You Can't Heal When You Hide | Serena Mastin on Trauma, Loss & Building a Life of Purpose

In this powerful episode of The Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Serena Mastin — founder of the award-winning Pulse Marketing agency, author, speaker, and resilience advocate — for a raw, honest conversation about healing, loss, and rebuilding life with purpose.

Serena shares her extraordinary journey: surviving a satanic cult in early childhood, living on the streets at 15, navigating a decade of infidelity and mental illness in her marriage, losing her husband Kyle to suicide in 2020, and then losing her partner Thomas to sudden cardiac arrest in 2024. Through it all, Serena found her way to healing — and now helps others do the same.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why you can't heal what you keep hidden — and how radical honesty changed Serena's life
• How chronic trauma keeps the nervous system locked in fight-or-flight mode, and practical tools (including HeartMath) to regulate it
• The difference between resilience and post-traumatic wisdom
• What grief from suicide loss and sudden loss have in common — and how they differ
• How Serena turned personal pain into a thriving business and a mission to empower others

SHORT BIO:

Serena Mastin is the founder of Pulse Marketing, an award-winning agency she launched in 2013. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and leadership, she’s known for her thoughtful, story-driven approach that helps brands connect in meaningful ways. In addition to her work in business, Serena is an author and speaker. Her memoir, Exposed: You Can’t Heal When You Hide, reflects on her personal journey through abuse, addiction, and loss, offering encouragement to others navigating their own healing. As a single mother, advocate, and entrepreneur, Serena’s work is rooted in a desire to help others find their voice and move forward with clarity and purpose.

Social Media Links

Connect with Serena:

Website: serenamastin.com

Agency: pulsemarketingteam.com

• Agency Website: www.heartofcreative.com
• Author Website: www.serenamastin.com
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/heartfeltstories2026/
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/pulse_marketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PulseMarketingTeam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartofcreative/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serenamastin/
• Amazon: amazon.com/author/serenamastin
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Exposed-Audiobook/B0CF3NDWGM?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

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