Some love doesn’t arrive loudly. It doesn’t come with speeches, grand gestures, or perfect endings. Sometimes love shows up quietly — in presence, in consistency, in the small moments that make a child feel seen and protected when the rest of the world feels unsafe. In this episode of Born Tired: Where Survival Meets Healing, I share the story of my godmother — my madrina — the woman who became my first experience of steady care in a childhood shaped by emotional neglect, dysfunction, and fear.

This episode is about the kind of love that doesn’t erase pain but stands beside you in it. The love that notices what others ignore. The love that fills the gaps left by absence. And the love that breaks silence when pretending would be easier. I reflect on how my godmother stepped in when danger became impossible to ignore, the cost of choosing truth over harmony, and how in families built on keeping the peace, honesty is often rewritten as betrayal. Because silence protects the system, but truth protects the child. And sometimes the bravest love is the one willing to risk relationships in order to keep someone safe.

This episode is for anyone who had one person who made them feel remembered, for those who grew up in emotional absence and learned to survive through hypervigilance, and for the cycle breakers who are learning that courage sometimes costs closeness, but saves lives. You can honor the people who protected you… without repeating what broke you.

This podcast is rooted in lived experience. In growing up in survival mode. In breaking generational patterns that were never meant to be carried forward. I speak openly about family trauma, estrangement, identity, C-PTSD, and the slow, intentional work of building a life that finally feels like yours after trauma. Every episode is created for those who carried too much, too early. For the ones who learned to stay quiet to stay safe. For the ones who became strong before they ever felt protected.

Born Tired is a space for cycle breakers, truth tellers, and anyone learning how to rest after a lifetime of bracing. A place where your story is not minimized, your experience is not questioned, and your voice is allowed to exist without explanation.
You don’t need to fix yourself to be here.

You don’t need the right words.
You just need to arrive as you are.

Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
And you are not alone.

Gentle Reminder:
This podcast includes conversations about trauma, family dynamics, mental health, estrangement, and lived experiences. Listener discretion is advised.

🤍 Support the podcast:
Buy Me a Coffee — https://buymeacoffee.com/mzd5yc89kkk

📌 Follow me:
Instagram: @borntiredpodcast
Threads: @borntiredpodcast
Substack: https://substack.com/@borntiredpodcast

Credits:
Written & narrated by Eirene Torres
Audio production by Carlos Torres
Original music by Carlos Torres

Disclaimer:
Born Tired is a personal storytelling podcast based on lived experience. This content is not a substitute for professional mental health care and does not provide medical or clinical advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please consider reaching out to a qualified mental health professional or local support services.