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Glen Green: Finding Light After Childhood Trauma

Author: Hamish Williams,
Publish Date: Tue, 12 May 2026, 11:19am

This week’s episode of The Nutters Club explored the lifelong impact of childhood trauma, the burden of anger, and the transformative power of forgiveness through the story of Glen Green.

Growing up in East Auckland, Glen described a childhood marked by domestic violence, fear, and instability. As a young boy, he and his younger sister would hide upstairs while their parents fought. One defining moment came when police arrived at the family home and forcibly removed his father while neighbours watched from across the street. Glen recalled how, at around ten years old, something inside him “shut down” emotionally after being torn between his parents in that moment.

The trauma followed him into adolescence. Struggling at school, gravitating toward other angry young people, and frequently getting into fights, Glen said he often felt consumed by rage. He explained that lashing out became the only time he experienced relief from the turmoil he carried inside.

But his life began to change through an unexpected act of kindness. A local youth worker named Peter started spending time with Glen and his friends, eventually inviting them back to his home for food and conversation. During a simple prayer one evening, Glen described experiencing a profound emotional release. For the first time, he let go of the anger and unforgiveness he had carried toward his father.

That moment, Glen said, changed everything.

The discussion focused heavily on the idea that forgiveness is often less about excusing harmful behaviour and more about freeing yourself from carrying its emotional weight. Kyle MacDonald noted that forgiveness does not mean saying what happened was acceptable, it means letting go of the anger that continues to harm you.

Glen shared how he carried those lessons into his professional life while working at the Hilton London Metropole, then Europe’s largest hotel. Starting as a porter, he introduced a workplace initiative based around kindness, appreciation, and “random acts of kindness” between departments. The result was a dramatic transformation in morale and performance, eventually helping the hotel become the highest-rated Hilton in London.

Throughout the episode, a clear theme emerged: hope, compassion, and genuine human connection can profoundly change lives, both our own and those around us.