Ep. 144: Rachel Krentzman on healing when it’s not linear.
Sometimes life doesn’t fall apart all at once.
Sometimes it cracks.
In this episode of MercyCast, I sit down with Rachel Krentzman, author of As Is: A Memoir on Healing the Past through Yoga, to talk about what happens when the world you thought you understood suddenly looks different—and you can’t unsee it. Rachel shares the story behind her memoir, including the cost of vulnerability, the courage it took to tell the truth, and the long, uneven road of healing that followed.
We talk about what it means to go first, to name discomfort instead of escaping it, and to learn compassion not from a distance but from the inside of our own pain. Rachel reflects on how practices like yoga, writing, and time in nature helped her separate her identity from her experiences—and how being truly seen and accepted changed everything.
This conversation is honest, tender, and grounded in the reality that healing is rarely quick or tidy. It’s about learning to sit with what hurts, trusting that growth isn’t linear, and discovering that we are always more than our stories.
If you’ve ever felt broken—but not destroyed—this episode is for you.
Listen now, and if this conversation resonates, I’d love for you to share it with someone who needs permission to slow down, be seen, and begin again.
In This Episode, We Explore:
How compassion is often learned through adversity, not comfort
Why vulnerability always costs us something—and why it’s still worth it
The power of writing as a way to process pain and tell the truth
Why healing is not linear and what it means to honor the ups and downs
How mindfulness helps us notice thoughts without letting them define us
The importance of sitting with discomfort instead of numbing or escaping it
Why nature has a grounding, restorative effect on our minds and bodies
The role of safe community in healing—and why being seen matters
How professional guides can help us see what we can’t see alone
What it looks like to transform pain into compassion for others
If something in this episode stirred something in you, I’d love to hear from you.
Reach out, share your story, or let us know how you’re learning the art of compassion through adversity.
You’re not alone—and you don’t have to rush the healing.
Listen to the full episode:
For more conversations like this one, check out my book, Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking.