Resiliency Within

Rev. Chrissy Ruehl and Rev. John Ruehl are dedicated ministers in Savannah, Georgia, They have a passionate commitment to serve their community. They will share their perspectives as a married couple from different faith traditions who share common goals about the possibilities of community change. They will share how they use and integrate the Community Resiliency Model and Asset-Based Community...

What do resilience and leadership look like for women of color? Women of color comprise about 18 percent of the U.S. population, yet only 4 percent of C-Level positions in 2018, falling far below white men (68 percent) and white women (19 percent). Why? Rising to power is a gendered and racist journey. Women of color don't face a glass ceiling. They face a concrete ceiling. Unlike a glass ceiling,...

Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a recognized authority in the realm of climate change's physiological and psychological impacts, will enlighten us about her advocacy efforts. She aims to provide insight into these incidents' cumulative effects on children and adults. Dr. Van Susteren will delve into the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the context of climate change, elucidating pathways for the...

As a nation, we are heartbroken about the destruction of Lahaina and all the lives lost. The community of Butte County, California, experienced similar destruction and loss in 2018 as a result of the Campfire. The community mobilized and is recovering. Members of their community wanted to share what they learned and the wisdom that was gained. They hope that their discussion on Resiliency Within c...

Resiliency Within celebrates in this episode the bonds of sisterhood during this National Sister Month. Today's show is dedicated to the concept of sister-friends—those special individuals who support us through life's ups and downs. Whether they share our DNA or are sisters of our choosing, these connections are invaluable. Sister-friends love us unconditionally, standing by us even when we're no...

Dr. Joy Miller will join Resiliency Within to talk about her remarkable work with global resilience. Miller created a new forum for training in the area of resiliency. Resiliency Productions became a gift of love to the global world, offering free access to mental health techniques for those struggling with the pandemic, loss, grief, anxiety & depression. Dedicated to offering personal empowerment...

Vanessa Kettering and Rhonda Rodgers, co-founders of Way of Well-Being, will share their experiences with the life-changing work from the early days of the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI) to translating the skills for others in their community to find peace and resilience in a world full of heteronormative ideas and sometimes hostile or misinformed views. Their connection with TRI, tools of contem...

This show is a story of hope, resilience, and love. Resilience is sometimes the outcome of some of the darkest moments in one's life. My guests, a mother, Sue Borrego and her daughter, Kelsey Bunker Robertson, had very different experiences following Sue's coming out when Kelsey was 9. Sue was occupied by the fear of losing her children and job and moving through the generational shame of her sexu...

Welcome to Resiliency Within and part 2 of my discussion with the Rev. Dr. Keith Menhinick of Emory Univesity's Candler School of Theology. Part 1 aired on July 3, 2023. Today's show will explore Queer Theology. Rev. Dr. Keith Menhinick will discuss his views about Queer theology, and the course he teaches at Emory University. Sexuality and spirituality are often pitted against each other in relig...

K Thomas will discuss the current state of Queer and trans rights across the US and the deep history of resiliency within the LGBTQIA2S+ communities. K will address how racism, reproductive justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights are intertwined within recent SCOTUS decisions. We will also explore how embracing the strengths of the Queer and trans communities enables us to choose compassion over comprehensio...

Resiliency Within will highlight the strength, resiliency, and positive contributions of the queer community during several episodes. The Rev. Dr. Keith A. Menhinick joins us in this episode, Chasing Resilience in Queer Communities. Dr. M, as his Theology students call him at Emory University, states, Many people in helping and caregiving professions see LGBTQ+ people in terms of their trauma--the...

Michael Sapp, the CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute, and Elaine Miller-Karas the host of Resiliency Within and the Co-Founder of the Trauma Resource Institute, will reflect on pressing contemporary issues of war, wokeism, healing, and forgiveness through the wisdom of the characters of Ted Lasso, a series on AppleTV. Their working definition of woke is not politicized but rather a word that has...

Guy MacPherson, Ph. D., will share his journey as the founder of the Trauma Therapist Project, which has grown to include the Trauma Therapist Podcast and Newsletter. He has interviewed over 700 therapists who have dedicated their lives to helping those people who have been impacted by trauma. He will share what he has learned that is important for all of us who are healing from the traumas experi...

Dr. Brooke Ellison was on Resiliency Within on March 20th. Her interview was so inspiring to so many we wanted her back. She agreed to continue to share perspectives about disability and advocacy that she eloquently describes in her latest book, Look Both Ways. After a nearly fatal run-in with a car at age 11 that left her paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on her own, Brooke Ellis...

Dr. Ilene Naomi Rusk has a trauma-informed science-based approach to brain health and optimal longevity. She's developed a user-friendly way of using a functional medicine approach to help prevent Alzheimer's and improve cognitive health. Dr. Rusk focuses mainly on helping her patients build stress resilience, and she focuses on numerous lifestyle pillars of brain health. These lifestyle pillars,...

Ask a youth involved in Juvenile Justice how they feel and the response you will most likely hear is "I feel disrespected." The default response from the system is often along the lines of "You don't know what respect is." And thus sets off an often vicious downward spiral. It doesn't have to be this way. Ask a youth how you might show respect, and the entire conversation shifts: respect and trust...

Cammie Wolf Rice, the Founder & CEO of the Christopher Wolf Crusade, recently released her book, The Flight, on September 18, 2022, Christopher's birthday. Cammie will share her journey after her son's death and the innovative initiative she created in response to her son's lost 14-year battle with opioids. She will share the mission of the Christopher Wolf Crusade (CWC) and how it is dedicated to...

Award-winning author and thought leader Dawson Church, Ph. D., blends cutting-edge neuroscience with intense firsthand experience to show you how to rewire your brain for happiness. Dr. Dawson will talk about his book, Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy In Bliss Brain, famed researcher Dawson Church digs deep into leading-edge science and fin...

Dr. Jamie Gamboa and Brian Stefan, MSW, of Spotlight on Suicide (SOS) return to discuss the Suicidal Ideation Toolbox (SIT), which contains accessible skills for helping professionals and everyone who experiences deep suffering and suicidal thoughts. Everyone experiences thoughts of suicide (whether they be passing and/or passive thoughts or more active thoughts) at some point in our lives, but ma...

Ned Bachus's novel is about Sarah Goins, a college professor with a thriving career and close-knit academic community who is eager to draw her boyfriend, Mike Flannagan, deeper into her world. But Mike, a groundskeeper at a local seminary, resists, instead keeping her at arm's length as he struggles to come to terms with a past haunted by loss. Late one night, Mike crosses paths with Domenic Gallo...

Implementing trauma- and resilience-informed systems in rural communities offers its own set of challenges and awards. Many rural communities lack the resources of their urban cousins, yet connection to available resources can be more easily obtained. This is what makes the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) such a good fit for rural areas. It provides a resource that costs very little and can be ob...

My guests, Audrey Stillerman, MD, and Bridget Gavaghan will discuss the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative (the Collaborative) and the Center for Collaborative Study of Trauma, Health Equity, and Neurobiology (THEN). The organizations have been working for over a decade to transform organizations and systems through trauma-informed, resilience-building, and healing-centered policies and practice...

After a nearly fatal run-in with a car at age 11 that left her paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on her own, Brooke Ellison went on to graduate from Harvard, write a memoir, earn master's and doctoral degrees, and teach policy and ethics as a tenured professor—all the while navigating the world as a woman with ventilator-dependent quadriplegia. It would be easy to admire Brooke fr...

Elaine Miller-Karas and Michael Sapp will discuss Elaine's new book, Building Resilience to Trauma, the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, 2nd Edition, published by Routledge on March 13, 2023. Dr. Sapp will talk about the neuroscience of the Community and Trauma Resiliency Models. This is Part 2 of 2 Parts. Part 1 aired on March 6, 2023. Part 2 will focus on the neuroscience of the Trauma an...

Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, will discuss the second edition of her book, Building Resiliency to Trauma, with Dr. Michael Sapp, the CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute. During and after a traumatic experience, survivors experience a cascade of physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, relational, and spiritual responses that can make them feel unbalanced and threatened. The second edition of Buil...