Podcast Summary: This Is Actually Happening

Episode 385: What if you found healing through saving abandoned dogs?
Release Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Wit Misseldine
Guest: Tamara Corbett

Overview

In this moving episode, Tamara Corbett recounts her journey through unimaginable grief after the tragic loss of her only child, Mackenzie. Her story traces an upbringing marked by familial trauma, the joys and complexities of early motherhood, and the shattering loss that upended her world. Eventually, Tamara finds a path to healing by dedicating herself to rescuing and fostering abandoned dogs. Her narrative blends raw pain, moments of hope, and ultimately, the lifeline of compassion and purpose she discovers through animal rescue.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trauma and Cycles of Family Abuse

• Early Childhood:

  • Tamara describes growing up in a home with no affection, dominated by her father's physical abuse and her mother's passive acceptance.
    • “My father...for my father, it was physical abuse. Smack us in the head, hit us anywhere...I think he didn’t know any better because probably that's just the way his parents handled things.” (03:21)
  • Instances of severe abuse, including her father rupturing her eardrum, frequently led to hospital visits and cover-up stories.
  • Despite apologies and vows to change, the abuse endured: “My dad always super apologetic...and he would always say, ‘We are going to be better people.’” (08:13)

• Impact on Tamara:

  • Internalizes family dynamics, leading to her enacting violence toward her sister, another echo of the family’s unresolved pain.
  • Emotional needs go unmet, fostering confusion and a longing for genuine connection.

2. Teenage Motherhood and Shifting Family Dynamics

• Pregnancy at 17:
  • Tamara’s unplanned pregnancy mirrors her own mother’s life, causing distress but, in time, celebration.
  • Tamara’s relationship with her daughter grows into her most profound connection:
    • “I couldn’t have asked for anything better in my life than to be the mother of this child.” (11:12)
  • Despite familial strife, Mackenzie brings Tamara joy and a sense of purpose.
  • Tamara fights for custody and creates a tightly bonded, two-person family with her daughter.

3. Loss and Deep Grief

• The Accident:
  • On June 7, 2002, Mackenzie (age 10) dies in a devastating car accident while visiting her father.
  • Tamara learns the news in a surreal, out-of-body state, and her world collapses:
    • “Her not being alive is not even crossing my mind...No, that doesn’t happen.” (21:25)
  • Profound descriptions of grief:
    • “It feels like when you take a sock and turn it inside out, maybe put the sock over your head. You can't see, you can't think clearly. You're covered in grief.” (01:14 & 28:41)
    • “When you cry, you become so weak because it’s so tight, like a straitjacket.” (29:48)
  • Disconnection from daily life, loss of function, and struggles with friends and family.

4. Navigating Grief and Seeking Distraction

• Descent and Survival:
  • Attempts to numb the pain through substance use and clinging to relationships.
  • Moves to Las Vegas, then San Francisco, where she finds solace in plant care and horticulture:
    • “Getting into horticulture is the best thing that could have ever happened because now, for the first time, I have something to take care of. And that was it. I fell in love with plant propagation, taking care of these plants. I was back to being an active mother.” (31:45)

5. Rescue, Redemption, and a New Purpose

• Mexico and Dog Rescue:
  • Tamara moves to Ensenada, Mexico, for a fresh start, forming an unexpected bond with abandoned dogs living near her home.
  • Never having owned a dog herself, she starts by feeding and caring for strays—motivated by the memory that Mackenzie always wanted a dog.
  • Her journey evolves into founding the “Hotel Baja California for Dogs,” a sanctuary where abandoned dogs receive care, socialization, and pathways to adoption:
    • “My idea when I started looking for puppies was just a foster...I built up a reputation down in Ensenada for taking puppies.” (36:58)
• Travieso Dog Sanctuary
  • The mission grows with the support of volunteers and legal nonprofit status, upscaling to “Travieso Dog Sanctuary.”
  • Remarkable Adoptions: Over six years, Tamara directly helps hundreds of dogs, such as the resilient special-needs dog Amelia, whose survival and eventual adoption are described as moments of joy and healing.

6. Healing and Reflections on Grief

• The Power of Giving Care:
  • Animal rescue becomes a profound channel for Tamara’s love and loss:
    • “...the love, this unconditional love that these dogs present you with...they lay their head on your lap...they just want to be with you.” (34:41)
• Signs and the Spirit of Mackenzie:
  • Tamara shares the belief that Mackenzie sends her “signs” and is still helping guide her:
    • “There were angels everywhere...I just knew that they were signs. When I would see these angels, I was just stunned and thankful.” (48:35)
    • “She sends me these dogs. She sends me the...She opens my mind. She puts something in my path that makes me have to take care of it.” (49:28)
• Meaning-Making:
  • Finds comfort in reframing her pain:
    • “Everything is an illusion and you create the illusion...you can spin it any way you want because if you don’t, you’ll just cry all day.” (49:50)
    • “Having my daughter and losing my daughter were the best gifts that I could have been given.” (50:06)
• Message of Hope:
  • “You have to spin it to be happy. You have to. And there’s always a happy spin...It’s lemons all around. It’s how do you grab the good lemons and make that lemonade?” (50:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:14 | Tamara Corbett | “It feels like when you take a sock and turn it inside out, maybe put the sock over your head. You can't see, you can't think clearly. You're covered in grief.” | | 03:21 | Tamara Corbett | “For my father, it was physical abuse...Smack us in the head...They were never happy. We never saw any affection. It was only abuse.” | | 11:12 | Tamara Corbett | “I couldn’t have asked for anything better in my life than to be the mother of this child.” | | 21:25 | Tamara Corbett | “Her not being alive is not even crossing my mind...No, that doesn’t happen.” | | 29:48 | Tamara Corbett | “When you cry, you become so weak because it’s so tight, like a straitjacket, just tight.” | | 31:45 | Tamara Corbett | “Getting into horticulture is the best thing that could have ever happened because now, for the first time, I have something to take care of. And that was it. I fell in love with plant propagation.” | | 34:41 | Tamara Corbett | “...the love, this unconditional love that these dogs present you with...they lay their head on your lap...they just want to be with you.” | | 49:28 | Tamara Corbett | “She sends me these dogs...She opens my mind. She puts something in my path that makes me have to take care of it. And it's not a chore.” | | 50:06 | Tamara Corbett | “Having my daughter and losing my daughter were the best gifts that I could have been given.” | | 50:08 | Tamara Corbett | “You have to spin it to be happy. You have to. And there’s always a happy spin...It’s lemons all around. It’s how do you grab the good lemons and make that lemonade?” |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Upbringing and Family Trauma: 03:21 – 11:12
• Motherhood and Bond with Mackenzie: 11:12 – 20:56
• Accident and Onset of Grief: 20:56 – 31:45
• Moving, Horticulture, First Steps to Healing: 31:45 – 34:41
• Mexico, Dog Rescue Begins: 34:41 – 39:10
• Foundation of Dog Sanctuary, Notable Stories: 39:10 – 44:42
• Reflections on Grief and Meaning: 48:35 – End

Final Thoughts

Tamara’s journey is a testament to endurance, vulnerability, and the unexpected routes healing and meaning can take. Losing her only child forced her to reimagine purpose; from plants to dogs, her narrative demonstrates how acts of care—no matter how small—can generate new life and light from even the deepest sorrow.

If you’re interested in supporting Tamara’s rescue or connecting with her, details are in the episode show notes.

Episode Credits:

• Guest: Tamara Corbett
• Host: Wit Misseldine
• Podcast: This Is Actually Happening, Wondery