In light of the “Zero Tolerance Policy” that is forcibly separating children from their families at the US/Mexico border, childhood trauma is a hot topic. We know that child separation from family increases risk for suicide, especially when the separation is traumatic. Averse childhood experiences have a massive impact on future risky health behavior, chronic health conditions, and early death in what we call a “dose-effect relationship” — that is as the number of averse events increases, so does the risk.
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This podcast shares one man’s journey from traumatic childhood experiences to inspiring the world to cultivate healthy families. One of Jorge Narvaez’s earliest memories is seeing his father put a gun to his mother’s head. As a toddler he resolved to be different and not repeat the violence he experienced but to live a life of honor. Listen to his story to learn his three take-aways on what he had learned from integrating these traumas into the mission of his life.
While Jorge’s story is one of resilience, many trauma survivors experience hopelessness, despair and a chronic sense of shame. Trauma often shatters core beliefs like “the world is a good and meaningful place” and “I am a worthy person” (and the idea that “good things happen to good people”). When these core assumptions are shattered, especially at an early age, the world becomes a dangerous place, and trauma survivors are confronted with a profound sense of their own vulnerability. The chronic anxiety that results from these shattered assumptions often leads to prolonged misery and an avoidance of things that help people stay engaged in a passion for living.
The good news is, treatment for trauma can help many people find their way through. The National Center for PTSD shares this list of recommended treatments.
Other ways through trauma include things identified by Jorge in this podcast — connecting to something larger than yourself and creating community. During this interview, Jorge stepped out of an hospital room where he was attending to his sick mother because he felt the timeliness of our topic was paramount. Please, excuse the background noise, as the message is a powerful one.
Jorge is a Reality Changer. Transforming his wounds into sources of power.
About Jorge Narvaez
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Jorge, went from a teen father to meeting former President of United States Barack Obama. How? For the past couple of years Jorge has been active on and offline to spread his message of Family, Community, Art, Music and most importantly Fatherhood! These past couple of years he has sat in dozens of panels, presentations and keynotes across the country. He has been featured with Youtube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki, performed on the Ellen Show with his daughter Alexa and has won a Premios Tu Mundo award!
Jorge is also a first-generation graduate of high school and college and has earned a degree from the University of California San Diego with a focus in Ethnic Studies, Visual arts, International Migration Studies and Poetry. Just before graduation, on Jorge’s Realitychangers channel a cover of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ song “Home”, sung by he and his daughter went viral. Within days millions of people around the world took notice. The video’s viral success caught the attention of Ryan Seacrest, Ellen DeGeneres, Univision, Telemundo, The Huffington Post, CNN, Time Magazine, America’s got Talent and many more! Through successful management, collaboration and high impact partnerships, his channel and its content grew and evolved!
Jorge Narvaez’s social media platforms (@realitychangers) focus on 5 themes: Family, Community, Art, Music and Fatherhood. With over 800,000 followers and over 210 million views across all his platforms, Jorge has had a diverse background with a common thread of creating community, partnering with varied individuals and agencies to promote family/fatherhood, story-telling, community activism, script writing, influencer marketing, professional public speaking, live musical performances, brand collaborations, policy creation, content creation, augmented reality, equality in education and much more.
Jorge is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, grew up in San Diego, California and currently lives there with his family. He actively participates in speaking engagements, communicating life lessons and hopes to pursue long-term additional leadership roles that benefit the Latinx community as well as the global community as a whole.. For more information on this and every episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/14
