The Crappy Childhood Fairy: Who Is Anna Runkle Really?
You might not know the name Anna Runkle. But if you’re up to speed with the mental health condition known as Childhood Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, you will no doubt be aware of her alter-ego: The Crappy Childhood Fairy. Runkle has made a name for herself thanks to a revolutionary way of coping with the condition. But who really is the woman behind all the therapy-speak?
Stand-up comedian
On her official website, Runkle admits that she’s not a fully licensed therapist or medical professional. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that her previous careers include customer experience consultant and video director.
Most unexpectedly of all, she also used to be a stand-up comedian! Runkle also graduated from the Goldman School at the University of California with a master's degree in public policy.
Rough family
But despite her lack of professional qualifications, Runkle does claim on her official website that she still has the experience to help deal with the various issues that her clients face.
She wrote, “I’m someone who grew up in a rough family that was deeply affected by addiction and all the problems that tend to go with that.” These woes included poverty, violence, neglect, and shame.
The usual stuff
Runkle expanded upon this on her first online blog page. She wrote, “I’m just someone who grew up with several alcoholics in the family, and all the crap that tends to go with that.”
She then went on to list several specific examples, including “broken cars in the yard, welfare, emotional neglect, molest-y relatives, self-esteem problems, precocious sexuality, violence-prone Thanksgivings. The usual stuff.”
Adolescence to adulthood
Runkle acknowledges that her early years weren’t all bad, and that she was pretty much born resilient. But she also admits that the trauma she suffered as a youngster had started to take its toll on her.
Never was more the case than when the self-help guru made the tricky journey from adolescence to adulthood. And Runkle states that this ended up manifesting itself in both emotional and physical ways.