What happens when life changes in an instant, but no one recognizes what you’ve lost? In this deeply compassionate conversation, Katy Parker shares how surviving a traumatic accident led her to confront PTSD, invisible grief, and the life-altering losses that often go unseen — and how God met her in honesty, surrender, and healing.
In this powerful episode of Healed. Whole. Called., Wendy sits down with Katy Parker, a trauma-informed well-being writer, grief and loss coach, and mental health mentor based in England. Katy’s story begins long before her diagnosis of PTSD — rooted in childhood trauma, family loss, and a life shaped by resilience.
Katy shares the moment everything changed: being struck by a car in 2020, suffering serious physical injury, and later experiencing debilitating PTSD. As she describes the long road of recovery, she introduces a concept many people don’t have language for — “living loss.” These are the losses that don’t come with funerals: loss of health, work, identity, independence, dreams, and the future you thought you’d have.
Throughout the conversation, Katy and Wendy explore how grief isn’t limited to death, how comparison silences healing, and why suppressing pain often deepens suffering. Katy speaks honestly about depression, suicidal thoughts, chronic pain, and the spiritual pressure she felt to “be strong” or “stay positive,” even when her body and soul were crying out for care.
A turning point came when Katy allowed herself to feel — and to be honest with God. She shares how therapy, EMDR, faith, community, and learning to listen to her body became essential parts of healing. Rather than striving for perfection, Katy discovered that God’s grace met her most powerfully in weakness.
Today, Katy helps others navigate grief that goes unseen through storytelling, safe community spaces, and trauma-informed support. Her work reminds us that every loss matters, no feeling is final, and healing doesn’t require pretending we’re okay.
This episode is for anyone who has ever thought, “I shouldn’t feel this way,” or “Others have it worse.” Katy’s story gently but boldly reminds us: your pain is valid, your story matters, and healing begins when truth is spoken.
Connect with Katy Here:
Website Blog: www.journeyofsmiley.com
Grief Stories on Substack: https://katyparker.substack.com
Email: smiley@journeyofsmiley.com
Social links:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/journeyofsmiley
FB: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofsmiley
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/journeyofsmiley
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@journeyofsmiley
All freebies: https://journeyofsmiley.com/free-resources-journeyofsmiley