#44: How to Recover From Trauma and Come Back Stronger | Elizabeth Smart

Michael sits down with Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted at 14, survived nine months of captivity, and spent the decades after building her own path to recovery. She is the Founder of the Elizabeth Smart foundation and host of The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart, a true-crime podcast where she speaks with survivors of violent crimes about healing. Michael and Elizabeth discuss: (00:00) Cold open (07:28) The Science of Downward Comparison That Helped Her Survive (12:23) The Emotional Whiplash of Being Found (16:13) The First Time She Felt Safe (19:18) Why Traditional Therapy Did Not Fit (21:54) Refusing to Pretend It Never Happened (28:04) Reclaiming Her Body Through Bodybuilding (39:30) Sharing a Hidden Part of Her Life (44:22) Putting Survivors at the Center (47:03) Finding Reasons to Keep Going This episode includes detailed discussion of child abduction, sexual violence, and trauma. Read How To Be More Resilient: https://www.twopct.com/p/how-to-be-more-resilient Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today's episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. Our editor is Will Mayo. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager. Visit Two Percent, the #1 health and wellness Substack newsletter: https://www.twopct.com Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/Michael_Easter https://instagram.com/michael_easter/ https://linkedin.com/in/michael-easter-b208848/ https://www.facebook.com/twopct https://tiktok.com/@michael_easter6