Where the Wound Begins: A Prelude to Awakening
"The health of a democracy, like the health of a newborn, depends not on perfection, but on presence, protection, and the willingness to repair what’s been broken." — Mary Coughlin
I didn’t expect this book to stir something so deep in me.
But that’s often how awakening works, isn’t it?
Reading Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson felt less like learning something new and more like remembering something I had buried. Something we have all buried.
It’s the story of a nation born with bold ideals and brutal contradictions. A story of power hoarded, voices silenced, and truths rewritten to protect the privileged. But it’s also a story about us—about who we choose to be now, in this moment of fracture and possibility.
As someone who lives and breathes trauma-informed care—who teaches, speaks, and writes about how early life experiences shape everything—this book hit a nerve. Because what Heather uncovers is not just political. It’s developmental. It’s relational. It’s soul-deep.
It’s about rupture.
It’s about denial.
It’s about what happens when harm is never acknowledged—how the body remembers, how the system breaks, how the lie metastasizes.
And most of all, it’s about what it takes to heal.
So I’m beginning a new blog series—and maybe even a podcast/video series—called The Wound and the Weave.
Together, we’ll explore how the history of American democracy is not separate from our daily lives, but embedded in them—especially in the places we care most deeply about: our hospitals, our communities, our families, our futures.
We'll draw connections between:
The original wounds of slavery, misogyny, and exclusion
The silencing and suffering of NICU families, clinicians, and vulnerable communities
The soul work of reckoning, repair, and reimagining a more just and loving world
This isn’t just a historical critique. It’s a call to consciousness.
A trauma-informed reflection on how we got here—and how we begin again.
Want to read along with me?
I wholeheartedly recommend getting a copy of Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Her clarity, courage, and compassion will enrich everything we’ll explore in this series.
First post in the series coming soon (I'll be posting this series on Wednesdays):
“The Original Wound: Founding Ideals and Founding Violence.”
Because before we can reimagine what’s possible, we have to be willing to remember what’s real.
With care, courage, and an unwavering belief in our capacity to heal,
—Mary
P.S. If this reflection stirred something in you—if you feel called to show up differently in your life, your work, your leadership—you might be ready to become a Trauma-Informed Professional.
Learn more about the TIP 2.0 Certificate Program and join a movement that’s reimagining care from the inside out. 💛 LEARN MORE HERE
#WeTheFuture #REIMAGINE #TraumaInformedDemocracy #CaringIsEssential
