11 September 2022: Tricia Walsh describes Once were Warriors as a nicer version of her childhood. She grew up in an environment where violence was normalised and she was the victim of repeated physical and sexual abuse. She ran away from home at 13, falling into  abusive relationships and becoming pregnant at 15 to a violent partner. Tricia started using drugs including methamphetamine to numb the trauma she’d experienced and was subsequently sentenced for dealing marijuana. 

With a forced detox in prison, Tricia had the opportunity to step back and see her life and the decisions she was making without the haze of meth. Here, she began dreaming of what she wanted and how she wanted to show up and made a plan to change her life as she’d known it once she was released. 

The most important change for Tricia was to become a good mother, to be there for her children in a way she’d never been able to before.

Tricia Walsh’s story is one of redemption and hope from the darkest of beginnings. She shares how she has transformed her suffering into pathways to help others who have also survived traumatic environments.

LISTEN ABOVE

With thanks to NZ on Air.