A Personal Story of Trauma, PTSD and Recovery Through EMDR with Rose Sprinkle

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Rose Sprinkle. Sprinkle is a parenting educator, children’s author, and self-awareness advocate. We talk about her journey navigating the trauma of losing a close friend, learning to cope with PTSD, and how these experiences inspired her work empowering children and parents through emotional regulation and core virtues. Rose opens up about the realities of grief, the limits of traditional self-care, and how tools like EMDR therapy helped her heal and ultimately led to the creation of her Little Virtues book series.

About the Guest:

Rose Sprinkle is a Washington-based children’s book author, graphic designer, and founder of the Little Virtues series, which helps kids build self-worth, emotional intelligence, and character through storytelling. Driven by her own healing journey, Rose blends her background in teaching and design to create accessible resources for families, emphasizing resilience, compassion, and growth.

Quote from the Episode:

“It was kind of like I was bringing a hose to a fire, but what I really needed was the whole fire department.” — Rose Sprinkle

Main Topics Covered:

• Coping with the sudden, unexpected loss of a close friend and the realities of trauma
• Discovering and understanding PTSD outside of commonly held stereotypes
• The importance of support systems—and the challenges of losing support through major life changes
• How trauma can manifest physically, and recognizing when traditional coping mechanisms aren’t enough
• Learning about EMDR therapy and the science behind trauma healing
• Moving from pain to purpose: How Rose wrote her first children’s book as a tool for her own healing and to help others
• Building The Little Virtues book series and supporting children in emotional regulation and self-worth
• The messy, lifelong journey of self-awareness, changing attachment styles, and embracing imperfect adulting

Timestamps:

[00:00:06] Welcome, Rose’s home base, and personal warmups

[00:01:11] The loss of a friend, initial trauma response, and relocation

[00:04:29] Support systems and grieving in isolation

[00:06:33] Self-judgment, shame around trauma, and the absence of language for PTSD

[00:10:46] Leaning on coping skills and the realization that more help was needed

[00:12:58] Introduction to EMDR therapy and the turning point in recovery

[00:14:42] What EMDR is (and why it sounded like “voodoo”—but works)

[00:17:02] Triggers, recurring trauma, and compounding experiences

[00:18:33] From trauma to growth: Finding meaning and new purpose

[00:20:40] Teaching, creating, and writing as forms of healing

[00:25:38] The organic birth of The Little Virtues books

[00:31:02] Series overview, the difference between values and virtues

[00:34:13] New curriculum for parents, practical tools for social-emotional learning

[00:35:20] Rose’s childhood favorites and the power of reading with kids

[00:37:46] Final questions: dream vacations, reading habits with young kids, karaoke styles

Special Offer from the Guest:

The Little Virtues Character Development Guide for Kids. A 236 page parent led guide for social emotional learning. Normally $97 but you can get it for $37 https://thelittlevirtues.com/pages/guide 

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