Episode 352: Best Of: Healing Childhood Trauma and Building Healthier Futures with Phyllis Leavitt Artwork

The Other Side Of Potential

Welcome to The Other Side of Potential podcast, hosted by Dr. Sharon Spano. Each episode explores the many complexities of our world that often disrupt our ability to effectively lead ourselves and others.

Join Sharon in provocative conversations with cutting-edge trailblazers as they navigate The Art of High-Impact Leadership and how to move beyond the daily pressures of success to a place of radical abundance.

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The Other Side Of Potential

Episode 352: Best Of: Healing Childhood Trauma and Building Healthier Futures with Phyllis Leavitt

September 03, 2025 • Sharon Spano • Episode 352

In this moving episode, Dr. Sharon Spano sits down with Phyllis Leavitt, a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience helping individuals and families heal from trauma. Phyllis shares her personal journey of navigating childhood trauma and how it led her to a lifelong mission of guiding others toward healing and wholeness.

She also discusses her book America in Therapy, where she explores how the dynamics of family trauma reflect the larger dysfunctions we see in society today. Phyllis makes the case that by addressing and healing trauma at the individual and family level, we can also begin to heal our communities and nation.

This episode is both deeply personal and profoundly practical, offering insights for anyone interested in healing, leadership, and the future of human connection.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Phyllis’s personal story of growing up with trauma and finding healing through therapy
How childhood trauma impacts adult relationships and well-being
Why unhealed family trauma often mirrors dysfunction in society
Practical tools for beginning the journey of trauma recovery
Why self-awareness and compassion are essential for healing
Insights from Phyllis’s book America in Therapy
How leaders can recognize and address trauma in their organizations
The link between personal healing and creating healthier communities
Why talking about trauma is the first step toward transformation
How therapy offers both personal and societal hope for the future