In this episode of The Karen Kenney Show, I talk about the "missing pieces" in our lives.

Not just the painful things that happened to us, but also the love, protection, witnessing, or tenderness that we didn’t get, but should have.

We get into how that silent absence of what was missing, can become its own kind of not often talked about trauma.

I share about a recent death in the family and why I’m sad about and grieving a person I never met or got the chance to know.

I also connect how that ties into both what I call the “never life" - which is the life that didn’t happen and now (for whatever reason) can’t happen...

And, the lonely grief of what Cheryl Strayed calls the "sister life" - that life you only got to live in your dreams and imagination.

We explore childhood neglect, the trauma of omission, and revisit Linda Thai’s powerful teaching that, “Trauma isn’t just what happened, it’s what didn’t happen that should have happened.”

I also walk through how I often work with my own missing pieces:

1) Sitting with my feelings (instead of abandoning myself).
2) Being gentle and merciful with younger parts of me.
3) Making my way in the direction of acceptance.
4) Eventually asking, “Now what?”- so I can start leaning back toward the light and new dreams.

If you’ve ever felt sad about the family you didn’t have, the love you didn’t receive, or that version of your life that never got its time in the sun, then this one’s for you.❤️

KAREN KENNEY BIO:

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, podcaster, certified spiritual mentor, and coach.

She’s known for her dynamic storytelling, her sense of humor, her Boston accent, and her no-bullshit approach to spirituality, self-development, and transformational change work.

Karen helps people to navigate this whole “being human” experience using a variety of practical tools, personal stories, and universal principles.

KK has been a yoga teacher for 25+ years, has been a Thai Yoga Massage practitioner since 2008.

She's also a Gateless Writing Instructor, the creator of WRITE CLUB, and the host of The Karen Kenney Show podcast.

She coaches clients individually in her 1:1 program THE QUEST and in her HEART-TO-HEART DAYS using Voxer.

She also leads a group program and community called THE NEST.

CONNECT WITH KK:

🙋🏼‍♀️ WEBSITE: https://www.karenkenney.com/

📬 GET MY EMAILS: https://www.karenkenney.com/signup

📝 WRITE CLUB: https://www.karenkenney.com/writeclub

🪺 THE NEST - COACHING + COMMUNITY: https://www.karenkenney.com/nest

🗡️ THE QUEST - 1:1 MENTORING: https://www.karenkenney.com/quest

❤️ HEART-TO-HEART DAY: https://www.karenkenney.com/hearttoheart