Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Maloney

Katie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

As a trauma-healing author and speaker, I am deeply passionate about oversharing. My mission is to share my very real (and frequently awkward) stories of navigating healing from eighteen years of childhood sexual abuse so that others feel comfortable laughing about, loving, and sharing their own stories.

In my book, “Cake Pops and Coffee: A New Conversation About Trauma,” I get very real about the whole story of trauma—the difficult and the beautiful. I talk about how I made myself small and sabotaged my success because of negative beliefs. I talk about saving my past selves and learning how to find safety within myself. I share how I learned to masturbate in a way that transformed her perception of pleasure and allowed her to connect with her partner during intimacy (I told you I overshare!). I talk about navigating relationships and sharing my past with the people I love. I share how I cut through all the bullshit that resulted from the abuse and how I learned to love myself on a deeper level and truly live after trauma—all while sharing tips and guidance on how you can do the same.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

When I first started working through the abuse, I looked to books for guidance on how to talk about my experiences. But all I could find were psychology books or heavily titled self-help books that made me feel like the vastness of my shit was insurmountable. No one talked about the other parts of my story—all the beautiful, lighthearted, meaningful and funny moments in my life. I wanted a different kind of conversation about sexual abuse. So, I wrote the book I always needed—a new type of trauma healing book.

Since then, I’ve been working on changing the game for trauma-healing books and conversations. I believe that we can have conversations about trauma with laughter and approachability instead of heaviness and discomfort, all while feeling supported and safe. So, grab some cake pops and coffee, and let’s share some stories!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

What makes me the most proud since publishing my book is the positive responses I’ve received. I knew that I needed a more approachable conversation about healing from abuse, and I suspected that other survivors and thrivers needed the same, but I had no idea just how many people would resonate with the topics in my book. It’s been incredibly rewarding to be a part of so many beautiful people’s healing journeys and to hear how my book has influenced how they now share their own stories and participate in healing conversations.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

One thing that most people may not know about me is that I’m still healing!
I may have even convinced myself, after publishing my book, that I had reached the pinnacle of my healing journey—that I finally made it and healed all of my past pain and negative patterns! But I have realized (reluctantly at first) that healing is layered. I’m proud of all the healing I’ve done over the past decade—it’s because of that healing that I can now access new layers of myself to send love and healing to.

For a while, I felt disappointed when I fell into old habits or discovered a new wound that I never even knew existed before. I thought that those discoveries somehow negated all the years of healing work I had done. But that’s not true at all, and I realize that now. I’ve accepted (again, reluctantly at times) that the healing journey is one I’ll be on for a lifetime. I’ll travel to different destinations on my healing path. I’ll move backward, forward and sideways. I’ll make discoveries about myself. Sometimes, I’ll see things that inspire me; other times, I’ll see things that are difficult to look at. All of it is okay. All of it is safe. And all of it is simply part of the healing journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katiemaloneycoaching.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiemaloney_author/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiemaloneycoaching

Image Credits

@leeann_k_photography