The Yellow Brick Road of Trauma
A Conversation with Comedian Nore Davis
If you read my last piece, The Chopper’s Not Coming, you’ll know it was inspired by a conversation I had with Nore Davis—comedian, writer, producer, and very layered creative force. Oh yes, he’s also an Aries.
There’s a certain “kick ya where it counts” type of energy to that phrase - It resonates, it gets you to pay attention, it might even be the “aha” that you need.
And somehow, hearing it didn’t destroy me. It freed me.
“We’re not supposed to be here.
Not supposed to be healed.”
That’s one of the first things Nore said to me when we sat down.
”We’re not supposed to be here. Not supposed to be healed.”
And when you grow up in situations —with people who couldn’t give what they didn’t have, or in a patriarchy that doesn’t want to see you win—healing doesn’t feel like a luxury. It feels like an act of rebellion. Like finding a secret door in a house of mirrors you were never supposed to leave. But somehow you find it.
Nore and I talked about what it’s like to carry wounds. That invisible weight of wondering what your life might’ve looked like if you’d had unconditional love at home, in your relationships, or for yourself. But also having gratitude for the ways things were, the way you are, and how all that ironically adds up. Your experiences, your upbringing, and how they make just one very unique, you.
“What if no one is coming to pluck you out of your misery?
What if that’s the point?” he asks me.
“Donna, no one’s coming. The chopper’s not coming…” echoes out over the intercom of my mind more times than he probably knows. Because Nore is right, we were all taught that if we were “good enough”, someone would come and pluck us out like the giant claw machine at the arcade. Pluck us out of our pain, our struggle, or our situations. We live in a world that teaches us to wait. Wait for the right moment. Wait for someone to come. Wait for the big break. Wait for the validation. Wait for the magic.
But Nore, with that Aries energy reminds me “ That’s the game we’ve been sold.” You don’t need to wait for magic, when you are the magic. You have to be the one to not only take the first step, but many times create the entire staircase.
Art over the algorithm.
Healing over survival.
Nore’s been working at it for years—comedian, actor, writer, creator. But more than that? He’s been waking up his inner child
As the world’s been unraveling around us, Nore’s been rebuilding himself from the ground up. He’s learned that you can’t build on a cracked foundation. Sometimes you gotta implode and start over. He’s decided to do things differently. He’s carving out something rooted, something softer, something real. He’s not chasing approval anymore—he’s designing his own world.
We talked about capitalism, social media, narcissistic mothers, healing through art, inner child work, astrology, and the maddening illusion of “being discovered.” We talked about what happens when you stop waiting to be picked and just start picking yourself.
And according to Nore, that’s when everything changes.
It’s hard not to get caught up in the algorithm and “feeding the machine”. And for Nore, he’s been done. He’s here for the experience, not the engagement. His art is made to connect, not to pass time. He’s over the whole cycle of content consumption. Because, art is made for connection. One scrolls by. The other changes you.
You don’t heal for the gram.
Healing isn’t glamorous and definitely not something you do for the gram. It’s not bubble baths, aesthetics, or “hashtag wellness”. Healing is sitting with your own shit. Healing is choosing, over and over, not to believe the voice that tells you you’re not worthy. It’s being alone with your thoughts and deciding to pick yourself up even when you don’t have a crowd cheering for you. It’s tuning down that inner intercom voice and being present in the experience.
Nore shared a powerful piece of his healing journey with me: his inner courtroom. How he puts his thoughts on trial. Cross-examines the lies that have been told to him by the world and by himself.
He told me about the suicide he didn’t go through with.
The night the darkness almost won.
He told me he will never know if his mother was actually proud of him. That even in her dying days she didn’t tell him.
And then he told me how therapy helped him.
How his adult self finally met his inner child—and they chose to protect one another.
How they continue to show up for each other.
He told me how he’s making peace with it all.
How he’s making peace with himself.
For many life is about collecting medals, for Nore it’s about collecting moments. He’s not trying to fill a stadium with awards for doing the work. He’s trying to fill it with people who get it. Who learn to make beauty out of the mess and give themselves the love they were all taught to wait for.
“I’m not healed all the way,” Nore says. “But I’m not a people pleaser anymore. I know what boundaries are now. And I’m ready to rock.”
The Art of Self video interview with Nore drops in a few days, make sure you’re subscribed to get it in your inbox.
Read this, then do this:
Want more from Nore? Go see him live - all his tour dates are over here and you can catch him on Season 2 of Survival of The Thickest. Want more of his journey through healing, comedy, and reclaiming his power - Nore’s Instagram . Or watch his comedy here.
Then ask yourself: What would I stop waiting for if I truly believed I was worthy now?
And write this down. On paper. In a note. On your mirror.
“The chopper’s not coming—and that’s okay.”
It’s okay because you’re already here. You deserve to be healed.
