EP. 72: Healing the Younger Selves Who Endured So Much w/ Tim Smith (he/him)
Sept 2, 2026
On today's episode, we have Tim Smith (he/him). Tim so powerfully models what it is to be someone who is in the active work of continuing to offer healing to the younger versions of ourselves who endured trauma and pain, and gifting them today what they needed then.
In this conversation, Tim takes us back into his story - beginning with growing up gay in an overly anti-queer and neglectful environment, and then figuring out how to survive on his own at a young age. His story is one of survival and resilience, and we hear how he managed to navigate that beginning to reach a very sweet and beautiful present day. His memoir details all of this and more.
About the guest:
Tim Smith (he/him) is the author of Fault Line: Still Standing, a raw and unflinching memoir about survival, resilience, and the long shadow childhood trauma can cast over a life. Born in Pensacola, Florida, Smith grew up in the rural South in an environment shaped by addiction, instability, and neglect—experiences that would later form the emotional backbone of his writing. Before becoming an author, Smith worked a wide range of jobs that reflected both necessity and curiosity about the world: from short-order cook to labor in a Navy shipyard, eventually building a career in the financial sector as an executive assistant. Along the way he also developed a passion for photography, earning recognition and awards for his work behind the camera.
Today, Tim lives in Los Angeles with his husband and their four rescue dogs. His life now stands in stark contrast to the chaos of his childhood—a testament to the central idea at the heart of Fault Line: that the past may shape us, but it does not have to define us. Through his writing, photography, and creative work, Smith continues to explore themes of identity, resilience, and what it means to build a life after survival. Learn more about Tim and his book at https://www.faultlinememoir.com/