The Dylan Gemelli Podcast – Episode #61
Guest: Anna Runkle, “The Crappy Childhood Fairy”
Topic: Cracking the Dysregulation Code, Overcoming Trauma, Cognitive Techniques for Trauma Processing, The Power of Prayer, and more
Date: October 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this powerful and candid episode, host Dylan Gemelli welcomes Anna Runkle—widely known as the “Crappy Childhood Fairy”—to discuss her journey overcoming complex PTSD, her breakthrough trauma-healing methods, and the lessons from her upcoming book, Connectability: Heal the Hidden Ways That You Isolate, Find Your People and Feel Like You Belong. Together, they explore the impact of developmental trauma, the science and practicalities of emotional “dysregulation,” why many conventional therapies fall short, and how simple, self-directed tools (including prayer and writing) can empower people to heal and connect. The episode is a deep dive into resilience, accountability, practical neuroscience, and the transformative power of sharing our stories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anna Runkle’s Story & Birth of “The Crappy Childhood Fairy” (04:24–08:26)

• Anna shares her background: growing up in turbulent 1960s Berkeley, surrounded by social unrest, addiction, and family volatility.
  • “My job was to roll joints for the grownups. I was eight… on the good side, I met interesting people… But the whole house was chaotic.” — Anna Runkle [09:41]
• Her turn to healing and eventually storytelling via cartoons/irreverent self-branding helped bring lightness, hope, and accessibility to trauma recovery.
  • “Trauma’s really heavy… Here, we're healing. My book has sunbursts on it. It's all about hope and things getting better.” — Anna [07:10]

2. Educational and Vocational Journey: Resourcefulness & Overcoming Limits (13:36–16:48)

• Anna’s studies in theater, comedy, cable TV production (notable as a woman breaking into male-dominated production), and public policy—before settling into healthcare content development. Every odd job and bit of education, she notes, eventually contributed to her unique approach to coaching, content creation, and science communication.
  • “I learned to read research and look at the sampling technique… statistics, economics… a surprisingly deep knowledge of a bunch of things people don’t expect.” — Anna [15:42]

3. The Challenge of Being Overlooked—and the Democratizing Power of Telling Your Own Story (16:48–22:16)

• Anna and Dylan bond over the universal experience of feeling underestimated, and how platforms like YouTube/online media empower people with lived experience to teach and help others directly.
  • “If you have something to teach, you can teach it… If your videos are good, people will watch. It’s so fair.” — Anna [17:19]
• They discuss accountability, perseverance, and the role of faith and discernment in finding one’s purpose.
  • “When I tell my story, people tend to gather round… that’s where it started in 2016.” — Anna [21:15]

4. Trauma, Suffering, and Finding Meaning Through Service (23:27–32:37)

• Anna’s deeper trauma: emotional and physical neglect, parental addiction, moving from chaos to structured environments, and wrestling with feeling like an outsider—even in safer places.
• Early adulthood included high achievement but also over-functioning as a coping mechanism; therapy provided some insight but not real healing.
  • “I just knew I had something wrong with me… and it would be years later till I found out what it’s called: complex PTSD.” — Anna [32:23]

5. Breaking Down “Dysregulation”—Symptoms and Solutions (33:09–47:08)

• The turning point: a random assault at age 30 led to untreated PTSD symptoms. Mainstream therapy focused on talking about the trauma but failed to help. Anna felt “unhelpable” until a peer, Rachel, introduced her to a 12-step-derived writing and prayer practice.
  • “Talking about what happened, for many people who are very dysregulated, it just makes them more dysregulated.” — Anna [34:19]
  • “As soon as I was writing, I started feeling better… I woke up feeling… just this grace had filled me up overnight.” — Anna [41:14]
• Dysregulation defined: an inability to “come down” from stress triggers, leading to emotional flooding, loss of perspective, and undermined self-agency.
  • “The only level playing field I’ve ever found in the world is regulation. If you’re regulated, you have self-awareness…” — Anna [48:23]

6. Cognitive & Practical Techniques for Trauma Processing (47:11–55:34)

• Key practice: pen-and-paper “daily practice” to process fears, resentments, and anxious thoughts, followed by meditation and/or prayer.
  • “You name what those fearful and resentful thoughts are… get it on paper, ask for it to be removed… then you rest your mind.” — Anna [51:05]
  • “If you don’t believe in God, it’s OK, you can release it… and then in meditation, you let your mind kind of put itself back together.” — Anna [52:20]
• Anna discusses building a supportive ecosystem (online groups, webinars) where people practice together, enhancing accountability and healing.
  • “Writing is this great discharge… and a lot of it was just I don’t know—residue. It’s evaporated now. And then it’s come down to: look, I need to talk about… whatever it is.” — Anna [58:12]

7. Recognizing Dysregulation: Signs and Real-Life Experiences (55:34–64:00)

• Symptoms include emotional flooding (too angry, too scared), brain fog, dissociation, irritability, isolation, and compulsive avoidance behaviors.
  • “You might feel numbness in your hands or face or feet, feel discombobulated… Like, I’m trying to do something and everything... is trying to get my attention.” — Anna [55:54]
• Anna responds to Dylan’s question about post-incarceration trauma rituals, linking them to trauma-driven coping and covert avoidance, and discussing the slow path to reengagement and “connectability”.

8. “Connectability”: Healing Isolation & Building Human Connection (64:00–68:44)

• Anna explains the origin of the concept “connectability” — the learned ability to be present, connect, and reciprocate with others, even after profound trauma. She notes social skills and etiquette can be explicit, teachable, and practiced gradually.

9. Anna’s Offerings & Where to Find Her (68:44–73:33)

• Explanation of her resources: books, YouTube channel, courses, coaching, and membership programs.
  • Connectability releases October 7 (available for preorder at major booksellers); resources and daily practice guide at crappychildhoodfairy.com.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “If I found a cure for cancer, I’d be this enthusiastic, just this enthusiastic, you know, I’d want everybody to know: look, there’s something that can work. You should try it.” — Anna [18:50]
• “Discernment of gifts. Exactly. Prayer helped me with that. That’s how this all started…I crossed paths with Father Michael Sweeney… He helped me think about: is there something you do that when you do it, people say, ‘Wow, that lifted me up’?” — Anna [21:13]
• “The only level playing field I’ve ever found in the world is regulation.” — Anna [48:23]
• “As you’re going, if you discover you’re resentful, you name, ‘I’m resentful at [person] because I have fear…’ There’s just like usually a whole tangle… And then there’s a prayer at the end asking God to remove it and to show you… knowledge of Your will for us and the power to carry it out.” — Anna [39:48]
• “You want very much to have the relationships, but you don’t want the stress that it comes with… and it’s all sort of happening a little below your conscious level.” — Anna [62:22]
• “Ease and grace that makes people want to be your friend. And I wanted to know how to have that. …Now I’m very good at it. Like I even have women friends. I thought I could never do that. …All of that is a gift of healing.” — Anna [66:19]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:24 – Anna’s upbringing, birth of “Crappy Childhood Fairy”
• 08:56 – Deeper dive into her family/childhood trauma
• 13:36 – Educational journey, early career
• 16:48 – On being overlooked and finding voice through new media
• 23:27 – Teenage/early adult struggles & complex PTSD origin
• 33:09 – Adult trauma, misdiagnosis, the “wrong” therapist approaches
• 37:14 – The turning point: Rachel’s spiritual/practical approach
• 46:42 – The science of dysregulation and how to recognize it
• 50:54 – Cognitive techniques: writing, prayer, meditation
• 55:34 – Real-world symptoms, how dysregulation appears in daily life
• 62:22 – Social isolation, covert avoidance, and rebuilding connectability
• 68:44 – Anna’s resources, upcoming book, and contact info

Resources & How to Connect with Anna Runkle

• Website & Blog: crappychildhoodfairy.com
• YouTube: "Crappy Childhood Fairy"
• Book: Connectability (available October 7, 2025—Amazon, B&N, Target, etc.)
• Free trauma-healing course: Linked from her website

Tone & Closing

The episode is equal parts vulnerable, hopeful, and pragmatic. Both host and guest share openly about pain and perseverance, with Anna’s direct, funny, and disarmingly gentle style providing practical hope for anyone facing trauma-driven obstacles to happiness and connection.

“You have to have something special. But the key is to understand what that is. Because if you really understand life and God, you understand, we all do… Once you find it, then you have to learn how to utilize it.” — Dylan Gemelli [20:50]