In this episode of After Peter Pan, host Pat Tenneriello sits down with psychotherapist Cassandra Tenneriello to explore trauma, survival mode, and why so many people feel stuck, anxious, or unable to change. They break down what trauma really is, how it shows up in everyday behaviors like avoidance, numbing, and people-pleasing, and how the nervous system (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) keeps us in patterns that limit personal growth. This conversation covers trauma healing, emotional regulation, and practical ways to feel safe in your body so real change becomes possible.

What You'll Learn:

• What trauma is and how it affects mental health and behavior

• Why you feel stuck, anxious, or unable to change

• How survival mode impacts your nervous system and daily life
• Common trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn
• Why you’re not broken—and how to start healing
• Simple tools to regulate your nervous system and feel safe again

About Cassandra Tenneriello:

Cassandra Tenneriello, is a Registered Psychotherapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor based in Ontario.Cassandra brings over 11 years of experience supporting individuals across the lifespan who are navigating trauma, addiction, sexual assault, intergenerational trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, identity challenges, and more.Her approach is deeply client-centered and integrative, grounded in the belief that the therapeutic relationship is the foundation for meaningful healing. She works collaboratively with her clients to create a safe, compassionate space where they can reconnect with their strengths and move forward in their lives.Cassandra has also provided counselling services in remote and isolated Indigenous communities across the James and Hudson Bay region, where she gained a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being.Cassandra understands that reaching out for help can be difficult but she believes that even beginning that search is a powerful first step toward healing.

• Email:info@triellocounsellingservices.com
• Website:https://www.triellocounsellingservices.com/
• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/triello.counselling.services/?hl=en
• Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/triellocounsellingservices/
• Blog:https://www.triellocounsellingservices.com/blog

In this episode of After Peter Pan, host Pat Tenneriello sits down with death doula Paul Simard to explore grief, death, and how to face mortality without avoidance. Paul shares his experience supporting individuals and families through dying, and reflects on how modern Western culture has distanced itself from death—outsourcing it to hospitals, funeral homes, and institutions in ways that leave many of us unsure how to respond when someone dies. Pat and Paul discuss why we struggle to talk about death, the language we use around grief, the fear and discomfort beneath our reactions, and how our beliefs shape the way we approach dying. Together, they explore what it means to be present with someone who is dying, how to support someone who is grieving, and why death may not be a failure—but part of the natural cycle of life.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why so many people feel uncomfortable when someone dies

• How to support someone who is grieving

• Why we avoid talking about death and how that affects us

• What a death doula does and how they help during the dying process

• How reframing mortality as an act of service can change the way we live

In this episode of After Peter Pan, host Pat Tenneriello sits down with Austin May—a 23-year-old preparing for pastoral ministry—to explore faith, forgiveness, and the weight of answering a calling. Austin shares his journey from hedonism, anger, and resentment toward a life shaped by conviction, including the pivotal moment he confronted his hatred toward his father and chose forgiveness. Pat and Austin dive into what religion offers beyond self-help and psychotherapy, the difference between self-improvement and surrender, and what it means to take belief seriously when it demands responsibility rather than comfort. Together, they reflect on certainty, doubt, personal transformation, and what “growing up” looks like when faith carries real weight.

What You’ll Learn:

• How forgiveness can become a turning point for personal transformation

• What faith offers that self-help, psychotherapy, and philosophy often can’t

• Why conviction and certainty can feel both freeing and burdensome

• The difference between living for self-improvement and answering a calling

• What growing up really means when belief comes with responsibility

Links:

Booklet - Your Verdict on the Empty Tomb:https://www.amazon.com/Your-Verdict-Val-Grieve/dp/1783971894