Transforming Trauma Into Purpose and Identity with Amber Richbook from The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show

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Transforming Trauma Into Purpose and Identity with Amber Richbook

43 minutes Posted Mar 26, 2026 at 5:30 am.

.495)Hello and welcome to the Mindset and Self Mastery Show. I'm your host, Nick McGowan. Today on the show we have Amber Richbook. Amber, how are doing today?

.403)Well, how are you Nick? Thank you for having me.

.679)Yeah, absolutely. We were just shooting the shit for like a solid half hour. And again, one of those situations like let's just record. So I'm stoked for you to be here. I think this is gonna be cool. We're gonna get into a lot to talk about identity, subconscious limiting beliefs and your story. And even talking about regional and generational trauma and some of the things I've talked about on different episodes. But I think identity is a big part of that. I always like to start episodes off with something that's a little

.846)I know.

.319)odd or bizarre about you that most people don't know. So what do you got for me?

.19)Okay, so one of my bizarre weird things that people don't know about me is that I wrote about my life as a single mother of three daughters when I was in the first grade and my mom

.655)Yeah, of course.

.014)And it's like Miss A takes her three daughters and the names were like J, E, A, like they were all like names with those initials. And my daughter's names now have the initials J, A, and E. To get ice cream and they love driving in their really big truck.

.96)Yeah.

.958)yeah.

.86)I was like, Amber, what the fuck were you writing about in the fucking first grade? Like you're writing about being a mom. Now, fun fact, I was the child, the friend, even in high school that used to call kids creatures. I was like, ill, be a mom. That's so disgusting. Motherhood. So now there's a running joke. Like every mother's day, my friends from high school and college are like, dude, how did you become a mom?

.443)Yeah.

.836)Like that's the joke. Like you're a mom, bro. None of them are mothers, but I'm a mom. Dude, how did that happen? So I think that's interesting because one of my favorite books is The Alchemist. I talk about it in my, started my Ted talk with it and it was like, we really go on this journey of life and all you're doing is getting back to the core of who you are.

.179)You

.423)Ugh.

.569)Yeah.

.992)and your inner child, like those youthful experience where your imagination is purely untamed, not realizing that many of us have these gifts. We all have these gifts and abilities, but where were they most active? How were they most active?

.863)Mm-hmm.

.942)I only had eight minutes to live. Eight is my favorite number. Eight is when I was eight years old. That was like my favorite age. Schoolhouse rock was like a thing when I was growing up. So it was like the figure eight song. I loved eight. When I was in school, I was always drawing eight. I was always like just fascinated with eight. And my birthday is on a 26. So two plus six equals eight. And so.

.704)yeah.

.118)start reflecting on these things and you're like oh here are how all the dots connect in my life in my reality in my experience so yeah i'm a little woo woo

.431)I don't think it's as much woo woo as it's looking for patterns of things. I'm similar in the sense where I look, like we were talking about even signs before we hit record, looking for signs. I think there's a level of awareness. And if you're aware of something, you can at least say, well, that's something. I don't particularly agree that there are like coincidences in the world. I think there are things that line up, but then there are also things that just don't make sense. Like I remember saying,

.148)Yeah.

.534)Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

.679)People saying to me like years and years and years ago like you might read something in a book or like the Bible or whatever and it doesn't make any sense at all and then years later it punches you right in the mouth like there are times literally within the Bible or God's like this thing today means the most thing to you and you're like, whoa What what does that mean and you've read it 400 billion times? Or you've seen a situation or whatever. I think there's a power of being aware to be able to see those things but then

.183)Yep.

.229)like you had even said before we hit record, and we probably should have just hit record way early, was that it's our responsibility to do something with that. And it's what we get to do with it from there that actually shapes the way that future generations and all of those sort of things. It's interesting to me, like right off the bat when you said, I wrote that out in first grade and now I'm living it, because I remember people in grade school thinking or writing out like a five year, 10 year plan.

.942)you

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Show notes

“If you heal yourself, you have the ability to heal generations before and after you.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Amber Richbook about her journey through identity, subconscious beliefs, and the impact of generational trauma. They explore the importance of awareness and the role of cultural identity in shaping our experiences and ultimately who we believe we are and what our “identity” means to us.

What to listen for:

We all have gifts and abilities that can be realized

Coincidences are often signs that require investigation

Generational trauma impacts our identities and experiences

Healing is a personal journey that affects generations

Self-mastery requires the willingness to change our identity as we grow

Awareness is crucial for personal growth and healing

Our identity is fluid

“We all have different generational things running through our veins. What are we going to do with them? How are we going to reconcile? How are we going to bring the healing?”

Healing is our responsibility, no matter what our parents passed to us genetically

Understanding what our family history is can sometimes shed light on our current struggles

Epigenetics research is increasingly validating that generational trauma not only exists but has real repercussions on future generations

“You must be willing to change identities as many times and as often as you feel led to”

What we believe our “identity” is, isn’t always accurate or remotely current

The hesitance for change is normal, but being willing to adapt and evolve is critical for personal growth

Changing identities isn’t about becoming someone else; it’s about uncovering more of who you are at your core

About Amber Richbook

Amber Richbook is a transformational speaker and identity-shift coach who helps people move from simply existing to fully living. Through keynotes, coaching, and her podcast Meaningful Conversations, she teaches individuals to break self-limiting beliefs and take practical steps toward authentic, purpose-driven lives. She is a TEDx speaker and has appeared on PBS and corporate leadership platforms. Her mission is to become the go-to voice for mindset and identity transformation for a new generation.

https://www.arichbook.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arichbook/

https://www.instagram.com/a.richbook/

Resources:

Check out other episodes about identity:

Processing Our Childhood Traumas With Jeremy Stegall

Exploring The Role Of DEI In Healing And Growth With Corey Williams

How To Embrace Your Identity And Inner Strength With Rich Vysion

Love and Faith Beyond Identity and Labels With Carl King

Exploring Human Design For Self-Mastery With Akary Busto

Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have? https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/podcasting-services/

Learn more about our host, Nick McGowan: https://nickmcgowan.com

Thank you for listening!

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Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

She kept like this big bag, like everywhere we moved to, this was like this big bag of childhood memorabilia from myself and my siblings of things we drew and wrote in kindergarten, pre-K, first grade, second grade, like the little macaroni art that's like happy Mother's Day. Here's a flower with glue and there's missing pieces on it. And so, you know, in first grade when they have the writing pads with the story and you draw the little ugly picture and you think like,

Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

and they love doing all these fun things together. They like dancing. like, there was no, was just this Miss A.

and her three daughters. And I remember years ago when I, well, my mom was like, kind of like, all right, you guys are grown, take your shit. Like I saved all of it. Let me show you guys that I actually cared about you as children. Like do with it what you want. I'm like, okay, so let me go through my stuff. And I'm just sitting there and I'm reading it. And I was like, can I curse? I was like, okay.

Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

Nick McGowan (

Amber RichBook (

and I'll just layer it with this before I give it back to you. There was a thread that I saw recently that said, healers, spiritual people, did you have a near death experience that confirmed your abilities, et cetera, et cetera? And when I was born,

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Amber RichBook (

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Amber RichBook (

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