212 - From Trauma to Triumph: Briony Douglas on Art, Healing, and Self-Worth
Barb Knows Best
Michelle Maros & Barb Schmidt
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 July 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Discover how to transform trauma into growth and purpose with special guest Briony Douglas—a multi-talented artist and mental health advocate whose journey is both inspiring and deeply human. This week on Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re exploring how creativity, self-worth, and healing intersect. ⬇️
Tune in and don’t miss a captivating episode with our special guest Briony Douglas joining us on a powerful discussion on turning our pain into beauty.
Briony, known for her captivating sculptures, installations, and photography, shares how art became a lifeline during her healing journey. Her work challenges perception, sparks meaningful conversations, and connects us back to ourselves.
In this raw and powerful episode, we talk about:
- ✨ Honoring Your Passions and Creativity
- Healing often begins with giving yourself permission to create. Let joy lead.
- ✨ Trusting Your Own Timeline
- Life isn’t linear—and your healing doesn’t have to be either.
- ✨ Choosing Happiness Over Survival Mode
- Breaking free from the victim mentality opens the door to growth and peace.
- ✨ Rising Above Criticism and Pain
- You are more than your trauma. You are worthy of a life you love.
Briony opens up about how she used creativity to process pain and reclaim her identity. Barb shares her own experiences of turning struggle into service, and Michelle reflects on staying rooted in purpose despite criticism and setbacks. Together, they remind us that healing is possible—and that joy is a choice we can keep making.
💗 Remember, You are not what happened to you. You are who you decide to become.
We’re so grateful you’re here with us! As a mother-daughter duo, we’re passionate about sharing the real-life lessons that have shaped us—so you can feel empowered to build confidence, prioritize self-care, and navigate life’s challenges with emotional strength and resilience.
This July, we’re diving deep into the themes of self-advocacy, trust, and purpose—starting with the relationship we have with ourselves. We're challenging harmful beliefs and societal pressures to reclaim our self-worth and embrace who we are from the inside out. Each episode this month is a powerful reminder to trust yourself, stand up for your needs, and honor the body you live in. It's time to love yourself fully—and live like you mean it.
Join us next Tuesday for another heartfelt and healing episode of Life Happens with Barb Michelle! 💕
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You may know Breeney Douglas for her larger-than-life art. |
| 0:04.0 | A 20-foot teddy bear, a throne made of tires, even an eight-foot sneaker for Adidas. |
| 0:10.0 | But there's so much more behind the scale and the spectacle. |
| 0:13.0 | In this heartfelt conversation, Brini shares the story behind her work, |
| 0:18.0 | her path from a difficult childhood to becoming a full-time artist in her 30s. |
| 0:22.4 | I didn't discover what I wanted to do full-time until I was 31. I didn't get engaged until I was |
| 0:26.7 | 38. There is no timeline anymore. Like the world is your oyster. And the quiet strength |
| 0:32.1 | it takes to keep showing up, both in art and in life. You truly are your biggest hurdle. |
| 0:40.3 | Like at the end of the day, with all the things that are going on, the only person that you can control is yourself. |
| 0:43.3 | We talk about the healing power of creativity, |
| 0:46.3 | letting go of timelines, and trusting the universe. |
| 0:48.3 | I create art to make people happy. |
| 0:50.3 | This is a conversation about resilience, self-worths, |
| 0:53.3 | and the freedom that comes |
| 0:55.0 | when we stop waiting for permission and start living life on our own terms. We are so excited to |
| 1:01.6 | be joined by a very special guest today. As some of our listeners, or if you've been with us for a while, |
| 1:07.7 | we haven't had a ton of guests in the past when we were Barb knows best. And in this new iteration, we were so excited to add guests into the conversation. |
| 1:16.2 | And what better way to kick this off than with the fabulous Breannie, who is an amazing artist, |
| 1:23.5 | human, all of the things. So welcome to Life Happens. Oh, I'm so honored to be here. And like, |
| 1:29.1 | what a, it's just very special day already. It is. And, uh, you know, this is our first recording |
| 1:35.9 | together with a guest. And I just feel like it's such a magical bringing everyone together. |
| 1:43.7 | I love it. I love it. And we're in Toronto filming this, |
... |
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