Boldly Grow Blog

Thoughts from a psychologist and survivor about how Kpop Demon Hunters reveals the power of overcoming shame, finding true belonging, and embracing authenticity.

This is a letter where I share my thoughts as a trauma psychologist about how trauma therapy has felt lately as we have faced harm, abuses, and violence in our communities and from our own government and institutions. I talk about what I'm seeing in sessions, how that feels, and also ways we can practice radical hope.

Learn what AuDHD means and how its traits show up socially, emotionally, and behaviorally for people who have both ADHD and autism. AuDHD Meaning & Traits Explained.

This is a personal letter and reflection by Dr. Layton about how upsetting, unjust and wrong it is that we have to parent the way we do under capitalism. This isn't the usual post with actionable tips per se. I wanted to point to things that should not be normalized and express my dissent. I also want to send warmth and empathy to fellow working parents and fellow parents who are among the working class in this country. Parenting under capitalism is hard. And we don't have to accept it as it is.

Discover how to embrace daily magic, rest, and community by practicing enoughness and redefining what it means to have “made it.” This post explores what it really means to “make it” beyond capitalism’s endless chase for more. Instead of measuring our worth by productivity or possessions, we can practice enoughness by noticing the magic of daily life, reclaiming rest, and caring for ourselves with intention. Through reflection and actionable steps, you’ll learn how to review your time, shift patterns, and root your sense of safety in relationships, creativity, and presence - so you can live with more contentment, joy, and contentment even now.

This post explores the hidden connection between being an “empath” and living in a state of social hypervigilance—a common but often overlooked trauma response. Drawing from personal experience and psychological insight, it examines how patterns like over-explaining, people-pleasing, and perfectionism can develop as survival strategies, and offers self-check questions to help readers reflect on their own experiences. Discover how “empath” traits can mask trauma responses like hypervigilance, over-explaining & perfectionism, and how to heal.

This is an article discussing what is people pleasing, how do I know if I'm people pleasing, why do we people please, and what does not people pleasing look like? We talk about the origin and experience of people pleasing to build understanding about this learned response.

A brief note welcoming folks to Boldly Grow blog and outlining the purpose of this blog. I hope we can all boldly grow together!