Elevating Good | For Women of Faith Who Won't Give Up on People

Content note: This episode includes candid conversation about military sexual trauma, PTSD, substance use, and childhood sexual abuse. Please listen with care and step away if you need to.

What does healing actually look like — not as a concept, but as a lived, embodied, decades-long journey? In this powerful episode, Morenike sits down with Simone Swartz: U.S. Army veteran, published author, Reiki practitioner, and co-founder of Service Dog Strong. Simone knows the weight of undiagnosed PTSD from the inside. She also knows what it looks like when healing — finally — takes hold.

After surviving military sexual trauma in the Army and spending nearly a decade managing her pain through self-medication, Simone found her way to recovery through counseling, holistic healing, faith, and an extraordinary bond with her service dog, Gunner. Today she advocates globally, writes, coaches, and speaks the truth she wishes someone had spoken to her sooner: PTSD is treatable.

This conversation is honest, hopeful, and deeply human. Morenike opens up about her own journey as a survivor, and together these two women model exactly the kind of courageous, bridge-building dialogue that this podcast exists to hold.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How a single incident in the military set off a decades-long domino effect — and what finally broke the cycle

• Why Simone reframes PTSD as a post-traumatic injury, not a disorder — and why that distinction matters for healing

• The surprising way Simone discovered her own PTSD (hint: she went to therapy to help someone else)

• Why healing must be physical, not just mental — and what martial arts, Reiki, bodywork, and exercise have to do with it

• The science behind why service dogs can reach sexual assault survivors in ways that even therapists sometimes cannot

• What it means that "shame must switch sides" — and how speaking out becomes the last step of the healing journey

• Simone's vision of a beloved community: a world where darkness has no place to hide

  
  

About Simone Swartz

Simone Swartz is the author of PTSD and What Helped Me: A Step-by-Step Guide to Start Your PTSD Recovery Journey, a practical guide written from inside lived experience. She has contributed research to Elsevier, one of the world's leading medical publishers, and co-founded Service Dogs Strong — one of the first nonprofits in the country dedicated to providing trained service dogs at no cost to survivors of sexual assault living with PTSD. She is a speaker, coach, mother of three, and a tireless advocate for trauma survivors everywhere.

Connect with Simone 

 www.ptsdandwhathelpedme.com  PTSD and What Helped Me — book and workbook available on her website 💬 Simone is currently accepting a limited number of coaching clients

Facebook 

Resources mentioned:

• Vet Centers (free counseling for veterans and their families) — vetcenter.va.gov

• Service Dogs Strong — servicedogsstrong.org

• Simone's book includes a comprehensive list of FDA-approved and holistic PTSD therapies — Eastern and Western modalities

Additional resources:

• National sexual assault hotline: 1(800) 656-4673

• Veteran’s Crisis Line: 988 

• Crisis text line: 741741

• Crisis line for kids and teens: 1 (877) 968-8491

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What if the way we grow food could teach us how to build community — and even bridge our deepest divides? In this rich, wide-ranging conversation, Morenike sits down with Ryan Blosser, farmer, educator, mental health professional, and co-founder of Shenandoah Permaculture Institute, to explore the living intersection of land, belonging, and human connection.

Ryan is the co-author (with Trevor Pearsall) of Mulberries in the Rain: Growing Permaculture Plants for Food and Friendship — a book that weaves personal story, practical plant wisdom, and a deeply relational philosophy of sustainability. This episode is one in From the Ground Up permaculture miniseries and it might be the most human one yet.

From Division I basketball to Hawaii surfboards to food forests in the Shenandoah Valley, Ryan's journey is a masterclass in following the hard path toward what truly matters — and discovering that community is not built in a moment, but grown, slowly, through rupture and repair.

In This Episode 

• ​The origin story behind Mulberries in the Rain and why approachability matters in permaculture
• ​Ryan's surprising path: from Division I basketball to surfing in Hawaii to discovering Bill Mollison and permaculture
• ​Why plants become characters in our lives — and what deep relationship with a single plant can teach us about commitment
• ​The concept of the 'human sector' in permaculture design and why 98% of permaculture project failures trace back to it
• ​Guilds in permaculture: anchor plants, barrier plants, dynamic accumulators, pest confusers, beneficial attractors, and nitrogen fixers
• ​The biggest misconceptions about permaculture (hint: it's not a technique — it's a design system)
• ​Why community building is hard — and why that's not a reason to stop.
• ​Permaculture's most urgent principle for our current political moment: integrate, don't segregate
• ​Honoring indigenous ecological knowledge — and moving beyond acknowledgment to action
• ​How to start your permaculture journey (spoiler: don't buy land yet)

Resources Mentioned

• ​Mulberries in the Rain: Growing Permaculture Plants for Food and Friendship by Ryan Blosser & Trevor Pearsall
• ​Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta — recommended by Ryan for indigenous ecological knowledge
• ​Deakin University / Tyson Yunkaporta's Indigenous Technologies Lab document on respectful use of IEK
• ​Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier's work on permaculture design and guilds
• ​Wendell Berry poem: 'Be joyful, even though you have considered all the facts'

Website: https://www.shenandoahpermaculture.com/

• ​Shenandoah Permaculture Institute (SPI) — courses offered spring & fall; 2 scholarships available per cohort
• ​Upcoming SPI courses: University of Richmond area (spring) | University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg (fall)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shenandoahpermaculture/?__pwa=1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shenpermaculture

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In this episode of Elevating Good, Morenike sits down with Cendrine Hosoda, a trauma-informed life consultant, speaker, and founder of Pursuing Wholesome Health.

Cendrine has a gift for meeting people right where they are — especially those who have carried invisible wounds for so long that survival mode has started to feel like home.

Cendrine brings a beautifully integrated approach to healing: one that weaves together neuroscience, somatics, and faith. As a Neurosomatic Intelligence Certified practitioner, she helps complex trauma survivors gently move from hypervigilance and shutdown into greater safety, regulation, and wholeness — without bypassing the body or the spirit.

Whether you've experienced trauma yourself, love someone who has, or simply feel like you've been running on empty longer than you'd like to admit, this conversation will meet you with compassion and offer a path forward. In this episode, you'll hear:

• ​What complex trauma actually is — and why so many people don't recognize it in themselves
• ​Why healing isn't just a mental process — and what the nervous system has to do with it
• ​How faith and neuroscience can work together (not against each other) in the healing journey
• ​What it means to move from survival mode into sustainable wholeness
• ​Practical wisdom for anyone ready to stop white-knuckling through life

Cendrine is also a mom of two young adults who finds restoration in nature, a good book, and a beautiful meal — and that groundedness comes through in every word she shares.

This is the kind of conversation that makes you feel less alone — and more hopeful about what's possible.

Contact Cendrine

Website:

https://pursuingwholesomehealth.com/

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIN

Link to a free resource:

https://pursuingwholesomehealth.com/nervous-system-foundations-a-gentle-introduction-to-nsi/

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Bluesky

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Some conversations don't expire — they wait for the moment the world is ready to receive them.

We're bringing back this powerful episode with Jason Tuttle because the moment is now.

In a time when headlines are surfacing painful truths about men's mental health, grief, the silent weight so many men carry alone, and the tragic impacts men who do not get adequate intervention can have on their women and homes,

Jason's story is exactly the kind of voice we need to hear. Jason lost his young son — and rather than retreating into silence, he did something courageous: he talked about it.

In this episode, Jason opens up about:

• ​What grief actually looks and feels like for men — and why it often goes unseen
• ​How men process loss differently, and why that difference matters
• ​Practical ways women can show up for the men in their lives who are hurting
• ​How one man's willingness to share his pain became a lifeline for others

Jason's journey doesn't offer easy answers. It offers something better — honest witness, hope, and a reminder that healing is possible even in the darkest valleys.

Website: www.LettersToZachary.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552174684952

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letters2zachary/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@letters2zachary

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Host Morenike Ogebe sits down with Vicky Crawford, a recently retired federal employee with 44 years of public service, during Women's History Month. Vicky shares the story of her journey from a North Carolina farm — the youngest of seven children — to helping build landmark EEO and disability employment programs in public service. The conversation weaves together personal history, professional legacy, hard-won workplace wisdom, and a faith-rooted philosophy of service without seeking credit.

Contact Vicky Crawford: +1 (301) 254-0419

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Andrea Putting is a speaker, award-winning author, and the host of Chocolate and Coffee Break: A Compassionate Proposition — a broadcast where strangers sit down together,share their stories and leave seeing each other differently.

Her work centers on three convictions: belonging as practice, listening as leadership, and compassion as a courageous daily choice. What began as the simplest of invitations — a pieceof chocolate, a warm drink, and a willingness to listen — has grown into a media platform dedicated to rebuilding trust in divided spaces.

Andrea is the author of Compassionate Purpose and Compassionate Prosperity. Her message is clear and urgent: the quality of our conversations shapes the future of our communities.

She describes her work not as a career but as a calling — one she follows in obedience to a quiet, persistent nudge to keep building bridges. One table at a time.

Visit her website to learn more about her books and speaking - https://andreaputting.com.au/

Watch Chocolate and Coffee Break: A Compassionate Proposition - https://chocolateandcoffeebreak.com/

Follow Andrea on social media for daily doses of compassionate leadership.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.puttingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreaputting/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndreaPutting

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chocolate-and-coffee-break/

Books by Andrea

• Compassionate Purpose — Available wherever books are sold.

• Compassionate Prosperity —Available wherever books are sold.

Enjoyed this episode? Like, follow, share, and subscribe.

Elevating Good Podcast is also on:

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Books by Andrea Putting

In this season's launch solo episode, Elevating Good Podcast host Morenike Ogebe dedicates Black History Month to Black women navigating job loss, career uncertainty, and economic transition in the U.S. With honesty, faith, and deep compassion, she reflects on the shifting labor landscape, honors the legacy of Black women who came before us, and offers practical tools for grounding, resilience, and rebuilding.

This episode is a love letter, a reality check, and a reminder: you are not alone—and this is not the end of your story. Share this episode with a sister who needs encouragement today.

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Are you a Black woman looking for wealth-building options? Join the 5-Day Igniter Challenge and start building your digital highway to wealth: https://blackwomanlifestylemanifesto.com/access?am_id=morenike8460

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In this third and final installation of From the Ground Up: Building Bridges Through the Land, Candise Jordan, AKA “Silk the Farmer,” a health and fitness coach, urban farmer, and owner of Farm, Forage, Feast, discusses her journey into foraging and permaculture and shares her enthusiasm for connecting with creation through growing and gathering real food. This episode invites you to slow down, look around, and rediscover the ways God and nature speak through the soil and even the “weeds” we’ve overlooked.

The first U.S. listener to DM us and correctly name every plant (including fruits, nuts, or trees) mentioned in this episode will win an Elevating Good Podcast Color-Morphing Mug—perfect for cozy holiday sipping while you tune in to future episodes. If you aren’t a winner, there’s still hope, thanks to Farm Forage Feast and owner Candise Jordan, when you visit farm-forage-feast.teemill.com/events and mention Elevating Good Podcast you’ll get 15% off any foraging program!

Website: https://farm-forage-feast.teemill.com/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/silk_the_farmer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084327682661

For Purchase - Wild Edible Weeds calendar: https://bit.ly/WildEdibleWeeds

Other Resources:

Herbalista: https://herbalista.org/Enjoying Elevating Good Podcast? Share, follow, and review if you like what you hear so more people can discover EGP!

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In this episode, pastor, author, speaker, and Executive Director of Christian Couples Fellowship International, Femi Awodele discusses cultural differences in intercultural marriages, particularly between African and Western traditions. He shares his journey from Nigeria to the U.S, his intercultural marriage, and offers practical advice on ways biblical principles can create bridges over cultural divides, using his book "Peculiar Conflicts: African Marriages in Western Cultures" as a point of reference.

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bro-femi-awodele

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianCpls

Awodele, William Femi. (2003). Peculiar Conflicts. Xulon Press. https://a.co/d/31sGkoD

Awodele, Femi. (2004). The Power of Forgiveness. Xulon Press. https://a.co/d/9xaypOv

Chapman, Gary D. (2015). The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. Northfield Publishing. https://a.co/d/7G88TpV

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Meet Travis Holzem, a Marine Veteran of Desert Storm and owner of Food Forest Design Minnesota, who is revolutionizing local food sustainability in his community through the use of permaculture. Also featuring Dawn Taft, an Environmental Programs Manager, and City Arborist of Hyattsville, Maryland who helped start and oversees two public food forests.

Contact Travis

Owner/Founder Food Forest Design MN and Food Forest Design Network

Phone: (888) 712-2728

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodforestminnesota

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@foodforestdesignmn

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/foodforestdesignmn?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZTd4Njd5aXdyY3Jz

X (Twitter): @MnFood

Websites:

Food Forest Design Minnesota: https://foodforestdesignmn.com

Food Forest Design Network. https://foodforestdesignnetwork.com

Contact Dawn

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: (240) 487-0290

Cell: 301-852-8790

City of Hyattsville Food Forests:

https://www.hyattsville.org/902/Food-Forests

What do you think about the Elevating Good Podcast? Share, follow, and review if you like what you hear so more people can discover EGP!

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Articles and Sources:

Perma (2024, October 17). What is Permaculture? A Complete Guide for Beginners. Permaculture Practice. Accessed 2025, November 9. https://permaculturepractice.com/what-is-permaculture/

Holmgren, David (2020). Essence of Permaculture. MelliDora Publishing. Accessed 2025, November 9. https://files.permacultureprinciples.com/downloads/Essence_of_Pc_EN.pdf?_ga=2.18245437.548275809.1763602469-436374045.1762990872

Nesbit, Josephine (2022, May 23), Edited by Barbera, Antonio. What is a Homestead? USNews.com. Accessed 2025, November 9.

https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/what-is-a-homestead

Homestead Definition and Meaning. Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed 2025, November 9.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homestead

2022, April 30.  (Updated 2023, January 10). 15+ Facts About Permaculture Statistics.  Farmhacker.com. Accessed 2025, November 9. https://farmhacker.com/permaculture-statistics/

Griggs, Ryan (2025, September 19). How U.S. Farms, Schools, and Online Courses Are Promoting Permaculture. The Regenaissance. Accessed 2025, November 9.

https://theregenaissance.co/blogs/food-safety/how-u-s-farms-schools-and-online-courses-are-promoting-permaculture-wisdom

Deines, Tina (2025, September 16). Residents thrilled as innovative 'food forest' revolutionizes grocery shopping: 'I could spend a whole day here'. The Cool Down. Accessed 2025, November 9. https://www.thecooldown.com/sustainable-food/food-forest-park-hyattsville-maryland/

Solyst, Jake (2025, September 3). A food forest in Hyattsville, Maryland gives far more than it takes. Chesapeake Bay Program. Accessed 2025, November 9. https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/a-food-forest-in-hyattsville-maryland-gives-far-more-than-it-takes