Choosing Myself: Trauma, Power, and the Refusal to Shrink is a deeply personal and unapologetic opening episode of Breaking Rank.

In this conversation, host Diana Lauritson is interviewed by her longtime friend and guest host Sofia DeMartino, tracing the moments that forced Diana to confront a hard truth: success that requires silence, self-erasure, or endurance at the cost of your well-being is not success at all.

Together, they unpack how personal trauma rooted in family, upbringing, and relationships intersects with workplace trauma and systemic harm in high-pressure professional environments. Diana reflects on how ambition is shaped by survival, how power is often conditioned on silence, and why choosing yourself, especially as a woman of color, can feel both radical and necessary.

This episode explores:

• The hidden cost of shrinking to survive professionally

• How workplace systems reward endurance over authenticity

• Why refusing to shrink is not selfish, but strategic

• What it looks like to reclaim power without asking for permission

This episode sets the foundation for Breaking Rank: a podcast for people navigating high-pressure careers who are done playing small and ready to lead on their own terms.

If this resonates, subscribe to Breaking Rank and share this episode with someone who needs permission to choose themselves.