Breaking the Silence, Reclaiming Your Life
By Lesley Pazdzioch | Interview with Blanca Rodriguez
What if your deepest wounds became the doorway to your greatest healing? When two women who’ve walked through the deepest traumas come together in raw, vulnerable conversation? A moment of truth, transformation, and the power of healing. Breaking the Silence, Reclaiming Your Life explores how trauma can shape the body, how silence suffocates the spirit, and how we can reclaim our lives by learning to speak up, say no, and love ourselves without apology.
In this powerful article, I share the ins and outs from my interview with Blanca Rodriguez, founder of Wounded Healers. Blanca is a licensed massage therapist, holistic coach, and passionate advocate for survivors of sexual trauma. Together, we explored what it truly means to go from simply surviving… to thriving.
This conversation isn’t just about pain. It’s about breaking generational patterns, reclaiming your voice, and stepping into a life that feels fully yours. It’s about finding passion and purpose for a “Life Made Easier.”
The Journey from Silence to Strength
Blanca’s story begins in silence. By the age of nine, she had already endured multiple traumas, sexual abuse, grief, and a culture that told her to stay quiet.
“Back in the ’70s, you didn’t talk about trauma. Not death, not mental illness, not sexual assault. You were blamed, shamed, and silenced.”
For nearly five decades, she lived in survival mode—pushing forward, pretending, performing. But something changed when she became a mother. She realized that unless she broke the cycle, her children would inherit it.
“I told myself, this stops with me. The pain ends here.”
Together, we explored how trauma can shape the body, how silence suffocates the spirit, and how we can reclaim our lives by learning to speak up, say no, and love ourselves without apology.
From Victim to Victor
Blanca’s turning point didn’t come from someone else saving her. It came from within, saving herself.
“I had $89, two kids, and a broken-down car. But I knew I’d rather sleep in that car than stay another second in that violent relationship.”
That brave moment opened doors she never imagined. Support flooded in. People came to her rescue. And God, she says, showed her that when you’re ready to break free, miracles meet you where you are.
A Wounded Healer’s Mission
Blanca shared the ancient meaning behind the term wounded healer refers to “one who transforms their pain into purpose“. Her life’s work is built around this truth.
“I use the lessons from my wounds to help others through theirs.”
Whether through massage therapy, volunteer work, or soul-to-soul conversations, Blanca guides others toward reconnecting with their bodies, their instincts, and their self-worth.
When God Hits the Reset Button
Both Blanca and I shared how our lives were radically changed. For me, when I felt God hit the “reset button.” At that moment, I was 40. For Blanca, it was 47. It was painful. It was disorienting. However, in the end, we both agree, a precious holy gift from God. The gift of a second chance to start anew.
“Sometimes God clears everything out so you can start from nothing. Learning everything is found in “Living from the Inside Out”. That’s when the real healing begins.”
Many of us hit rock bottom before we rise. Blanca and I both shared how we experienced our versions of a divine reset moment when life as we knew it fell apart.
Trauma Lives in the Body
One of the most eye-opening parts of our conversation was how trauma physically lives in the body. Blanca explained how stress, fear, and anger store themselves in our organs and muscles, causing pain that won’t go away until we listen.
“The liver holds anger. The lower back holds grief. The shoulders carry our emotional weight.”
As a massage therapist, Blanca helps people release trauma from their tissues, reminding us that healing isn’t just emotional. It’s cellular.
Healing Is a Lifelong Journey
Healing isn’t linear. It’s not tidy. And it’s not a checklist. Blanca and I talked about how deeply trauma lodges itself in the body, how anger stores in the liver, fear settles in the lower back, and stress tightens the shoulders. As a massage therapist and someone deeply spiritual, Blanca emphasizes bodywork and emotional self-awareness as essential tools.
“The wounds are not your fault, but the healing is your responsibility.”
No Is a Full Sentence
One of the most powerful takeaways from our conversation was the role of boundaries in healing. Learning to say no, not with guilt or shame, but with self-respect, is transformational.
“Yes, felt like disrespect to my soul. Now, I know: no is a full sentence.”
Many survivors are chronic people pleasers, having learned to silence themselves to stay safe. But Blanca’s story reminds us that healing begins when we stop abandoning ourselves.
Returning to the World
Eventually, we all face the next steps in reintegrating back into the world. After the internal work is complete. How do we step back into the world, into a purpose-driven life? Into service, this time having authenticity? Into a “Live Made Easier”
For Blanca, this meant starting the Wounded Healers platform, working with sexual trauma survivors, and volunteering with both people and animals. As a canine massage therapist, she’s seen firsthand how animals can be powerful companions in recovery.
“The bond with an animal is one of the purest forms of love. It’s how many survivors begin to trust again.”
Self-Love Begins With Boundaries
Healing also means learning to say no, without guilt or explanation.
“For so long, I said yes to everyone but myself. I was exhausted, burned out, and disconnected.”
She shared how reclaiming her time, her energy, and her boundaries was the beginning of real self-love.
“No is a full sentence. And it’s one of the most powerful things I’ve ever learned to say.”
Pets, Connection, and Rebuilding Trust
For trauma survivors, relationships can feel unsafe. But Blanca reminded us that healing often begins through connection with ourselves, animals, and community.
“Animals carry our emotional weight. They’re loyal, healing, and help us feel safe again.”
As a canine massage therapist, Blanca sees this every day. Trusting again begins one step at a time, it’s an essential part of the journey of healing forward.
From Victim to Victor
Blanca’s story, like so many of ours, is not about a single turning point. It’s about choosing, again and again, to face the pain instead of numbing it. To speak the truth instead of hiding it. To live instead of merely exist.
“I used to perform perfectly. Now, I choose authenticity. That’s where my healing lives.”
We both agreed: healing is a lifelong path. It isn’t linear. It isn’t easy. But it is worth everything.
You Are Not Alone
If you’re carrying trauma, shame, or the weight of unspoken pain, please hear this:
“You are not alone.” “You are not broken.” “You are becoming.”
Your healing might take time. It may take tears. But it is work only you can do for yourself, “Living from the Inside Out”. And it will bring you back home to the core essence of your essential self.
Final Reflection
Blanca left us with a truth that lingers:
“My definition of harmony is being true to myself. My definition of freedom is saying it out loud.”
This article is about: A “Life Made Easier” not by avoiding the hard stuff, but by facing it with honesty, grace, and inner wisdom. “Living from the Inside Out”.
“My definition of harmony is being true to myself. My definition of freedom is saying it out loud.”
Let that sink in for a moment. You don’t have to live in silence anymore. You don’t have to pretend. And you don’t have to go it alone.
In eternal grace and gratitude,
~ Lesley Pazdzioch
💬 Want more soul-nourishing conversations like this one?
🎧 Listen to Life Made Easier wherever you get your podcasts.
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