From Dark To Light: Stories of Resilience

Dave Pelzer is one of the most recognized voices on childhood trauma, resilience, and forgiveness. In this deeply moving episode of From Dark to Light, Dave shares the untold layers behind A Child Called It, not just the abuse he survived, but the mindset, mentors, and moments that saved his life. From enduring extreme childhood abuse and neglect to being rescued by teachers who refused to look aw...

Some stories are not just about surviving. They are about what someone chooses to do with the pain they were handed. In this episode of From Dark To Light, Julie sits down with Kirsten Vanderjagt, who grew up surrounded by homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, and constant instability. After attending over a dozen schools and experiencing foster care and profound family loss, Kirsten shares...

In this deeply moving episode of From Dark to Light, we sit down with Chasitey Kyle, a mother, widow, and survivor who has faced unimaginable loss. At 34, she lost her husband with five young children at home. After finding love again, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy—who tragically passed just 18 days later. Through faith, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to her family, Chasitey has...

In this episode of From Dark to Light, Julie Crawford sits down with Dianna Nicole Stewart to talk about a kind of darkness many people know well—burnout. Before success, before TikTok, and before financial freedom, Dianna was a mother, wife, former school teacher, and homeschool mom doing everything she could to keep life running. Through years of caregiving, side hustles, health crises, divorce,...

In this episode of From Dark to Light , Julie Crawford sits down with Mai to explore what it means to grow up between two cultures and the strength it takes to reclaim your voice. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand after her family fled the Vietnam War, Mai was raised navigating Hmong cultural expectations while adapting to life in the United States. From becoming her family's translator at a youn...

In this heartfelt episode of From Dark to Light, Julie sits down with Jessica Norman, a wife, mother, advocate, and breast cancer survivor whose world changed with one phone call. At just 37 years old, Jessica went from living her happiest chapter to facing appointments, biopsies, chemo plans, surgeries, and the overwhelming uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Through fear, pain, insur...

At just 13 years old, Long Don's life came down to a simple, terrifying equation: a 50–50 chance of living or dying. In today's episode of From Dark to Light, Long shares his extraordinary path from communist-controlled Vietnam to the open ocean, a brutal refugee camp, and eventually the United States — where he would rebuild his life from the ground up. Sent away by his mother in a desperate atte...

In this powerful episode of From Dark to Light, Julie sits down with Jackie Council, a multi-trauma survivor whose life is a living testament to faith, courage, and the incredible strength of the human spirit. Born in a small village in the Dominican Republic and brought to the United States through a missionary adoption, Jackie's story begins with loss, separation, and the wounds of a childhood s...

In this moving episode of From Dark to Light, Julie sits down with Consolee Nishimwe, a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. At only fourteen, she endured the unthinkable. She lost her father and three brothers, fled from home, survived brutal attacks, and carried wounds that would reshape the rest of her life. Yet Consolee's story is not defined by tragedy. It is defined by...

In 2013, Kristan Seaford's life changed forever. What began as a routine case of strep throat quickly turned into sepsis, nearly costing her life. To survive, Kristan had three and a half of her limbs removed—while raising five children, the youngest just 13 months old at the time. Instead of letting tragedy define her, Kristan chose resilience. She leaned into her faith, her family, and her inner...

In this episode of From Dark to Light, we sit down with Jamie Nelson, a wife, mother, and creative soul whose life looked picture-perfect from the outside — but behind the smiles and Pinterest-worthy moments, she was quietly losing herself to alcohol. Jamie opens up to host Julie Crawford about the years she spent battling addiction while keeping up appearances, and how the weight of perfection ne...

In this powerful debut episode of From Dark to Light , host Julie Crawford opens up about the heartbreaking yet inspiring story of her mother, Maureen, who endured unthinkable loss, from childhood abuse to losing her leg and first child at just 17. Through her story, Julie shares how those experiences shaped her own purpose: to shine light on resilience, healing, and the human spirit's power to ke...

At just 14 years old, Tanya Kach was groomed by her middle school security guard, kidnapped, and held captive in his bedroom for 10 years. In this powerful episode of From Dark to Light, host Julie Crawford sits down with Tanya Kach to share her unimaginable story — one of survival, faith, and courage. It's a story that reminds us that even in the darkest circumstances, the human spirit can rise a...