We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gina Heumann. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gina below.

Gina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

In the midst of teaching interior design by day, my life at home was volatile and uncertain. For over a decade, I grappled with the chaos and abuse inflicted by my traumatized adopted son. Our walls bore holes from punches and kicks, our belongings often shattered, and I hid bruises beneath layers of clothing. It was a dark period in my life where my self-esteem hit rock bottom, and peaceful nights seemed like a distant dream.

Living with a child scarred by trauma meant navigating constant turmoil. His past experiences left him in a perpetual state of fight or flight, unable to trust even those closest to him. Yet, amidst the storm, I witnessed his remarkable journey towards healing and change. It was a road fraught with challenges, but one that ultimately led to the transformation of our family into a connected, thriving unit.

Driven by my own struggles and the realization that countless caregivers like me were in desperate need of support, I founded Trauma Drama University (TDU). It became a sanctuary—a free resource offering tools and guidance to parents navigating the complexities of childhood trauma. From online courses on therapeutic parenting to insightful podcasts and meticulously designed journals, TDU emerged as a beacon of hope in the midst of darkness.

Through TDU, I am on a mission to empower parents to create calmer, more connected families. My journey from adversity to purpose fuels my commitment to healing the wounds of trauma and fostering a safer, healthier society for all.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We didn’t intend to start a nonprofit in the beginning, only to share our story and help others. I published our book, Love Never Quits: Surviving & Thriving after Infertility, Adoption, and Reactive Attachment Disorder in 2019, and was pleased to be selected as a gold recipient of the Mom’s Choice Awards. I then did a TEDx called “Childhood Trauma Affects Us All”, with the intention to speak about childhood trauma, but the week after my speech from the red dot the entire world shut down for COVID. My speaking journey was put on hold.

As I was stuck in my house indefinitely, I decided to figure out other ways to provide assistance to parents in crisis. In my day job, I teach interior design and actually went back to school for a second Masters – this time in Adult Education. I specialized in online learning, so I decided to utilize my “super powers” and start writing courses reflecting some of the tools and research we had acquired in our own journey to healing and change.

In addition, I used my design skills to create products that would raise awareness for childhood trauma, featuring the “trauma heart” from our logo. My hope is that the trauma heart becomes a symbol for childhood trauma, much like the puzzle piece was for the autism community. All profits from the store go to the nonprofit so that we can keep our resources free. Many families in our situation (including us) struggle to afford the specialized therapy and treatments for childhood trauma, which often are not covered by health insurance and wind up thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt in order to help their children and keep their families safe.

In 2022, I rounded up some incredible people with a variety of skills I didn’t possess to form a board and take my ideas into the NonProfit world. We just celebrated one year with our 501c3 and things are growing like crazy in recent months. We published a “Special Needs Parenting Journal” at the end of 2023. We received a grant from Impact Denver to help us create a respite program, so that parents can get a much-needed break from their challenging kids, have a chance to reconnect with each other, and know that a trained provider will keep their kids routines in check and protect the family dynamic. As kids with trauma tend to triangulate and “parent shop”, a trained respite provider will not interfere with any progress being made in attachment.

We are excited to get the word out about Trauma Drama University and the services we provide. In addition to our courses, we feature the Erase the Chaos podcast, as well as a YouTube channel.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am a huge fan of Jon Gordon and my favorite book of his is “The Energy Bus”. Anytime I’m in a slump, I go back and re-read it to get myself into a more positive mindset and improve my outlook. I’m generally a very enthusiastic and energetic person, but trauma can sneak in at any time and destroy my mental well-being. It’s important to keep doing things to keep me in a good headspace.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was sound asleep one night, 3:30am, and felt a “whap” to my head. I assumed it was my husband maybe turning over in his sleep, but he was snoring soundly, facing the other direction. I turned the other direction and saw my 9-year-old son staring me down. “Did you just hit me?” I asked. “Yes, and I’d do it again” he replied. “Um… why?”… and he responded that I deserved it because I took away his video games hours earlier. That was the beginning of me being afraid to sleep too soundly. I didn’t want to lock the door… he was my little boy and what if he needed me? We had to keep all of our sharp objects locked in a safe, which made preparing dinner a bit of a challenge. I was constantly worried about what he would do and I walked on eggshells ALL the time.

That was over a decade ago and you’d never believe he was that same kid. We continued on, pursuing any and all help we could afford; determined to find peace and healing. When he was 12, law enforcement got involved, school asked us to “find a better fit”, and life seemed to be spinning out of control with court fees and community service. That was when I found Dr. Terry Levy at Evergreen Psychotherapy; where we went for a 2-week (30 hour) family intensive that altered the trajectory of our lives. Between that and a new school, along with what we were already doing on our own, we eventually all started to heal. We are now a solid, connected unit and that is for sure the most important thing I’ve ever done.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.traumadramauniversity.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumadramauniversity
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traumadramauniversity/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trauma-drama-university
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GinaHeumann
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV5KiMOgqZO1Iyqn8KQnXyA
• Other: store: www.tduproducts.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@traumadramauniversity

Image Credits
Nikki Brooker, Sunshine Lump, Gina Lantz