In this powerful episode of Girls with Grafts, Rachel and Amber sit down with Brooke DelGaudio, a nurse practitioner, mom, and childhood burn survivor who’s turned her pain into purpose. 💙 Brooke opens up about growing up as a burn survivor, the invisible scars of childhood trauma, and the ways those experiences continue to shape her adult life. Together, they dive into what it means to live with “hidden burns,” navigate imposter syndrome, and bring empathy into healthcare from a survivor’s perspective. 🩺 Brooke also shares how becoming a mom has invited new layers of healing—and how she’s breaking cycles through self-awareness, compassion, and intentional parenting. Plus, Brooke and Amber swap stories about the house rules and kitchen safety lessons they now practice with their own families: Reminders that healing isn’t just about recovery, it’s about rewriting the future.✨ #BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories #ChildhoodTrauma #BurnCare ⭐️ Enjoyed the show? Tell us by leaving a 5-star review and sharing on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors! Meet Our Guest Brooke DelGaudio is a 40-year-old nurse practitioner based in Denver, Colorado, specializing in wound care. Her passion for this work is deeply rooted in her personal experience as a burn survivor. At 18 months old, she sustained 3rd- and 4th-degree burns over 35% of her body after climbing into a sink with a faulty water temperature gauge. By the age of 10, she had undergone 25 surgeries. These early experiences—and the resilience they required—continue to shape her both personally and professionally. Growing up, Brooke attended Cheley Burn Camp, where she learned to embrace her scars and began building confidence in herself. While there are still moments of struggle—like when friends invite her for pedicures, reminding her she doesn’t have toenails, or when sore feet make her wish for “normal skin”—she has come to accept that her scars are an integral part of her story. Outside of her professional work, Brooke volunteers with Phoenix SOAR,offering the guidance, empathy, and realistic perspective she once needed herself is particularly meaningful to her. In her free time, Brooke enjoys baking, snowboarding, and spending time with her husband and their three-year-old. She believes in the lifelong journey of healing and embodies the message of her tattoo: “strength is beautiful.” Links 👉 Learn more about Phoenix SOAR: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/phoenix-soar 👉 Read “Hidden Burns Matter:” https://phoenix-society.org/resources/hidden-burns-matter 👉 Read “Learning to Live with Hidden Burns:” https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/learning-to-live-with-hidden-burns 👉 Read “Burnout in Burn Care: A Call to Care for Ourselves and Each Other:” https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/burnout-in-burn-care-a-call-to-care-for-ourselves-and-each-other Podcast Sponsor Today’s podcast is powered by Cunningham Law Firm! Located in Phoenix, Arizona and helping clients nationwide, the Cunningham Law Firm specializes in personal injury, wrongful death and burn related cases. Learn more by visiting https://cunninghamlawfirm.com. Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org.