From Pain to Purpose Through Storytelling with Michael Hudson -

Your story has the power to help others.

In this episode, learn about overcoming adversity through storytelling as Adam Hill welcomes Dr. Michael Hudson. As a child, Michael endured unspeakable trauma that silenced him for decades. Now, he’s dedicated to helping people share difficult parts of their journey.

Learn how Michael reframed his past to serve others better and discover your lessons. Leave empowered to break the silence on your experiences, connect through vulnerability, and use your voice to heal the pain in the world.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

The empowerment of owning one’s full traumatic experience
The power of sharing life’s hard-earned lessons
The three-sentence story
Dissonance and alignment in personal and professional growth
Reframing negative experiences to serve others better

Episode Highlights:

[12:03] The empowerment of owning one’s full traumatic experience

Michael shares that softening or diminishing traumatic experiences only harms oneself, and acknowledging his own experience as rape rather than molestation through giving himself permission also empowered others to do the same.

[13:46] The power of sharing life’s hard-earned lessons

We earn valuable lessons from difficult challenges, not just learn from them. Finding comfort in sharing what we endured can help change others’ paths by helping them avoid similar pain, disconnect, and dissonance through what we learned.

[15:03] Sharing our scars, not our wounds

Focus on the lessons learned rather than graphic details. Michael emphasizes the importance of sharing life’s lessons from past difficulties in a way that helps others without reopening your own wounds or soliciting an emotional response.

[20:27] The three-sentence story

Michael suggests a simple approach to sharing one’s story in three sentences – situation, conflict, resolution – to create understanding and connection without rehashing traumatic details. This concise format allows others to relate while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

[25:41] Dissonance and alignment in personal and professional growth

The misalignment between your personal values and professional work can cause dissatisfaction and frustration, and the liberation that comes from achieving true alignment where one’s actions and identity are congruent.

[49:05] Write a letter to your younger self

Michael suggests writing a letter to your younger self as an exercise to gain comfort in sharing difficult past experiences by addressing the journey, the highs and lows, and reframing events from a place of wisdom and healing.

Resources Mentioned:

The Backstory Initiative

Dr. Michael Hudson on LinkedIn

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Transcript

[12:03] The empowerment of owning one’s full traumatic experience
Michael shares that softening or diminishing traumatic experiences only harms oneself, and acknowledging his own experience as rape rather than molestation through giving himself permission also empowered others to do the same.
[13:46] The power of sharing life’s hard-earned lessons
We earn valuable lessons from difficult challenges, not just learn from them. Finding comfort in sharing what we endured can help change others’ paths by helping them avoid similar pain, disconnect, and dissonance through what we learned.
[15:03] Sharing our scars, not our wounds
Focus on the lessons learned rather than graphic details. Michael emphasizes the importance of sharing life’s lessons from past difficulties in a way that helps others without reopening your own wounds or soliciting an emotional response.
[20:27] The three-sentence story
Michael suggests a simple approach to sharing one’s story in three sentences – situation, conflict, resolution – to create understanding and connection without rehashing traumatic details. This concise format allows others to relate while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
[25:41] Dissonance and alignment in personal and professional growth
The misalignment between your personal values and professional work can cause dissatisfaction and frustration, and the liberation that comes from achieving true alignment where one’s actions and identity are congruent.
[49:05] Write a letter to your younger self
Michael suggests writing a letter to your younger self as an exercise to gain comfort in sharing difficult past experiences by addressing the journey, the highs and lows, and reframing events from a place of wisdom and healing.