Just Like Nana

Licensed psychologist, Dr. Daphne Fatter explores the world of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and its link to ancestral healing. 

Trauma isn’t just a personal experience but a legacy burden that can be handed down through DNA, attachment patterns, and energetic imprints. The flip side is that we can also be the recipients of ancestral gifts.

About Dr. Daphne Fatter

Dr. Daphne Fatter is a licensed psychologist, clinical trainer, and international speaker specializing in integrative, trauma-informed therapies. As a certified practitioner in IFS, EMDR, and Ancestral Lineage Healing, she is a leading expert in resolving complex intergenerational and historical trauma. Dr. Fatter has authored significant works on these topics, including a book chapter on integrating IFS with ancestral healing and her own guide, Integrating Internal Family Systems into EMDR Therapy. Her work bridges the gap between evidence-based psychotherapy and the profound, often non-verbal realm of ancestral connection. 

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Trauma is multi-dimensional, including personal events as well as collective and ancestral traumas passed down through epigenetics. 
• Ancestral trauma often shows up non-verbally as a sense of heaviness, unexplained dreams, or emotional reactions that feel "too big" for the situation at hand.
• You don't need a perfect family history to heal. By connecting with "well" ancestors, you can access a powerful support system.
• Integrating IFS with ancestral work encourages cultural humility, allowing us to recognize our place within a massive, nested system and treat ourselves and others with deeper curiosity and grace.

Resources Mentioned

• IFS Integration by Jenna Riemersma
• Dr. Daniel Foor

Connect with Dr. Daphne Fatter

• Website
• Integrating IFS (Internal Family Systems) into EMDR Therapy

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Reiki practitioner Erica Wallace Moore addresses how Reiki can help with “stuck” emotions or chronic stress caused by unintentionally carrying the energetic imprints from generations past. 

Empathy and intuition serve as spiritual superpowers to help you navigate trauma, dissolve gunky energy, and finally create a safe space your soul needs to rest and restore. 

About Erica Wallace Moore

Erica Wallace Moore is a Reiki Practitioner, Instructor, healer, and Akashic Records reader currently in practice at Wellness Paradigm, a wellness and healing collective in Minneapolis. Her Reiki journey began in 2014 after receiving the practice for the first time. As a mother of four, Erica found herself feeling frazzled, stressed, and disconnected from her body. Those initial sessions proved life-changing, helping her return to her center and grounding her in a way she hadn't experienced before. While it began as a personal tool for healing, Reiki quickly evolved into one of her essential daily spiritual practices. What started as curiosity has since transformed into higher vibrations of connection, compassion, love, and wisdom. Erica is particularly passionate about how Reiki and the Akashic Records expand energetic pathways for self-discovery, forgiveness, joy, and peace.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Reiki can be an incredible tool to dissolve "stuck" energy, allowing you to expel what no longer serves you and make room for new vitality.
• Recognizing that trauma is energetic information processed by our cells can help us understand why it often feels physically "trapped" in our central nervous system.
• We can carry the grief and hardships of our ancestors within our own energetic field, and healing involves raising our own vibration to move forward. 

Resources Mentioned

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Connect with Erica Wallace Moore

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

“The Formidable Genealogist” Jen Shaffer explains how uncovering the histories of our ancestors allows us to move forward with empathy and understanding. 

Professional genealogy can be a powerful tool for exploring ancestral trauma and finding a path toward healing, and Jen offers tips on how you can get started uncovering your own family tree.

About Jen Shaffer

Born in Iowa and currently residing in Minnesota, Jen Shaffer has had a lifelong passion for history, which she has channeled into a career as a professional genealogist. Jen is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, where she also serves as the Booth Coordinator for both in-person and virtual industry events. She possesses a remarkably broad knowledge base covering diverse time periods, geographic locations, and languages. A graduate of St. Olaf College with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Russian Language and Russian Studies, Jen particularly enjoys working with Slavic and Scandinavian records. Her linguistic background includes the formal study of Russian, Spanish, German, Latin, and Norwegian. She has developed a specialized talent for "brick wall" research, expertly distinguishing between individuals with identical names to identify the correct ancestor with precision.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Modern DNA testing can help break through long-standing “brick walls” to identify unknown ancestors and connect distant relatives.
• Genealogy is more than names and dates; it’s about learning the historical circumstances that shaped your ancestors’ lives and decisions. 
• Genealogy is a team sport and collaborative tools can help you build a shared history with others. 

Resources Mentioned

• Metamora Historical Society
• Ancestry.com 
• WikiTree
• Family Search Tree

Connect with Jen Shaffer

• The Formidable Genealogist
• Discovering the Free Side of Ancestry.com [Free Research Guide]

The episode art features Jen with her Grandma.

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Kenlee Valleskey discusses Internal Family Systems (IFS) as it relates to the weight of generational cycles and ancestral trauma. This work is so important in understanding how our internal world of wounded and protective parts is shaped by the experiences of our ancestors. 

About Kenlee:

Kenlee Valleskey is a licensed professional counselor with extensive experience in Internal Family Systems (IFS). As a lover of questions and the intersections of our lives, she explores spaces that don't have neat, easy answers or a neat, easy arrival. From exploring the evolving terrain of grief and identity and deconstructing systemic narratives to learning what it means to love and trust ourselves in new ways, Kenlee has so much to teach us about accepting and working with all aspects of ourselves and our ancestors.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Every one of us has a core self, characterized by qualities like compassion, clarity, and courage, that remains inherently whole and safe, regardless of the trauma experienced.
• We also consist of “exiled” wounded parts that carry burdens and “protectors” that keep us from feeling pain.  
• Healing begins when a wound (whether our own or our ancestors’) is fully witnessed and acknowledged, rather than just managed. 

Resources Mentioned

• No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz
• It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn:
• IFS Institute
• Dr. Gabor Maté
• Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
• What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
• Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson
• Decolonizing Therapy by Jennifer Mullan
• Francis Weller
• Harriet Lerner
• Mark Nepo

Connect with Kenlee: 

• Website
• The Grief Room, St. Paul, MN
• The Fallows

Pictured in the episode art are Kenlee's grandmas.  Grandma Audrey is on the left and Grandma Alice is on the right.

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Dr. Isabelle Mansuy, a Professor in Neuroepigenetics gets to the root of ancestral trauma, starting with the groundbreaking science of epigenetics and the transgenerational effects of trauma. 

About Dr. Isabelle Mansuy

Dr. Isabelle Mansuy is a leading expert in the field of neuroepigenetics and a professor based in Switzerland. Her pioneering research focuses on the biological mechanisms of how traumatic life experiences, particularly those occurring in early childhood, modify mental and physical health across generations. Through her extensive work with mouse models, Dr. Mansuy has provided some of the most compelling evidence to date that traumatic signals can be carried in the germline (sperm cells), affecting the behavior and physiology of offspring up to five generations later. 

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• While your DNA sequence (the hardware) is fixed, your epigenome (the software) is dynamic and can be modulated by both your life experiences and the life experiences of your ancestors.
• Early-life trauma creates epigenetic signals in sperm (germ) cells, which transmit the consequences of that trauma to future generations. 

Connect with Dr. Isabelle Mansuy

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Content Warning: Mention of teen sexual assault. 

Dr. Peter Levine discusses how trauma lives in the body and, more importantly, how the trauma cycle can be completed to restore a sense of inner peace. 

Dr. Levine unpacks the signs– persistent physical symptoms, repetitive relationship patterns, feeling disconnected from your own life– that point to the roots of your struggles, which are not just in your mind but etched into your physiology as intergenerational trauma. If any of this sounds familiar to you, this conversation will give you the guidance to take the next step in seeking support and releasing that held trauma. 

About Dr. Peter Levine

Peter A Levine, Ph.D., is the developer of Somatic Experiencing® (SE™), a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma, which he has developed over the past 50 years. He holds a doctorate in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. He is the Founder and President of the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education and the Founder and Advisor for Somatic Experiencing International, where his work has been taught to over 30,000 healers in over 42 countries. He recently finished his Autobiography, An Autobiography of Trauma, A Healing Journey, and is the author of several best-selling books on trauma, including Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma; In an Unspoken Voice, How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness; and Trauma and Memory, Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• 80% of the information flowing through your vagus nerve is sensory, explaining why trauma is a visceral, bodily experience rather than just a “brain disease.”
• Trauma often manifests as chronic pain or tension and healing occurs by slowly and safely completing these defensive responses that were frozen in time.
• Trauma isn't just personal; it can be an "energetic pattern" passed down through generations. 
• Recognizing our ancestral webs can help us resolve issues that seem to have no clear origin in our lives. 
• Reconnecting with the body often requires the presence of a "connected, empathetic other" to help discharge stored energy safely.

Connect with Dr. Peter Levine

• Somatic Experiencing Website
• An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Acupuncturist, health coach, and breathwork facilitator Amy Kuretsky dives into the world of trauma-informed healing. 

Active breathwork serves as “vibrational medicine” to complete interrupted trauma cycles, helping you move from a state of fight, flight, or freeze, back into a regulated, peaceful state. 

About Amy Kuretsky

Amy Kuretsky is a licensed acupuncturist, board-certified health coach, and a seasoned breathwork facilitator with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. As the co-owner of Constellation Acupuncture and Healing Arts, Amy bridges the gap between ancient healing traditions and modern trauma-informed care. She specializes in helping clients navigate the complexities of nervous system regulation and mental health, with a clinical focus on digestive disorders, chronic headaches, migraines, anxiety, and depression. By integrating her deep knowledge of East Asian medicine with somatic breathwork practices, Amy empowers individuals to move beyond "pushing through" and into a state of sustainable, embodied healing.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• When stress is left trapped in the body, breathwork can act as a way to "shake out" this pent-up energy, allowing the nervous system to complete its natural cycle and release stress hormones.
• When you heal your nervous system, the benefits ripple both backward to your ancestors and forward to future generations.
• Expanding your "window of tolerance" through a regulated nervous system allows you to navigate life’s challenges with more resiliency and less reactivity.

Resources 

• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine
• The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
• The Tao of Trauma by Alaine Duncan
• Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
• Eliza Kingsford | The Shift Program
• HeartMath Institute

Connect with Amy

• Constellation Acupuncture and Healing Arts
• 7 Days of Breathwork

Pictured in the episode art is Amy's Grandma Rose Grodin.

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Author Mona Susan Power discusses the complexities of cultural trauma, family history, and the transformative power of storytelling. 

Mona discusses why many of us struggle with ancestral trauma and deep-seated personal shame without realizing these burdens aren’t entirely theirs to carry, how witnessing the “unspoken” stories of our ancestors can lead to profound personal growth, and so much more. 

About Mona Susan Power

Mona Susan Power is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and an award-winning author whose work serves as "powerful good medicine." A graduate of Harvard Law School and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she has received numerous prestigious honors, including the PEN/Hemingway Prize and the Minnesota Book Award. Her most recent novel, A Council of Dolls, was longlisted for the National Book Award. Mona’s writing is celebrated for its vulnerability and ability to explore the deep intersections of Indigenous history, resilience, and healing. 

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• True healing requires more than just moving on; it requires a "witnessing" or a sincere hearing of the story without gaslighting or self-protection.
• Understanding the "why" behind the difficult choices of our parents and grandparents can help us move from a place of resentment to one of deep compassion.
• Breaking free from inherited scripts and shame can be a physical experience, a "heaviness" falling away, allowing you to step into a more stable version of yourself.

Resources Mentioned

• Harvard Magazine: Trails of Tears, and Hope
• The Basics of Complex Trauma | Tim Fletcher

Connect with Mona Susan Power

• Website: https://www.monasusanpower.com/books 
• A Council of Dolls (Novel)
• Bloodthread (Short Story)
• NY Times: After a Long and Painful Absence, Writing Her Way Home Again

Both of Mona's grandmas are pictured in the episode art.  They were both born in 1888.  On the left is Mona's father's mother, Marjorie.  She graduated from Smith College in 1909.  On the right is Mona's Dakhóta grandmother, Josephine, upon graduating from Carlisle Indian School in 1909 (she made her own graduation dress).

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Sarah Lindsey, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, uses a trauma-informed and relational perspective in her work. Sarah unpacks the concept of intergenerational trauma and, more importantly, intergenerational healing. 

Sarah explains the profound idea that “pain runs through families until someone is resourced enough to feel it,” and so much more. If you’ve ever felt like the “cycle breaker” in your family, this conversation will provide you with the somatic tools and emotional validation you need to rewrite the story in your lineage–for you, your ancestors, and future generations. 

About Sarah Lindsey

Sarah Lindsey is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who operates from a trauma-informed and relational perspective in her work. With a deep passion for the mind-body connection, Sarah integrates mindfulness and somatics into her work to bring about deep healing for the whole person. She is the co-founder of As You Are Therapy in the Twin Cities and is dedicated to creating "Grandma-energy" spaces where people can co-regulate and find psychological safety.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The heart-opening journal prompt, “who loved you into being,” to identify the person who provided your “relational template” for safety. 
• Trauma isn’t just a “Big T” event; it’s often the result of a lack of a compassionate witness and can be passed down through DNA and epigenetics. 
• How to co-regulate with your ancestors, regardless of whether you knew them or not. 
• How to embrace the practice of asking the hard questions to uncover your own family history. 

Connect with Sarah Lindsey at As You Are Therapy. 

Sarah Lindsey is pictured with her Grandma Cathie O'Rourke in the episode art.

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

In the debut episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler introduces us to the Elizabeth Room. In this space, generations of her ancestors gather to tell their stories. Amie shares her deeply personal journey of discovering 45 grandmothers named Elizabeth through DNA testing and genealogical research.

The heart of this episode is a narrative reimagining of Amie’s fifth great-grandmother, Elisabetha Kaltwasser Simon. Set in Bavaria in 1823, we follow 12-year-old Betha as she navigates the rigid teachings of the church, the weight of family expectations, and a terrifying encounter with a wolf pack that reveals a forbidden power—one that carries the dangerous label of Hexe (witch).

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• The Power of a Name: Why Amie’s middle name, Elizabeth, became the key to unlocking eight generations of family history.
• Bridging the Gap: How to connect with ancestors even when family dynamics or religious barriers have cut off access to certain branches of your tree.
• Elisabetha’s Story: A journey to 19th-century Bavaria involving blue ribbons, Napoleonic Wars, and the struggle to stay "pure" in the eyes of the church.
• The "Hexe" Legacy: The moment Elisabetha used her intuition to save a friend and the heavy price her mother paid to keep that secret safe.
• Healing the Future: Why telling these stories is the first step toward resolving generational trauma for ourselves and our children.

Featured Ancestor

• Name: Elisabetha Kaltwasser Simon
• Lived: 1811–1887
• Origin: Bavaria to Illinois

Resources

• Ancestry.com: The platform used to build Amie's family tree.
• JustLikeNana.com: Connect with Amie and share your own family stories.
• Woodford County Historical Society: Great research support.
• Larsen, Celeste, Heal the Witch Wound (2023)

I do not have a photograph of my Nana Betha.  Pictured in the episode art is her daughter (my fourth-great grandmother) Anna Mary Schneider Daub.

Theme music written and performed by Carter Penny.

Connect with Just Like Nana's Website.

A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.