Six months after Riding the Trauma Train first left the station, Lydia is taking a moment to look back.
Not because six months marks the beginning of her healing journey. That journey started long before the podcast. Instead, this milestone is an opportunity to reflect on what has happened since she decided to turn some of her own pain into purpose and create a space where honest conversations about trauma, healing and life could happen.
Thirty-three episodes later, one message continues to sit at the heart of everything:
You are not alone on this journey.
And perhaps that is something we all need reminding of from time to time.
When a Podcast Becomes a Community
When Lydia started Riding the Trauma Train, the intention was to help people feel less alone.
Trauma can be incredibly isolating. You might be surrounded by people and still feel as though nobody truly understands what is happening inside you.
Sometimes, hearing another person describe something you’ve experienced can create an important moment of recognition.
Someone else feels this too.
Across the first 33 episodes, conversations have explored everything from triggers, betrayal and bereavement to ADHD, trauma-informed fitness, toxic parents, boundaries, self-compassion, the nervous system and polyvagal theory.
There have been difficult conversations, emotional moments and plenty of laughter too.
And through those conversations, something bigger than a podcast has started to develop.
A community.
A place where people can listen while walking the dog, driving to work or sitting quietly at home and perhaps hear someone put words to something they’ve struggled to explain themselves.
Connection doesn’t remove what happened to us. But knowing we’re not the only person navigating something can make the journey feel less lonely.
Healing Isn’t Linear
One lesson that continues to appear throughout Riding the Trauma Train is that healing isn’t linear.
There isn’t a straight line from trauma to “healed”.
There can be good days and difficult days. There can be moments when you feel strong and others when an unexpected trigger knocks you sideways.
That doesn’t automatically mean you’re back at the beginning.
Lydia reflects in the episode on experiencing significant triggers even after doing a great deal of work on her own healing. What she has noticed is that she can often recognise what is happening and return to the present more quickly than she could earlier in her journey.
Progress can sometimes look like that.
Not never being triggered.
Not never struggling.
But perhaps noticing sooner, understanding yourself better and having more tools available when difficult moments arise.
It is worth remembering that everyone’s experience is different. There isn’t a timetable you need to follow.
Are You Giving Yourself Credit for How Far You’ve Come?
One of the most important questions in this episode isn’t about Lydia’s journey at all.
It’s about yours.
Where were you six months ago?
We spend so much time thinking about where we want to be that it can be easy to forget to look behind us.
So pause for a moment.
What have you survived in the last six months?
What have you learned?
What are you proud of?
What have you stopped doing because it wasn’t good for you?
What feels different now?
Progress doesn’t always come with a certificate, a dramatic before-and-after photograph or a huge announcement.
Maybe you set a boundary.
Maybe you asked for help.
Maybe you stopped saying yes when you desperately wanted to say no.
Maybe you started moving your body again.
Maybe you recognised a trigger.
Maybe you rested without feeling that you had to earn it.
Or perhaps you’re simply beginning to understand yourself differently.
Those things count too.
Listening Isn’t Enough
There is another important message Lydia shares in this episode.
Information is only useful if we do something with it.
It’s incredibly easy to consume information about healing and personal development.
We listen to podcasts.
We read books.
We follow therapists, coaches and educators online.
We save posts.
We screenshot quotes.
We think, That’s such a good idea.
And then life carries on.
The idea stays in our saved folder.
Knowledge can help us understand ourselves, but implementation is what allows us to explore whether something actually helps us.
That doesn’t mean completely changing your life tomorrow.
It means taking one small thing that resonates and trying it.
Perhaps you’ve heard someone talk about getting outside when you’re overwhelmed. Could you take a ten-minute walk today?
Maybe you’ve learned about boundaries. Is there one small boundary you’ve been avoiding?
Perhaps you’ve been meaning to journal. Could you write for five minutes rather than waiting for the perfect quiet Sunday morning?
The action doesn’t have to be impressive.
It just has to be possible.
Three Things to Put Into Action
Lydia offers a simple exercise in the episode.
Take out your phone, journal or a piece of paper and write down three things you’ve learned that you haven’t implemented yet.
They might have come from this podcast, another podcast, a book, a conversation or even something you spotted while scrolling.
Then ask yourself:
Which one could I actually do?
Not someday.
Not when life is perfect.
Not when you have more motivation.
What is one realistic step you could take?
You don’t need to tackle all three at once. In fact, trying to change everything at the same time can become another source of pressure.
Choose one.
Start there.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
For Lydia, the past six months have also brought an unexpected evolution.
Riding the Trauma Train began as a way of creating conversations that could help other people feel less alone.
Through those conversations, Lydia’s own sense of purpose has continued to grow.
She describes it as turning pain into purpose.
That doesn’t mean pretending painful experiences happened for a reason.
It doesn’t mean being grateful for trauma.
And it certainly doesn’t mean everybody who has experienced trauma needs to turn their experience into a business, project or mission.
Purpose can look different for everyone.
For Lydia, it has meant using her voice, experiences and growing knowledge to create conversations and practical resources that might make someone else’s journey feel a little less lonely.
That purpose has now grown beyond the podcast.
The Next Stop: Right Track Wellbeing
In the episode, Lydia also shares more about Right Track Wellbeing, the wider wellbeing brand that has evolved alongside Riding the Trauma Train.
Movement has played an important role in Lydia’s life for many years, whether through walking, running or lifting weights.
That experience has influenced her decision to train in personal training and mental health exercise coaching, alongside further training in areas including breathwork.
The vision for Right Track Wellbeing is to bring different aspects of wellbeing together, with a focus on mindset, movement and trauma-aware education.
It is a natural extension of what has developed through the podcast.
Riding the Trauma Train creates conversations.
Right Track Wellbeing aims to offer practical ways for people to explore what moving forward might look like for them.
You can find out more at www.righttrackwellbeingltd.com.
What Will Your Next Six Months Look Like?
Looking backwards is only part of reflection.
Eventually, we get to ask:
What happens next?
Lydia isn’t asking listeners to create an enormous list of resolutions or completely reinvent themselves.
Instead, think about something more personal.
What would you like to feel six months from now?
More confident?
More connected?
More comfortable setting boundaries?
More willing to try something new?
More able to prioritise yourself?
Your goal doesn’t have to look impressive to anybody else.
It needs to mean something to you.
And then bring it even closer.
Forget six months for a moment.
What’s one thing you can do in the next six days?
Then perhaps ask an even simpler question.
What can I do today?
Look Back With Kindness and Forward With Hope
There is a line towards the end of this episode that beautifully sums up the message:
Look back with kindness. Look forward with hope. Take one small step.
Healing doesn’t need to be a race towards some imaginary finish line.
You don’t need to have everything figured out.
And you don’t have to take every step today.
Sometimes the next part of the journey begins with recognising how far you’ve already travelled.
Then choosing the next stop.
One step at a time.
And wherever you currently find yourself on that journey, remember:
You are not alone.
CONTENT NOTE
This article and accompanying episode discuss trauma, mental health, triggers and healing. There are no graphic descriptions, but please engage with the content at your own pace. Podcast content and general wellbeing information are not substitutes for individual medical or therapeutic support. If you’re struggling, consider reaching out to an appropriately qualified professional or support service.
LISTEN AND CONNECT
Listen to Riding the Trauma Train and explore more trauma-informed conversations at:
Riding the Trauma Train: www.ridingthetraumatrain.co.uk
Right Track Wellbeing: www.righttrackwellbeingltd.com
Instagram: @ridingthetraumatrain and @right.track.wellbeing
Email: hello@ridingthetraumatrain.com
If this episode resonated with you, Lydia would love to hear your answer to one question:
What’s one thing you’ve learned that you’re now ready to implement?