What if the hardest parts of your parenting journey are actually pointing you toward your greatest growth?

In this deeply honest and powerful conversation, I sit down with psychologist and parenting educator Anna Seewald, host of the Authentic Parenting Podcast, to explore how trauma, loss, and early life experiences shape the way we show up as parents.

Anna shares her personal story of losing her mother at a young age and how that profound loss resurfaced when she became a parent herself, bringing unexpected grief, loneliness, and emotional challenges. Together, we unpack the reality of early parenthood: the isolation, the overwhelm, and the way parenting can activate “silent volcanoes” of past trauma.

You’ll walk away with a powerful reframe: parenting isn’t just raising a child, it’s a transformative process that reveals both your deepest wounds and your greatest capacity for healing.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The hidden loneliness and isolation of early motherhood
• How parenting acts as a stress test for unresolved trauma
• The impact of early parental loss on identity and parenting
• “Trauma superpowers” and the concept of post-traumatic growth
• The fine line between growth and toxic positivity
• Hypervigilance vs. presence: two sides of trauma awareness
• How gratitude and perspective can emerge from hardship
• The importance of creating the support you didn’t receive

About the Guest:

Anna Seewald is an internationally recognized psychologist, parenting educator, keynote speaker, and host of the Authentic Parenting Podcast. With over 25 years of experience, she is passionate about helping parents heal their own trauma so they can raise emotionally healthy children. Her mission is to end violence against children by transforming the way we approach parenting. To learn more, visit authenticparenting.com

Connect with me on Instagram @dr.koslowitzpsychology and check out my new book Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle and Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be