How to Rebuild Trust and Connection After Growing Up in Chaos with The Crappy Childhood Fairy Anna Runkle

Dec 2, 2025

In a captivating conversation, Anna Runkle, the creator of the Crappy Childhood Fairy and trauma healing coach, shares her journey from a chaotic upbringing to helping others reconnect. She discusses how unresolved childhood pain manifests in adult disconnection and anxiety. Anna explains the impact of trauma on the nervous system and why traditional talk therapy often falls short. With practical tools like expressive writing and meditation, she offers insights on rebuilding trust and connection, emphasizing the power of small moments and personal responsibility in healing.

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ANECDOTE

Chaotic Childhood In A Commune

Anna Runkle grew up in a chaotic Berkeley commune where parental alcoholism and neglect left her resourceful but traumatized.
She describes poverty, hunger, and unstable caregivers shaping her early life and coping behaviors.

ANECDOTE

Street Attack As Turning Point

Anna recounts a random street attack that broke her jaw and triggered PTSD, forcing life changes.
That violent event marked a clear before-and-after turning point in her emotional recovery.

INSIGHT

Chronic Childhood Stress Rewires The Body

Complex PTSD stems from chronic early stress and neglect that rewire the nervous system.
Anna links this dysregulation to broad physical and mental health risks across the lifespan.

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What if the person you’ve become is still carrying the pain of who you once were?

Could the patterns you can’t seem to break—disconnection, fear, self-doubt—be echoes of an unsafe childhood?

And what if healing isn’t about fixing the past, but teaching your body that it’s safe now?

In this episode of A Really Good Cry, Radhi sits down with Anna Runkle, the creator of Crappy Childhood Fairy, for a powerful and compassionate conversation on how early emotional wounds shape the way we connect, love, and live as adults.

Anna shares her journey of growing up in chaos, learning to recognize the lasting effects of trauma, and discovering the tools to calm her dysregulated nervous system. Together, Radhi and Anna explore the deep link between childhood pain and adult disconnection—and how learning to regulate your body can transform how you experience love, safety, and belonging.

They unpack why traditional talk therapy doesn’t always reach the root of trauma, how emotional neglect can manifest as anxiety and isolation, and the small daily practices that help rebuild connection from the inside out. This isn’t just a conversation about childhood—it’s about learning to feel safe in your own body again.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What emotional dysregulation really is—and how to recognize it in yourself
How early trauma impacts the nervous system and adult relationships
Why connection can feel uncomfortable after an unsafe childhood
Practical tools to regulate your emotions and calm your body
How writing and self-reflection can help rewire your brain for safety
Why healing starts with awareness, not blame

If you’ve ever felt stuck in old patterns, distant from yourself, or unsure how to feel safe with others, this episode is your reminder: your body remembers—but it can also relearn.

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