
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

Jan 13, 2025 • 25min
How to Spot and Heal Covert Avoidance
The discussion dives into the subtleties of covert avoidance, where individuals unintentionally distance themselves from meaningful connections. Listeners learn to identify behaviors that lead to shallow interactions and the emotional dysregulation often linked to trauma. Strategies for reconnecting with both oneself and others are shared, promoting self-awareness and healing. The importance of recognizing personal triggers and the value of professional support are emphasized, encouraging a journey toward deeper relationships and fulfillment.

Jan 12, 2025 • 1h 34min
A Few Crumbs of Love Will Never Be Enough
Explore the pitfalls of friends with benefits arrangements and their long-term effects on finding true love. Delve into personal stories reflecting on how childhood neglect shapes emotional wounds and relationship dynamics. Hear about the struggles of unreciprocated love and the patterns of self-sabotage hindering genuine connections. Discover the importance of clear communication and confronting emotional complexities to cultivate healthier relationships. Transform your approach to love by prioritizing emotional well-being and healing.

Jan 10, 2025 • 19min
How You Can Reduce the Emotional Intensity, and Protect Yourself From Abuse
Emotional abuse can manifest through tactics like stonewalling and the silent treatment. These behaviors create trauma bonds that make it hard to find peace. Healthy communication is vital in relationships to counteract toxicity. The discussion emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and personal growth to heal from difficult dynamics. Clever insights on how to recognize harmful patterns empower listeners to prioritize their well-being and navigate relationships more effectively.

Jan 8, 2025 • 27min
How to Stop Falling for Partners Who Idealize You (and Then Discard You)
A pathological narcissist makes you feel like the most special person in the world, and then the next day, will discard you for the tiniest of reasons – and then they blame you. If you grew up with parents who sometimes cared for you and sometimes forgot about you – or blamed you, you may be especially vulnerable to this dizzy cycle with partners who idealize you, become emotionally abusive, and then throw you away. In this video, I respond to a letter from a woman who wants help understanding what happened, and how she can stop repeating this trauma-driven behavior.
Try the FREE Daily Practice Course: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/3Y4263I
🟢 Order My New Book, RE-REGULATED: https://bit.ly/4dtGVze
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
NEED ONLINE THERAPY? *BetterHelp* can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/CCF

Jan 6, 2025 • 15min
You May Not Realize This Has Already Happened (Until It's Too Late)
People talk a lot about being "trauma bonded" but most don't know what it means. They mistakenly think it’s when two traumatized people form a bond because they have that shared experience of trauma. And that happens, but that’s not what it means to be “trauma bonded.” In fact, the truth is much worse. Is this happening to you? In this video, I explain how trauma bonds develop, what the signs are that it's happening, and how to break free.
Is Past Trauma Affecting Your Dating Life? Take the QUIZ: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/3EUy8Yh
🟢 Order My New Book, RE-REGULATED: https://bit.ly/4dtGVze
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
NEED ONLINE THERAPY? *BetterHelp* can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/CCF

Jan 5, 2025 • 1h 11min
What to Do When You Feel Abandoned
Explore the lingering effects of childhood trauma and the struggle to heal from abandonment. Discover how present-day love and support can transform your life. Hear personal stories about overcoming the chaos of dysfunctional upbringings and navigating adult relationships. Learn the significance of setting boundaries and embracing self-care to foster healthier connections. Get practical techniques to manage emotional turmoil and flashbacks, paving the way for healing and resilience in your life.

Jan 3, 2025 • 19min
Childhood Trauma and the Fear of Speaking in Public
You’ve probably heard this: The most common phobia in the world is public speaking. An estimated 75% of people experience anxiety when they have to speak in front of people. When you add a history of trauma into the mix, well – if you watch this channel, you’ve probably experienced it yourself. Speaking in front of groups can be paralyzing. My letter today is from a woman whose fear of public speaking is a huge block to her career and her sense of confidence.
Try the FREE Daily Practice Course: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/3Y4263I
🟢 Order My New Book, RE-REGULATED: https://bit.ly/4dtGVze
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
NEED ONLINE THERAPY? *BetterHelp* can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/CCF

Jan 1, 2025 • 17min
When You Reach Out to An Ex, Be Careful You're Not Doing THIS
Getting closure after a breakup is a real thing. But too often, people in the grips of heartbreak use the word to justify attempts to reconnect, so they can get another chance to try again to be loved. But the reason they won't just say "I want another chance" is they want “plausible deniability" – they need cover for the fact that they are so obsessed they will tolerate rejection or worse, just to get that second chance. So how do you know when your desire for closure is genuine, and when you’re kidding yourself, so that you can get another shot at love? In this video, I respond to a letter from a woman who struggles to accept that the man she loves has left her.
Is Past Trauma Affecting Your Dating Life? Take the QUIZ: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/3EUy8Yh
🟢 Order My New Book, RE-REGULATED: https://bit.ly/4dtGVze
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
NEED ONLINE THERAPY? *BetterHelp* can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/CCF

Dec 30, 2024 • 17min
It's Time! Here's How to Get Your Sh** Together
Of all the red flags I’ve learned to detect, there’s one that really makes my “danger” radar go off, and that’s when a grown man or woman says they NEVER want to grow up. What does that mean? In the people I’ve known, it means they don’t have their shit together – and they’re pretending that there’s this FUN reason why. In this video, I teach the signs that childhood trauma has kept aspects of your life stuck -- allowing the child in you to control the adult in you -- and what to do to get your sh** together and live the life that makes you happy and strong.
Do you have CPTSD? Take the QUIZ: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/3X9MZ7J
🟢 Order My New Book, RE-REGULATED: https://bit.ly/4dtGVze
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
NEED ONLINE THERAPY? *BetterHelp* can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/CCF

Dec 29, 2024 • 51min
Stand Up For What Your Soul Knows You Need (4-Video Compilation)
Your Childhood PTSD symptoms have likely created a lifetime of problems in relationships choosing unavailable people, clinging to bad relationships or avoiding intimacy altogether. But the reason you long for real love -- a "great love" even -- is because you were born to love and be loved. How does a person move past the hurts of the past and learn, at last, to love?
How To Prepare For a Great Relationship: FREE PDF Download: https://bit.ly/43SH8aV
🟢 Order My New Book, RE-REGULATED: https://bit.ly/4dtGVze
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
NEED ONLINE THERAPY? *BetterHelp* can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/CCF