Welcome to the Aware and Prepared podcast

where I, Mandi, a trained domestic violence victim advocate helps those feeling vulnerable learn emotional self defense and how to be street smart.

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You deserve to live in peace and safety! Hear safety tips that will help us enjoy empowered lives. Let’s leave worry behind so we can be savvy, aware, and prepared

When Relaxing Feels Impossible: Healing from Complex PTSD

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 15/10/2025

Ever find it hard to relax like your body doesn’t know how to come down from survival mode? You’re not alone! In this solo episode, I’m wrapping up our Complex PTSD Series by sharing some additional final thoughts on what trauma has looked like in my own life, including: - How trauma may contribute to early menopause - Difficulty processing emotions - The inability to relax - Reflections on hypervigilance, numbness, and learning self-compassion Hear practical ways to start reconnecting with your body and emotions safely. You are not alone! Healing, peace, and self-trust are absolutely possible.

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Beyond Talk Therapy: Healing Through the Nervous System and Somatic Work

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 08/10/2025

What if you’ve tried talk therapy for years but still feel stuck? Listen in as therapist, Catherine Lucey, LMFT, and host Mandi Pratt unpack the healing practices that go beyond talk therapy — bringing the body, self-compassion, and community into the process. You’ll learn: The three lenses of healing: nervous system regulation, self-compassion (through Internal Family Systems), and community. A simple interrupt + orient + safety practice you can use daily to calm your body in minutes. How movement, nature, creativity, and even surfing can help regulate the nervous system. What questions to ask when seeking a trauma-informed, body-based therapist. Whether you’ve experienced trauma yourself, or you support others on their healing journey, this episode is filled with practical tools and gentle reminders: you are not broken, and healing doesn’t have to be another overwhelming “to-do.”

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Trauma Expert Britt Frank Shares Practical Tips for Healing from Trauma and PTSD

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 24/09/2025

Mandi sits down with neuro-psychotherapist and author Britt Frank, LSCSW, SEP for a powerful and down-to-earth conversation about navigating healing after trauma. Together, they explore how our inner critic can feel overwhelming, why safety is the foundation of healing, and what it means to practice “trauma turtle rolls”— the small, grounding actions that carry us through tough moments until conditions improve. They share their real-life experiences with anxiety, affirmations, and even breathwork: what helps, what doesn’t, and why it’s okay if your healing doesn’t look like anyone else’s. Whether you’re managing PTSD, C-PTSD, or simply the waves of everyday stress, this conversation reminds you: healing happens in safe places, and even the smallest choices can bring peace.

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Complex PTSD Awareness: My Journey From Surviving to Finding Peace

Mandi Pratt

Published on: 22/09/2025

September is Complex PTSD Awareness Month, and in this solo episode I share an authentic part of my journey as a survivor of narcissistic and sociopathic abuse — including the long years of post-separation abuse that followed. What trauma looks like in real life: hypervigilance, brain fog, and decision fatigue, to self-doubt, health struggles, and relationship challenges, I open up about the many ways complex PTSD shows up in daily life. BUT woven throughout is also a message of hope: the power of resilience, faith, and nervous system healing to restore a sense of peace. This episode sets the stage for the upcoming expert guests joining me to unpack anxiety, healing strategies, and how we can learn to feel safe again. Whether you’ve faced trauma yourself or are just navigating everyday stress and anxiety, this series is for you.

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