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March 5th, 2026 Mature Content

Trauma, Shame & Recovery: Stop Leading With Your Wounds

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  1. Trauma, Shame & Recovery: Stop Leading With Your Wounds Furkhan Dandia 1:09:24

In this episode of EZ Conversations, Furkhan Dandia sits down with Hilary Momberger Powers for a deeply honest conversation about trauma, shame, addiction recovery, and the long road back to self-trust.

Hilary spent over 40 years in and around the film industry—from voicing Sally Brown in Peanuts at just five years old to navigating the demanding world of television and film production. But the work she is most proud of happened away from the spotlight: healing from childhood trauma, overcoming addiction, and rebuilding her life from the inside out.

Through years of personal recovery and reflection, Hilary discovered a powerful truth: many of the patterns we live with—people-pleasing, disappearing, controlling, or seeking validation—are not personality traits. They are survival strategies born from unresolved trauma.

In this conversation, Furkhan and Hilary explore how shame shapes identity, how trauma responses influence Relationships and decision-making, and how individuals can begin reclaiming agency through stabilization, community, and spiritual grounding.

Hilary’s mission today is to help people stop “leading with their wounds” and start thriving through their scars—by learning to meet themselves with honesty, compassion, and courage.

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing is not about becoming someone new.
It is about rediscovering who you were meant to be all along.

  • Hilary’s journey from child actor in Peanuts to trauma recovery advocate

  • The hidden trauma responses: people-pleasing, isolation, and control

  • The difference between shame and guilt

  • Why addiction often begins as a form of self-soothing

  • The role of community and spiritual grounding in healing

  • Why confronting our past can become a source of empowerment

  • How reclaiming agency helps break cycles of victimhood

  • The importance of stabilizing the mind, body, and spirit during recovery

Hilary Momberger Powers has spent more than four decades in and around the film industry, beginning as the voice of Sally Brown in Peanuts at the age of five. While her early life included success in Entertainment, it was her journey through trauma, addiction recovery, and personal transformation that ultimately shaped her life’s work.

Today, Hilary is a speaker and coach dedicated to helping individuals reclaim their power, develop self-compassion, and move beyond the identities shaped by their wounds.

Her mission is simple:
to help people see themselves clearly, honestly, and with the belief that healing and Growth are always possible.

Website:
hilarymombergerpowers.com

Sponsors of the Podcast:

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Disclaimer:
The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered therapy, counselling, or clinical advice. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist–client relationship. The views expressed are my own and are separate from my clinical practice. If you are experiencing Mental Health challenges, please seek support from a qualified professional in your area.

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Furkhan Dandia Therapist and Coach

I am a men's coach, therapist, group facilitator, podcaster and author. My journey began five years ago when I was going through a separation. I found myself alone and in a shame spiral that our culture and society covertly exert on people due to the perceived "failure" of a marriage. Unfortunately, I personalized that message which led me to fall deeper into a hole, causing me to surround myself with people that did not serve me and engage in substance abuse. While seeking therapy, I was not making the wholesale changes I needed.

As part of my experience with therapy, I realized that I am not alone in the challenges men my age experience (I separated at the age of 34/35). I realized I could be a voice for men like myself and offer support in this space. In the middle of the pandemic, I applied for a Master's degree in Psychology to become a therapist. This change was a significant shift for me as I worked in the corporate world as an engineer. Once I leaned into the space of supporting other men, I also started a podcast to normalize these difficult conversations and started a men's group a year later with the support of a friend.

I thought I was giving something back when I started the men's group. However, I quickly realized I was getting substantially more from the connections I built than I initially anticipated. It was also something I needed because I was going through another breakup.

At that point, I also realized that I had not taken the time to heal, and I was outsourcing my healing through romantic relationships, substances, material acquisitions and superficial relationships. I decided to step away from the outgoing lifestyle and started to focus on my healing which was another phase of evolution for me on my journey. Over the last year and a half, I have become mindful of the people I spend my time with. I have cleaned my lifestyle of substances, toxic environments and behaviours. I have focused on my sleep, my health and my knowledge. I have improved my spiritual relationship with myself, which was lacking the most over the past five years. This is the best I have felt.

As part of my solitude journey and to find myself again, I also released a book encapsulating my journey, which I hope to share with others. My book is titled: The Pursuit of Self-Love.