Weave & Cleave

Meet Andi Clements, Professor at East Tennessee State University, Associate Director of Research Design and Implementation at the ETSU Strong BRAIN Institute, and president of Uplift Appalachia, a nonprofit that equips churches to help those with substance use disorder and mental health challenges.  And meet Becky Haas, international trauma-informed trainer, ordained minister, and pioneer in creat...

Gaelin Elmore entered the foster care system at five months old. He would spend time in twenty foster homes and DCS would remain a part of his life until he was 13 years old. Until he went to college, Gaelin faced constant instability, abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Listen in as Gaelin shares his personal story of growing up, finding faith, and becoming resilient in the two places where he foun...

Please be advised, this episode mentions war, violence, and rape. Manzie was born in Italy and raised in Liberia, West Africa, during years of civil unrest. Although she was surrounded by the love and support of her family, the trauma of war, death, and violence shaped her childhood. When she and her brother came to America as students seeking asylum, she was 19, and as she would later learn, she...

At the young age of 17, Elaine knew she wanted to work with kids who had experienced trauma. What she didn't understand at the time was her own trauma. She'd just lost her mom to cancer, and in order for her dad to work, she was shouldering the load of parenting her four younger siblings. As she put it, she 'just stepped up', but many years later, she would recognize the reality of her grief and l...

Meet Bhikku Vasu Bandhu, a Buddhist Monk and the Interfaith Manager for the Arizona Faith Network. He's served the interfaith movement since age 18, and over the past decade, he's collaborated with many diverse interfaith organizations, councils, and committees. In recent years, he's been a tremendous servant leader in the Weave & Cleave movement. If you've attended a Weave & Cleave event,...

*Please be advised: This episode mentions suicide.* Jacob Holley was removed from his home at age 11. Over the next five and a half years, he moved in and out of 27 foster placements and was exposed to experiences he was too young to understand. Jacob had to grow up quickly, but with the help of a few insightful mentors and professionals, he grew up with resiliency and a strong sense of identity. ...

Tiesha Harrison is a Storytelling Visual Artist who engages, educates, uplifts, and transforms communities through her creative pursuits - a calling that was birthed from heartbreak and the loss of her corporate job. At first, art was a means for expression and beauty, something to bring the community together. Then Tiesha lost her sister to domestic violence. Art continued to bring healing to Tie...

Dawn Mann Sanders is an associate minister at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland, and newly published author of "When Your World Ends", a book about overcoming adversity and creating a new life - something she knows a great deal about. After unproductive relationships and heartache, Dawn met the man of her dreams. They started a ministry, got married, got pregnant, and suffered a miscarri...

Jennifer Evans is a Global Humanitarian (she's been to 49 countries!), Inspirational Speaker, and Executive Director of Grace Sober Living, a nonprofit based in Phoenix, Arizona.  But a decade ago, this wasn't Jennifer's story. She was working for a high profile nonprofit, taking private jets to five star hotels all over the globe. But what many didn't know was that Jennifer was a substance user a...

At the age of eleven, Deenbo Kidane immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopa, giving her an unique understanding of the challenges immigrants face, as well as the struggles their children face. Her father was a ministry leader, so she also witnessed firsthand the difficulty immigrant ministry leaders encounter when trying to find a supportive, encouraging community. Little did she know, these life expe...

Lauren Broderick began her trauma-informed journey with Sanghoon and Michelle in 2019 when she worked for Hope Women's Center, a Phoenix-based, multi-site crisis center for women. Now she's the Executive Director of CASA of Floyd County, Indiana, where she's applying the trauma-informed lens as an advocate for foster children.  When applying the trauma-informed lens in a service setting for childe...

Dr. Bob Rhoton is a therapist and professor, as well as the founder of the Arizona Trauma Institute and President of Trauma Institute International - an impressive resume for a man who admits he didn't intend to take the mental health path over four decades ago. What kept Rhoton in the field? As he says, "The more I learned, the more dissatisfied I was with what was out there."  In a time when neu...

Jake and Keely Embleton began their trauma-informed care journey in the mission field of Northern Africa. The people they served needed trauma-infomed care, but as newlyweds and new parents in a new country, they needed trauma-informed care, too.  Since learning how to vulnerably ask for help, Jake and Keely have dedicated themselves to the work of building encouraging communities where people can...

Phil Monroe knows trauma. He's been a psychologist for decades, he leads a therapy practice with Diane Langberg (another prominent leader in the trauma space), and he writes curriculum for the Trauma Healing Institute, an arm of the American Bible Society. But because of his faith and his relationship with Christ, Phil also knows trauma healing. He knows it takes time and he willingly recognizes t...

Sybil Kolbert has always had a role in helping people create change, but its looked different over the years. She spent the first two decades of her career as a school psychologist, then she stepped into nonprofit work to help survivors rebuild after trauma. This is where she learned about trauma-informed care, and most importantly, about being trauma-informed - knowledge she wishes she'd had when...

When Jessica Knight entered chaplaincy school, she had no plans to work with survivors of sex trafficking. God had other plans.  Chaplain Jessica Knight is the Founder and Executive Director of Fire Revolution Advocacy for Women, an organization that offers programs and resources to sex trafficking survivors to encourage, empower, and support their recovery. Having her own traumatic history, Jessi...

Much is going on in our world. Much is happening in our own lives. Busyness pulls us. Opinions divide us. Trouble unsettles us. We need Jesus, but what does it look like to pull closer to Him? In this episdoe, Sanghoon and Michelle discuss 5 Rs that will help you focus on 'less of me, more of God' - perfect for an election year! These simple focuses are easy to remember, easy to apply, and guarant...

Brooke Weimar, elementary school teacher in Thailand, reflects on the steps God was laying out for her long before she had a true desire to follow Him. Her story is genuine and warm, a reminder that God uses even the most mundane realities of our lives to draw us into His plan. This episode is for those with an adventurous spirit, for those with a heart for international travel, for those who wond...

In May 2023, hundreds of individuals from various sectors and organizations gathered for a day of trauma-informed speakers, workshops, and connections. Guess what they found. Unity. The work of trauma healing and hope is always unifying. That's why the heart of the Weave & Cleave movement is unity across sectors, across organizations, across ethnicities and backgrounds. This episode discusses...

Karen Cheong was seeking trauma healing when her husband, Robert, began asking the question, "Where does Jesus make a difference in brokenness?" Decades later, Gospel Care Ministries was born, a ministry that equips church leaders and church members with answers to that question. As the Cheongs put it, "The church should be the first place people go for help."  Using the framework of the gospel, t...

Gabby Avalos was an ASU student when she joined an internship that connected her with Pastor Yoo and his diverse community of servant leaders. She thought it'd be a short-term connection. She thought she'd pursue social work after getting her degree. God had other plans, and forturnately for Gabby (and the world), she listened. This captivating interview covers it all - mental health and its abili...

A fifty-five year old book sparks a lively conversation between Pastor Yoo and Michelle. What could be relevant about words penned so many decades ago? Francis Schaeffer's 'The God Who is There' explores themes of compassion and patience, the fight against argument and perfection, and the supreme generosity and joy of knowing the God who is there. Schaeffer's book reinforces the need for a lifesty...

At Sunshine Acres Children's Home, children ages four to eighteen-plus live together in homes with house parents. Much of their schooling and programming is at Sunshine Acres, creating a sense of community and family. Staff members, Joe, Fred, and Rob discuss what its like to create a trauma-informed culture in an organization with a seventy history, and how its helped them create a clearer vision...

Weave & Cleave's podcast co-host, Michelle Stiffler, shares a little about her passion for physical movement, and the launch of Sincerity Method - an approach to integration that blends strength training, mind-body disciplines, and somatic coaching. She also shares the struggles of being multi-faceted in a society that would prefer you pick one path and do one thing. (If you know about suppres...

Derek Sessom, LPC and the Trauma-informed Care Coordinator at Trinitas Church in Phoenix, AZ, has been committed to trauma-informed living for nearly a decade. Listen in as he talks about the solution to loneliness, the key elements of acceptance, and all that can take place when you live in your created design. If you need permission to courageously take hold of your God-given passion, this episo...