How I healed childhood trauma and did a 42 KM Everest Marathon

How I Healed From a Narcissistic Mother and Took My Power Back

I grew up with a narcissistic mother.

At first, I didn’t even know what narcissism was. I just thought something must be wrong with me. I felt constant shame just for being myself.

It wasn’t until I sat across from a therapist, describing my childhood, that she gently said,
"Michele… this sounds like narcissistic abuse."

That moment changed everything.

Suddenly, my entire childhood made sense. The invalidation. The manipulation. The guilt.
And the deep, painful belief that I was never good enough.

The Truth About Growing Up With a Narcissistic Parent

When you have a narcissistic mother or emotionally unavailable parent, your emotional needs often go unmet.
You grow up feeling unseen, unheard, and unworthy.

You learn to over-function, people-please, or shut down.
And deep down, you carry this belief: "There’s something wrong with me."

There are usually two choices when you realize this:

• Stay stuck in your pain, living life from a wounded identity

• Or face it, feel it, and heal it—so your past stops running your present

The Hardest Part of Healing: Meeting Your Own Needs

One of the most painful lessons was understanding this:

➡️ If your needs weren’t met as a child, you must learn to meet them now.
Otherwise, you’ll carry that unhealed pain into your adult relationships, expecting others to “fix” something only you can heal.

I had to re-parent myself.

It wasn’t easy. Especially as a parent myself. But I made a decision:

🛑 I was no longer available to live from survival, shutdown, or shame.
✅ I was committed to becoming emotionally safe in my own body.

How I Reclaimed My Power (And Ran a Marathon at Everest)

Here’s what helped me move from emotional pain to grounded peace:

• Somatic healing & nervous system work
  I learned to regulate my fight, flight, freeze patterns. Without this, healing stays in your head—not your body.

• Re-parenting my inner child
  I stopped waiting for my mother to change. I became the parent I needed.

• Facing the unfamiliar
  Your nervous system loves the familiar, even if it’s painful. I learned to sit with discomfort, breathe through fear, and choose new patterns.

• Building emotional safety
  This is the foundation. Without it, the subconscious won’t let go of old stories. I teach my clients specific practices for each nervous system state—because different states need different tools.

Why I Talk About Everest

Yes, I ran a marathon at the top of the world, 42 KM high altitude.. . 
Not just for the adventure.
But because it represents what’s possible when you stop living from fear.

My oxygen levels stayed above 92% when most people dropped below 70%.
Why? Because my nervous system was trained to regulate under pressure.

Healing your trauma doesn’t just change how you think.
It changes how your body functions.

Ready to Heal?

If you grew up with:

• A narcissistic or emotionally unavailable parent

• Deep shame, self-doubt, or people-pleasing

• Emotional overwhelm, anxiety, or shutdown

It’s not your fault. But it is your responsibility to break the cycle.

💜 I help YOU to rewire your nervous system, heal childhood trauma, and reconnect with YOUR power.
You don’t have to do it alone.