A Trauma-Informed Future

Whether you work in the nonprofit, corporate, small business, or healthcare industries, data and quality improvement matter. But how can we use data and quality improvement measures to build trust and safety both within client AND employee experiences? On today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with Quality Improvement Specialist, Tristan Keelan. This episode emphasizes how fostering curiosity over judgment can significantly enhance care quality and outcomes.  Tristan gives us practical examples of how integrating trauma-informed care into our business strategies can impact performance and organizational efficiency, ultimately building more trust and safety within any company culture.

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What comes to mind when you think of resilience? In this short and sweet episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz gets real about what resilience is, how we use it, and how we build it.  Katie opens up about her personal journey, sharing a life update on caregiving for her parents, her dad's recent passing and the emotional toll it has taken. This poignant narrative anchors the episode’s exploration of resilience—not as "gutting it out"—but as our capacity to manage and recover from stressors.

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Connection and building community are vital for any team, department, and organization.  It requires trust, fostering empathy, and promoting the well-being of all members. The intersection of trauma-informed care with community building is essential to effectively and inclusively connect.  But you don't need to know someone's trauma story to offer them trauma-informed care. In today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with community manager and social impact advisor, Fihmiya Hamdan. Fihmiya shares her experiences and practical insights on building trust, managing group dynamics, and the transformative power of compassionate community building. 

Learn more about Fihmiya Hamdan:

Fihmiya Hamdan (she/her) is a passionate baker, traveler, and adventurist. You can find her outdoors in nature's beauty and its surroundings. She a former educator and in a lot of ways, she is still educating but in different capacities. Currently, Fihmiya is a Community Manager and Social Impact Advisor who sits on the intersection of Health & Wellness, Education, and Technology. Fihmiya is fortunate to be working in Mental Health spaces where she can develop a trauma-informed lens as a Community Manager within the Integrate Network. 

Connect with Fihmiya:

• Docuseries: Humans of Connection
  https://www.youtube.com/@HumansofConnection/featured    
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fihmiyahamdan/ 
• Community Management/Social Impact Portfolio to learn more: https://www.notion.so/fihmiyahamdan/Community-Management-Social-Impact-Portfolio-b234357e7a344f9fbecab8e20d94492e?pvs=4 

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We shouldn't have to ever choose between a thriving, sustainable business and our mental health.  The emotional exertion that goes into being an entrepreneur can be isolating and exhausting. In today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with the Entrepreneur's Therapist, Shulamit Ber Levtov. The discussion highlights the lack of mental health support for business owners and the intersection of emotions, finances, and stress management in entrepreneurship. Shulamit contributes insights into childhood trauma's influence on money management, emphasizing the need for trauma-informed leadership and sustainable self-care practices. The episode advocates for integrating trauma-informed approaches and mental wellness in both personal and professional spheres to support business sustainability.

Learn more about Shulamit Ber Levtov:

Shulamit (she/her) is the Entrepreneurs' Therapist. She is working passionately to mitigate the entrepreneurial mental health crisis through keynote speaking and educational workshops and by supporting women entrepreneurs 1:1 to care for their mental and emotional wellbeing and their money psychology in an era of relentless stressors that can make you want to lose your crap on the daily.

Shulamit has been an entrepreneur for over 27 years and has more than 22 years of professional experience supporting women's mental health and personal growth. In addition to working with clients 1:1, Shulamit teaches in private and university business programs and speaks locally, nationally and internationally about the intersection of mental health, trauma, financial psychology and entrepreneurship.

As an award-winning entrepreneur, masters-level, licensed trauma therapist and trauma survivor, with certifications in Dare To Lead™, Trauma of Money and Nonviolent Communication, Shula brings a unique perspective and approach to supporting women in business.

Connect with Shulamit:

• Website:  https://www.shula.ca  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shulamitberlevtov/
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/the_entrepreneurs_therapist
• Subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.shula.ca/newsletter/

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When it comes to trauma there is a big difference between trauma therapy and trauma-informed care.  There are so many different types of treatment and healing modalities but what are they exactly? In today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future Podcast, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with trauma therapist Sarah O'Brien LCSW-S who helps us better understand the key difference between trauma trained and trauma-informed and how essential it is that trauma therapists are trauma-informed. Sarah also helps us understand the difference between what a therapy modality is and how it's delivered.  

Learn more about Sarah:

Sarah F. O’Brien (she/her) is a dynamic and innovative trauma-informed professional. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW, LCSW-C), and has been a practicing psychotherapist specializing in Anxiety Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Relational/Betrayal Trauma reactions & responses for over 15 years. She has had many diverse and enriching experiences as a therapist that inform her work as a Trauma-Informed Coach and Consultant. She has been finding ways to pivot her clinical skills into other areas to reach wider audiences for impacting social change. Sarah also writes, speaks, and creates audio & video media content in efforts to reduce the stigma around mental health disorders & treatment, and to increase understanding of and accessibility to trauma-informed practices for all people and all businesses. (Trauma-informed future, FTW!)

Not only is Sarah the Founder/CEO of both her psychotherapy practice and coaching/consulting business, she is the creator of the groundbreaking tool: the Trauma-Informed Crisis Response Guide. This step-by-step guide can be easily used and followed by any person, in any setting, to navigate the steps to address a mental health crisis in action. She has been featured in numerous media outlets to include Today and PsychReg. She has been a guest speaker on the Circle Back to You Podcast several times, as their in-house Mental Health and Trauma Consultant, as well as guest speaker/Subject Matter Expert for LIVE discussions and panels on LinkedIn. She strives to help folks wrap their minds around trauma-informed care in both clinical and non-clinical settings and work through their barriers to access transformational change, in life, in business, in self.

Sarah lives out her beliefs in every aspect of her work, as she employs TI principles to her business practices, marketing, design, content-creation, collaboration with other professionals or companies, and her work with clients. She has a contagious energy and uses it to empower every individual she works with to be their authentic selves…and wear it proudly. Her collaborative approach creates a synergy between herself and others that provides hype for motivation, follow-through on goals, and recognizable change.  Neuroscience and evidenced-based practices are the driving forces behind Sarah’s approach to understanding how people create lasting and transformational change for themselves.

Sarah holds several roles and titles in addition to Founder, CEO, clinician, consultant, and coach. These include: Social Impact Catalyst and Subject Matter Expert at Integrate Trauma-Informed Network and Circle of Friends Club. Ambassadorship for Belongly, Circle of Friends Club & Freedom Fight Expo, and Ace Med Assist, as well as, products for Own Your Stigma, CalmiGo, and Loop earplugs. Membership Chair of her local chapter of the Virginia Society for Clinical Social Work.

She's also a proud dog mom, loyal friend, faithful spouse, reggae music lover, travel enthusiast, changemaker, and trauma survivor.

Connect with Sarah:

• Website: www.sarahobrienlcsw.com 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thrivesarahobrienlcsw/

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Trauma-informed care is essential in healthcare. Given the prevalence of trauma across diverse demographics, understanding and addressing trauma is vital for providing compassionate and effective care. In today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future Podcast, host Katie Kurtz is sharing 5 key trauma-informed healthcare considerations. Traditional healthcare practices risk re-traumatizing individuals, highlighting the importance of creating safe and supportive environments. Trauma-informed care leads to improved patient outcomes by fostering trust and collaboration between healthcare providers and patients.  With a vast lens of experience working both within healthcare and as a caregiver, Katie highlights practical steps any healthcare provider can take toward trauma-informed care. 

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Trauma-informed care belongs everywhere but it especially belongs in healthcare. Not only should it be expectation but the standard of care.  So what does that look like in practice? In this week's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with health equity activist and health informatics professional, Ebony Williams. Ebony shares her lived and learned experiences as a person living with a chronic illness as well as a wellness coach and patient advocate and why she is so passionate about inclusive and equitable healthcare.  This is the start of an ongoing conversation about delving into the many reasons why trauma-informed care is essential within our healthcare systems.  

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We can't talk about trauma without talking about adverse childhood experiences or ACEs . It's a very popular study that was done almost 20 years ago and it's often a cornerstone of discussion around trauma and trauma-informed care. But how much is the ACE study benefitting us? And what about going beyond adverse childhood experiences and looking at adverse community environments as well as promoting protective factors and resilience? On today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with psychologist and author, Dr. Amy King.   Join them on a thought-provoking journey exploring the pressing need for a shift in how we handle childhood adversity and resilience. Dr. King will decipher the complexities of ACE questionnaires, the critical role of nurturing relationships in early childhood, and how to integrate trauma-informed and resilience-focused care into our health systems. 

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You are really good at offering trauma-informed care to others, but how are you at offering that same care to yourself? In today's episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is reviewing 6 essential elements of trauma-informed self-care.  Learn about the bidirectional nature of trauma-informed care, emphasizing the importance of including ourselves as caregivers in the process.  This episode is packed with insights to help you nurture and support your overall well-being. 

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We are hearing more and more about the importance of understanding our nervous system and its relationship to our health, mental health and well-being. But how often are we learning about the importance of co-regulation as a part of nervous system care? In today's episode, host Katie Kurtz is in conversation with guest Shelby Leigh peeling back the layers on why feeling safe and connected through co-regulation isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for healing. They explore the strength found in relationships and the often unacknowledged impact of trauma on our ability to be present for others. This episode delves into the profound world of co-regulation, its role in our healing journeys, and how it shapes our ability to foster a trauma-informed future—not just for ourselves, but within communities and workplaces.

Connect with Shelby:

• www.shelby-leigh.com
• www.creatingsaferspace.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelbyleighLLC/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-leigh/
• Instagram: @fierceheart.shelbyleigh
• Check out Shelby’s upcoming retreat: https://www.shelby-leigh.com/panama-retreat

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