Rocking It with Chrys and ShelliePhyllis Robertson Thomas: I Never Knew | Finding Healing After Trauma
You may know Phyllis Robertson Thomas as the daughter Phil Robertson never knew he had. But that remarkable discovery is only one chapter of her story. This week on Rocking It with Chrys & Shellie, we sit down
with Phyllis for an honest and hope-filled conversation about family, identity, trauma, faith, and healing. Phyllis’ story captured the attention of people around the world when she discovered as an adult that Phil Robertson was her biological father. Her journey to find him was filled
with unexpected twists and turns and, as many of us know, ended with a beautiful welcome into the Robertson family. But Phyllis reminds us of something important: not every difficult family story gets a storybook ending. So what do we do when it doesn’t? Drawing from her own experiences as well as her professional training, Phyllis shares how we can face the painful parts of our stories without allowing them to define
the rest of our lives. Phyllis is a wife, mom, grandmother, former psychiatric
nurse, and now a licensed professional counselor working with children and families. Her new book, I Never Knew: Finding Healing and Renewal After Trauma, goes far beyond the story of discovering her biological father. It explores trauma, identity, relationships, faith, and the healing that can come when we’re willing to face the truth about our past. This is a conversation about more than what happened to us. It’s about what happens next.
In This Episode, We Talk About
● The incredible story of discovering Phil
Robertson was her biological father
● What it felt like to finally meet her dad
● Being welcomed into the Robertson family
● Why finding her biological father was only one
part of her healing journey
● How childhood experiences can continue to
affect us as adults
● Understanding trauma and the ways it can
shape our identity and relationships
● Why not every family story has the happy
ending we hoped for
● How we move forward when circumstances
cannot be changed
● The role faith has played in Phyllis’ healing
● How her nursing background led her into
mental health counseling
● What she has learned from working with
children and families
● Why healing doesn’t mean pretending the
painful things never happened
● The story behind her new book, I Never Knew
Key Takeaway
You may not get to choose everything that happens in your story, but what happened to you does not have to define the rest of your story. Healing is possible, and there is hope on the other side of hurt.
Scripture Connection
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
- Romans 12:2
About Our Guest
Phyllis Robertson Thomas is a wife, mother, grandmother, former psychiatric nurse, and licensed professional counselor. Her personal journey became known publicly in 2020 when she discovered that Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson was her biological father. But Phyllis’ story extends far beyond that discovery. Her own experiences with trauma and healing eventually helped lead her into the mental health profession, where she now works with children and families.
In her new book, I Never Knew: Finding Healing and Renewal After Trauma, Phyllis combines her personal story, professional experience, and Christian faith to offer hope to others who are working through painful experiences of their own.
Listener Reflection
Is there something from your past that still has more influence over your present than you would like? Maybe healing doesn’t begin by changing what happened because we can’t. Maybe it begins by realizing our past can be part of our
story without becoming the author of our future.
Join the Conversation
We’d love to hear from you: What’s one truth you’ve learned that helped you move forward from something difficult in your past? And if you know someone who is walking through trauma, a difficult family relationship, questions about identity, or simply a season they didn’t choose, share this episode with them.
Sometimes knowing someone else has walked a hard road
and found hope is exactly what we need.
Subscribe to Rocking It with Chrys & Shellie, the grandmas you didn’t know you needed,
for more honest conversations about faith, family, relationships, and
navigating the real stuff of life.
Resources
I Never Knew: Finding Healing and Renewal After Trauma by Phyllis Robertson Thomas
Available through major booksellers and at Phyllis’ website.
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