
The Crappy Childhood Fairy Podcast with Anna Runkle
I’m Anna Runkle, also known as the Crappy Childhood Fairy, and I teach people to recognize and heal the symptoms of Childhood PTSD. Welcome to my podcast!I’m not a doctor or therapist; I know about childhood trauma because I lived it, and I discovered a radical approach to healing that focuses first on calming neurological dysregulation, which is common in people who grew up with abuse and neglect. In my podcasts, I teach about dysregulation – how to know if you have it, what it can do to your body, your thinking and your relationships, and what to do to master re-regulation. When I learned this, everything in my life got suddenly easier. I’ll also be teaching you to heal the life problems that so often develop after years of living dysregulated – feeling tired, isolated and unfocused, finding yourself always drawn to unavailable and inappropriate partners, and falling WAY short of your professional potential, for example. The thing about me is, traditional therapies never seemed to help me. When I found techniques that did work, my whole life changed. Only in the past few years has the trauma research caught up to explain why – why the techniques I use worked, why therapy didn’t, and why my healing journey was so unnecessarily long. I’ve been teaching what I learned for more than 20 years now. It started with friends who had noticed the quick and dramatic change in me, and gradually grew by word of mouth. In 2016, I had so many people seeking instruction that I made my first online video, and then an online course, and this is how Crappy Childhood Fairy was born. My techniques and principles are practical yet powerful – an approach anyone can use, whether or not you have access to professional help. In this podcast, I’ll be talking about the master of self-regulation, and teach the tough-love life-lessons that you may not have learned at home – like how to date so that stable love finds you, how to get ahead at work, and how to calm the negative hamster-wheel thoughts that block your ability to connect with other people. Today, almost half a million people follow my work and participate in my training and coaching programs. My mission is to change the paradigm of what’s possible for people like us, and to help you free yourself from the oppression of trauma wounds, and to become your full, happy and real self. I’m glad you’re here! Watch new videos on my YouTube channel every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and access my videos, courses and free tools at crappychildhoodfairy.com.
Latest episodes

Feb 2, 2024 • 21min
Your Path to Success Opens When You Heal These Trauma Wounds
Explore how childhood trauma can hinder individuals from pursuing their dreams. Aviva, a CPTSD survivor, seeks advice on songwriting. Navigating the challenges of the music industry with trauma. The role of trauma in creativity. Exploring personal and online identity. The power of cold calling and acting with integrity.

Jan 31, 2024 • 23min
Raging, Blaming, & Justifying Your Behavior Won’t Heal Relationships
Part of healing from trauma is getting to the point where you can HONESTLY take responsibility for your behaviors (and trauma can activate some harsh behavior!). But just because bad things happened to you in the past, doesn’t mean it’s OK to lash out, or cop out, or try to control other people. Blaming other people, or “parts” of yourself is only going to push the people you’ve further away. If you want good relationships with other people, you’re going to have to do the hard work of honestly facing yourself – not just the way you were hurt, but the way you hurt others –and taking steps to change.In this video I respond to a letter from a woman who wants a better relationship with her daughter, who keeps blocking contact with her.
Try the FREE Daily Practice Course: FREE Pdf Download: https://bit.ly/3Y4263I
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 29, 2024 • 8min
When You First Date Them, Look For These Signs
We talk a lot about "red flags" that tell you someone is NOT a good person to date. But what are the signs that someone has the right characteristics to become a good partner? In this video I list the signs to look for in the first few dates. If you have a history of relationships with partners who are emotionally unavailable, inappropriate matches for you, or abuse, you'll want to know these "green light" signals that a person is worth getting to know better.
How to Tell if Someone is Partner Material?: FREE Pdf Download: https://bit.ly/3YBwKkj
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 28, 2024 • 1h 11min
Neurological Dysregulation: The Hidden Trauma Symptom You MUST Heal First
Trauma from childhood is associated with brain and emotional dysregulation that can cause a host of other CPTSD symptoms in adults. In this 4-Video compilation, I share my most popular videos on Dysregulation -- what it feels like, what causes it and how learning to re-regulate it can help you feel calmer and more focused, and increase your success in healing.
Learn Quick Measures to Get Re-Regulated: Download Free Pdf: https://bit.ly/3YBrIVg
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 26, 2024 • 14min
UNFREEZE Your Nervous System To Get Stuff Done
Explore the connection between childhood trauma, procrastination, and feelings of inadequacy. Learn about CPTSD and its impact on relationships and career. Discover strategies to overcome freeze mode, gain confidence in business, and seek support for regulating the nervous system.

Jan 24, 2024 • 18min
Avoidant People Are Often Drawn to People They Can't Have
Avoidance is a style of relating to other people, often driven by past trauma, that can make you feel overwhelmed and anxious even thinking about connecting with other people. If you’ve ever dating an avoidant person, you know how painful it can be to feel like you can never pin them down for plans, or get a commitment from them. And just when relationships start to feel like they’re going somewhere, the avoidant person will disappear for days or weeks at a time. Avoidants pull away from closeness, even when they want it. And ironically, what avoidant people are sometimes drawn to, is people they can’t have. There’s a weird kind of safety for avoidants in a relationship that can’t go anywhere. My letter today is from a woman I’ll call Amelie. And she writes:
How to Tell if Someone is Partner Material?: FREE Pdf Download: https://bit.ly/3YBwKkj
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 22, 2024 • 14min
Socializing is Stressful for People with CPTSD; Is it Controlling Your Life?
Growing up in a chaotic and dysfunctional family can leave you with a wounded ability to connect. And if you have this, you may have the tendency to cling to relationships, or you might respond to things that trigger your connection wound by running away. This is avoidance. And If you've ever fled from a partner, or a friend or family member who cared about you, you know how painful this is -- how intense the need is in the moment, and how terrible it feels later. Learn the signs that trauma-driven avoidance may be blocking your ability to have relationships and enjoy your life -- and what you can do to start healing.
Try the FREE Daily Practice Course: FREE Pdf Download: https://bit.ly/3Y4263I
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 21, 2024 • 1h 25min
Why You Cling The Most to People Who Treat You You The Worst
Neglect and abandonment in childhood can leave you with "crossed wires" -- when someone you love mistreats you, you may feel the uncontrollable urge to make them happy -- to make them love you, even if it means abandoning yourself. In this "best of" compilation, I share four of my most popular videos on the subject of CLINGING in relationships.
Do you have CPTSD? Take the QUIZ: Free Pdf Download: https://bit.ly/3X9MZ7J
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 19, 2024 • 19min
The Cost of Making Other People the Center of Your Life
If you grew up fearing that you were in danger from your own family, you may have developed a strong sense that YOU were responsible to make everyone safe and happy. You’ll see children do this sometimes – completely abandon their own needs because they’re so worried that their mom or dad will not be OK. Your parent not being OK is an existential threat to a kid. It’s hard to imagine you can survive it. But if something doesn’t happen to help you take BACK your identity, you run the risk of giving away your whole life to this imagined need you THINK other people have. My letter today is from a woman who struggles with the belief that if she takes charge of her life, other people will not only hate her, but they'll be destroyed.
Ten Signs Your Trauma Is Healing: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/3raZghI
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com

Jan 17, 2024 • 13min
CPTSD Healing Requires Freedom From Others’ Agenda
The idea that finding the right person will solve all your problems dies hard in the minds of traumatized people. If you were abused or neglected as a child, it can be difficult in adulthood to resist the lure of a relationship – any relationship – as a solution to the feeling that you’re unlovable, alone and lost about what kind of a life you want. This vagueness is like a barn door that’s left open. And what gets IN is other people's agenda. How can you get your life back, and know what you want? In this video I respond to a letter from a woman who needs to get her life back, and get clear on what she wants.
Is Past Trauma Affecting Your Dating Life? Take the QUIZ: FREE Pdf Download: https://bit.ly/3EUy8Yh
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf
Send your questions & comments to: hello@crappychildhoodfairy.com