Healing With Fire: Zulma Williams on Trauma, Cancer, Depression & Finding Your Voice
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and “Swearing Therapist” Zulma Beatriz Williams joins CJ Moneyway for an honest conversation about trauma, depression, breast cancer, authenticity, and rebuilding a life after circumstances that could have broken her. From beginning her social-work education later in life to surviving cancer and founding Dragonfly Therapy Services, Zulma’s journey is one of transformation without pretending the scars disappeared.
What If Healing Doesn’t Mean Pretending It Never Hurt?
Some people talk about transformation after everything has worked out.
Zulma Beatriz Williams talks about it with the scars still visible.
On this episode of The CJ Moneyway Show, CJ sits down with Zulma—a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, motivational speaker, founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services, and the unapologetically authentic mental-health professional known as The Swearing Therapist.
Her style may catch people off guard.
She is direct.
She is honest.
And when the moment calls for it, she is not afraid to use language that sounds more like a real conversation than a textbook therapy session.
But underneath the personality is a life shaped by survival, rebuilding, education, service, and transformation.
Zulma began pursuing her social-work education in her forties. She survived breast cancer, continued her education, navigated trauma and depression, and ultimately built a professional life helping others confront the difficult chapters of their own stories.
This conversation isn’t about pretending pain is beautiful.
It’s about what we decide to build after pain enters the story.
IN THIS EPISODE
CJ and Zulma explore:
• The origin of “The Swearing Therapist”
• Why authenticity matters in mental-health conversations
• Beginning a new educational journey later in life
• Surviving breast cancer while continuing to move forward
• Growing up in Buenos Aires and the experiences that shaped her
• Trauma, depression, and rebuilding identity
• The difference between experiencing victimization and building a permanent identity around victimhood
• Why people can become stuck inside trauma narratives
• Reclaiming your voice after difficult experiences
• The meaning behind Dragonfly Therapy Services
• How transformation differs from pretending the past never happened
• Mental-health stigma and why honest language matters
• The responsibility clinicians carry even when their style is unconventional
• What freedom means after rebuilding your life
• Discovering the warrior within
THE MONEYWAY TAKEAWAY
Healing does not require denying the scar.
The scar proves something happened.
But it does not get to decide everything that happens next.
Zulma’s story raises an important question:
Can we acknowledge what happened to us without surrendering the authorship of what happens after it?
That distinction matters.
Because surviving is one chapter.
Rebuilding is another.
And eventually, some people reach the chapter where what they learned becomes service for somebody else.
That’s transformation.
Brick by Brick.
ABOUT ZULMA BEATRIZ WILLIAMS
Zulma Beatriz Williams is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, motivational speaker, founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services, and a mental-health professional known publicly as The Swearing Therapist.
Her work emphasizes authenticity, trauma recovery, emotional honesty, personal transformation, and helping people reclaim their voice after difficult seasons.
Her personal journey includes surviving breast cancer, returning to education later in life, navigating trauma and depression, and rebuilding across multiple chapters of life.
CONNECT WITH ZULMA
Website:
@Zulma Beatriz Williams Website
LinkedIn:
@Zulma Beatriz Williams LinkedIn
Instagram:
@Zulma Beatriz Williams Instagram
Facebook:
@Zulma Beatriz Williams Facebook
Dragonfly Therapy Services:
@Dragonfly Therapy Services
CONNECT WITH CJ MONEYWAY
Website:
https://cjmoneyway.com
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@themoneywayshow8493
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-c-j-moneyway-show/id1707761906
Listen on All Platforms:
https://pod.link/1707761906
Book CJ Moneyway:
https://calendly.com/cj-cjmoneywayshow/60min
Rate & Review The Show:
https://ratethispodcast.com/cjmoneyway
CJ MONEYWAY EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS
Build Wealth — Protect Health
You’re building financial freedom. Don’t neglect your physical foundation while doing it.
CJ Moneyway listeners can access $40+ savings here:
https://readyrx.com/treatments/se?coupon=cjmoney
The Seidel Agency Referral:
http://theseidelagency.com/Referral
THE MONEYWAY MOVE
Identify one scar—emotional, relational, professional, or personal—that you have allowed to define more of your identity than it deserves.
Don’t deny what happened.
Don’t minimize it.
But ask:
What gets to happen next?
Listen. Watch. Subscribe. Share. Rate and review.
Then take one principle from this conversation and put it into practice.
Built For Purpose.
Brick by Brick.
That’s The CJ Moneyway.
Important Note
This episode discusses trauma, depression, suicidal thoughts, cancer, and mental health. It is intended for education and conversation and is not a substitute for individualized mental-health or medical care. Anyone experiencing significant emotional distress should seek support from an appropriately qualified professional.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Unlocking Potential, One Dream at a Time on The CJ Moneyway Show