
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 7, 2023 • 41min
How to Break the Spell of Trauma Bond Relationships
Can you be addicted to a person? If romantic relationships turn to obsession, especially after they're over, it's time to heal trauma bonds that "hook" you into people who are selfish, manipulative, and who "blow hot and cold." In this podcast, I respond to a letter from a man who struggles to detach from an ex who tries to keep him at arm's length but hooked on her all the same.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Feb 3, 2023 • 11min
Healthy People Look for These Characteristics in YOU
Trauma clutters our lives and emotions with habits and behavior that drive away healthy people; this might explain why you perceive there are "no good people out there." To attract and connect with healthy people, prepare by brightening your "cab light." This is a metaphor for the characteristics (that healthy people seek in a partner) that signal psychological health and emotional availability. In this podcast, I walk through parts of life that may need a tune-up to shine your light and attract good prospective partners.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 31, 2023 • 29min
CPTSD: Why You Cling to People Who Mistreat You
When someone mistreated you, have you ever responded with a desperate attempt to win their love, attempting to completely change yourself into the person you THOUGHT they wanted? That is a destructive form of distorted thinking that is common in people who grew up with abuse and neglect. When someone is abusing you, the LAST thing you need is to abandon yourself -- to deny your perception and give away all your power. In this podcast, I answer a letter from a woman who fights to be reunited with an ex who discarded her and support her in finding a new way forward.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 27, 2023 • 19min
CPTSD & Attachment Styles: Partners Who Trigger Abandonment Wounds
People neglected as children often find themselves drawn to partners who have an avoidant attachment style -- emotionally cold, often withdrawing love and connection unexpectedly, triggering anxious partners to blame themselves and work overtime to make the relationship work. In this podcast, I respond to a woman whose avoidant ex-partner wants to try again -- while he dates other women. Find out how I help her set boundaries and shed guilt about her role in the relationship's demise.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 24, 2023 • 18min
Codependents THINK They're Just Being Nice But Here's the Brutal Reality
It's common for people who grew up with abuse and neglect to find themselves in codependent relationships. People use the term casually but being codependency fosters emptiness, poverty and rage. How can you tell if it's YOU or the other person who is bringing this to the dynamic? What role does CPTSD and childhood trauma play in developing codependency? In this podcast, I describe the brutal reality of codependent relationship dynamics and the price people pay until they heal.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 20, 2023 • 14min
What to Do When They Don't Respect Your Wishes About Drugs and Alcohol
You are allowed to set boundaries around other people's drinking and drug use -- but what does that mean? In this podcast, I respond to a letter from a woman whose partner agreed not to smoke cigarettes or weed but has now slipped twice. She dreads leaving him but worries his broken promises will never stop. Hear my advice for dealing with other people's substance use and what I learned from the addicts in my life.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 17, 2023 • 15min
When Your Trust Is Broken, Past Trauma Flares (Here's What to Do)
CPTSD conditions you to become depressed, confused, and sometimes paralyzed in the face of betrayal. In this podcast, I respond to a letter from a woman whose husband has been poking holes in their condoms, sending her into a spiral of confusion. Learn how trauma from childhood symptoms can be healed when you face lies and deception.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 13, 2023 • 18min
Codependents THINK They're Just Being Nice But Here's the Brutal Reality
It's common for people who grew up with abuse and neglect to find themselves in codependent relationships. People use the term casually, but being codependency fosters emptiness, poverty, and rage. How can you tell if it's YOU or the other person who is bringing this to the dynamic? What role does CPTSD and childhood trauma play in developing codependency? In this podcast, I describe the brutal reality of codependent relationship dynamics and the price people pay until they heal.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

Jan 10, 2023 • 14min
Here's What It FEELS LIKE When Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated
Dysregulation is a core symptom of Complex-PTSD. If you had a rough childhood, you may have thought these symptoms were your fault -- personal failings that you're ashamed you haven't changed yet. Once you know the normal signs that childhood trauma has impacted you, you can drop the guilt and learn to adopt workarounds that help you re-regulate and solve life's problems.
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf

12 snips
Jan 4, 2023 • 18min
How to Radically Change Your Life In Just a Year
People with past trauma are often told that healing will take a LONG time. Some problems do take time, but others can be solved quickly by asking yourself the right questions. And solving one hard problem can pave the way for more positive changes that weren't possible before. In this podcast, I teach a powerful thought exercise that guides you toward actions you ALREADY KNOW you will stop negative patterns, heal trauma responses and change your life.
Ready to Map Out Your One-Year Healing Plan? Click Here: https://bit.ly/3DX1iWx
Take my FREE Course or Quizzes: https://bit.ly/40M2YeW
Enroll in my Courses or Membership: https://bit.ly/3HP5qcf