Tina leigh Vavro, LLC

 My mission to protect children formed very young. It formed within the heart of a little girl who grew up not feeling safe. And because of her, I became a pediatrician. I wanted to be the safe place for children that I never had. And for 10 years, that purpose felt like the repair I needed. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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However, things shifted when I became a patient myself. The fear and uncertainty activated the little girl inside me, and I no longer felt safe. In that space, being a sick patient felt no different than being a vulnerable child fending for myself in a broken environment. I knew I needed something different. So, I decided to pause my work as a pediatrician to prioritize the parts of myself that were hurting.​​​

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My time away served as a period of rest, research, and reflection. Through professional trainings and my own therapy explorations, I began to see how deeply my childhood trauma was still present in my nervous system. Braced muscles, dulled sensations, and shortened breath were where my system lived. Surely, trauma therapy would fix this. 

 

Despite trying different therapy modalities, my nervous system activation only seemed to intensify. I reached a point where I simply wasn’t resourced enough to do the deep trauma work I needed to do. I felt constantly on edge and utterly exhausted. And I needed someone to give me permission to stop.​

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Safety entered the conversation.​​​​​​​

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I began working with a pain practitioner who asked me the million-dollar question: "What if we focused on safety and stopped everything else?" I learned very quickly that everything in me needed this. ​

 

So, for the next 6 months, we didn't focus on the trauma. We didn't need to. Slowly and gently, we created a felt sense of safety for my system. ​This safety gave me something to reach for during daily triggers. It helped me navigate stress, chronic illness, and systems in a steadier way. The bracing softened, my breath slowed, and the child in me finally felt more settled in her body. ​​​​

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This is the foundation on which I have built my nervous system and trauma recovery. ​​​​​​And now I support other women as they do the same. ​​​​​​​

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I still feel deeply connected to my original career purpose: the safety and protection of children. Only now I work with adults. Why? Because I have learned that​ the best way I can help children feel safe is to support the adults in their lives. ​​
 

 

Developing this practice has been an interweaving of my childhood heart and my adult knowledge and experience. I created this space for the little girl in me, and for all the other hurting inner children walking around in adult bodies. A space to build the safety that never was.

 

I offer this with humility and deep respect for the adult you are, and for the child you carry around inside you.
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