journey of trauma and growth, Dr. Nat Green—creator of the ABS Method® and Archetypes of Transformation—is dedicated to ending trauma-associated suffering. Through her podcast, bestselling books, and transformative programs, she guides survivors and professionals alike to rediscover their identity, align with their values, and shine brightly beyond adversity. If you’re ready to not just survive trauma but truly thrive after it, this podcast is your roadmap to resilience, healing, and post-traumatic growth.

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