Welcome to Nobody Told Me. I'm Jan Black. And I'm Laura Owens. And joining us on this episode is number one, New York Times bestselling author, Gabrielle Bernstein, who's been labeled a new thought leader by Oprah

Winfrey. Gabby was included in Oprah's Super Soul 100, a group of 100 trailblazers whose vision

and life's work are bringing a higher level of consciousness to the world. Gabby is the author

of eight books, the latest of which is called Happy Days, the guided path from trauma

to profound freedom and inner peace. Gabby, thank you so much for joining us. As we mentioned off

air, this is just a dream to have you here. It's so nice to be with you guys. Thanks for having me.

I love how you start the first chapter with a story that ends with my 24-year-old self could never have imagined who I

am today. And gosh, I just related to that so much. Who were you when you were 24? And what part of

who you are today would have surprised you the most? When I was 24, I was struggling with a drug

addiction. I was unaware of trauma from my history. I was living with dissociated trauma. I was struggling with the drug addiction. I was unaware of trauma from my history. I was living

with dissociated trauma. I was very egocentric. I was terrified living with a lot of fear.

And I couldn't at the time have contemplated the peace that I have today, not just, oh, the credentials or the or the

work that I do or the fact that I wrote nine books or any of that. It was more about the inner

peace that I truly could not have contemplated. I could not have contemplated the ease with which,

that's my kitty, kitty, you know, crying in the background here. She's not crying. She's actually happy because she's getting mommy detention. But I couldn't have contemplated that

piece. No way. Not at that time. And you write, my desire to know God ultimately was what saved

my life. Tell us more about that. Throughout my own journey of personal growth and trauma recovery

and addiction recovery, I have had one through line that has been a saving grace, and that is my

spiritual faith. Each year after year, I continue to strengthen my faith as a spiritual student and as a spiritual

teacher.

And having that faith that I was being guided, having the faith that even when difficult

things were happening, that there was a higher purpose, having that, that inner strength

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