Resiliency Within

Chris Underhill MBE works as a mentor and is a social entrepreneur in the field of quality of life, and mental health in the community. The host of Resiliency Within first met Chris in Oxford, England at the Skoll World Forum where she was struck by his depth of understanding of the suffering of individuals with mental health challenges. He also shared an abundance of hope of how to bring innovations to meet the challenges of those who suffer in developing countries. Chris Underhill draws on his lived experience as a child and his many years hands-on in the field to discuss resiliency and trauma in very poor communities in developing countries and at home. During his career, Chris has created several organizations in mental health, wellbeing and resilience, bringing hope to thousands. This has included Thrive, Action on Disability and Development, Basic Needs, Cities Rise and the Elders Council of Social Entrepreneurs. "Hope" is the title of his topic on Resiliency Within. There is an important inspiring parallel between Chris' early struggles as a child, his own growth, and the growth of his mission in the support of many traumatized people around the world. Chris Underhill will share his humble journey and his wisdom with our listeners.

The pandemic has highlighted many issues with our current education system. These last years have brought many challenges for students, teachers and parents/guardians. In a future filled with uncertainty, how can we best prepare our children? From the lens of education and community, Adrian will share what he has learned through the pandemic and how he feels we can best prepare our children for their future. We will discuss how children's needs have shifted in an era where they have access to all the information in the world, but many lack the tools to know how to use it. He will also share how he uses the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) to help students manage new challenges and an uncertain future.

Dr. Bryan Robinson returns a year after helping to launch Resiliency Within. Dr. Robinson and host, Elaine Miller-Karas, will reflect upon 2021 and continue to discuss how to cultivate well-being during the challenges of the present and future as we enter the new year. Dr. Robinson will also share exciting news about his novel, Limestone Gumption, A Brad Pope and Sister friends Mystery and the plans to adopt the novel into a television series.

What if, halfway through life, you found out that your father wasn't your biological father? It happened to Peter J. Boni at the age of forty-nine, when his mother suffered a stroke that led her to divulge a family secret: Like an estimated one million people worldwide, Boni was donor-conceived. And, like so many of them, he was also "misattributed"—a phrase that means one or both of the parents on your birth certificate are not your flesh and blood. What followed were more than two decades of searching for the identity of his biological father. A combination of research via Ancestry.com and 23andMe led him not only to the name of the anonymous donor whose sperm had been used to create him, but to two half-siblings whom he has since been able to meet. He is aware of five other potential siblings, and lives with the knowledge that he may have many more. Boni uses his acquired expertise to shed light on, and advocate for the regulation of, a multibillion-dollar assisted reproductive technology industry in which hundreds of children are routinely conceived from a single donor (if retail theory is applied, at most sperm banks 20% of the inventory is purchased by 80% of the people). These children grow into adults who are unaware of the existence of their half-siblings. Boni explains the potential consequences, offers suggestions for how to improve oversight.

The great spiritual leader, Desmond Tutu died last week, and Resiliency Within was already planning to enter the new year with his message of joy. We will celebrate his life in this episode highlighting his dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's about joy as expressed in their book, The Book of Joy. Desmond Tutu called himself the "prisoner of hope" and his message of hope and joy will live on. Many people in our world have expressed being tired and feeling a sense of hopelessness about the world condition. Desmond Tutu faced great hardship in his life, yet he was hopeful about the world condition, and he would say, "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." Reena Patel, LCSW, and the Director of Education and Training, of the Trauma Resource Institute will discuss with Elaine Miller-Karas, the meaning of joy and how we can be lifted from suffering and hopelessness to embrace the spring of joy within each one of us. They will discuss the eight pillars of joy: perspective, acceptance, humor, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity. Listeners will be asked to explore how they can nurture their joy to live life with greater meaning and restore hope.

The Trauma Resource Institute (TRI) sponsors Resiliency Within on VoiceAmerica. Elaine Miller-Karas, the co-founder and Dr. Michael Sapp, the CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute will discuss their innovative ideas of how to heal trauma and cultivate well-being, leading to compassionate and empathic perspectives in children as well as adults. Dr. Sapp and Elaine Miller-Karas will discuss the global reach of the Trauma Resource Institute and how their workshops have been delivered to diverse groups including the Navajo Nation, the University of Calgary, Harvard University, Wake County Schools, the Centers for Disease Control, Covenant House to mention just a few. They will also share their reflections from 2021 and their hopes for the future of dealing with the mental health challenges facing our planet. TRI is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which cultivates trauma-informed and resiliency-focused individuals and communities worldwide. Two types of trainings are offered, the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM)® and the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)®, which have been developed to educate individuals about their nervous system and to teach easy-to-learn wellness skills to be used for self-care as well as care for others. While TRM is oriented toward mental health professionals, CRM takes on a public health focus and has been taught to professionals and natural leaders globally.

Jennifer Burton, LMFT, a leading psychotherapist in Los Angeles and San Francisco, shares her wisdom about how we can cultivate our grace and compassion during challenges we all are facing during unprecedented times. Grace is defined as an attitude of friendliness, helpfulness and cooperation. In today's times, it has been hard to discover Grace at times when many of us have faced uncertainty, polarization and grief from losing loved ones. She will share how she has integrated a variety of treatment modalities into helping people including the Trauma Resiliency Model and the Community Resiliency Model.

The events this past week in Mayfield, Kentucky and the surrounding areas have shown us the tragedy of climate events and how every person in the community is affected. We must not forget the mental health challenges resulting from this experience. Elaine Miller-Karas, the key developer of the Community Resiliency Model and Dr. Michael Sapp, the CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute will help our listeners understand how the wellness skills of the Community Resiliency Model can help community members restore well-being during these difficult times. The Community Resiliency Model (CRM)®, a set of six wellness skills based upon the premise that there is a biological response to stressful and traumatic events common to all of humanity. The CRM understands that individuals experience common reactions physically, spiritually, cognitively, emotionally, behaviorally, and in relationship with loved ones. Using a mind-body approach, CRM introduces a paradigm shift in that reactions to stress are viewed as common biological responses rather than human weaknesses. The CRM skills can be a stand-alone set of wellness skills and they can also be integrated into other wellness practices. Elaine Miller-Karas and Michael Sapp have responded to typhoons, earthquakes and other events of mass destruction. They will share how he CRM helps individuals learn to track their nervous systems and bring awareness to sensations connected to well-being. As a person begins to pay attention to sensations of well-being, the nervous system can return to a state of balance. Learning about the neurobiology of stressful and traumatic human reactions helps people to understand the design of the nervous system. This knowledge can help people make sense of reactions they have experienced during and after traumatic and stressful experiences. The Community Resiliency Model is an evidence-informed intervention. The CRM skills can be used across the lifespan, across cultures and literacy levels.

Michael Tobin will share the journey of his book, Riding the Edge, a Love Song for Deborah.The book chronicles the around the world journey of two soulmates, who the security of their well-ordered lives in search of larger truths. Forty-seven years ago, Michael discovered his soulmate Deborah on a dance floor in Keene, New Hampshire. It took her soul a few years and an around-the-world bike trek to fully reciprocate. Riding the Edge is the astonishing tale of the six-month odyssey that profoundly shaped the next 564 months of their lives together. Taking place in 1980, Michael and Deborah explore and take risks in search of life's larger truths. What they find is a story of magnificent vistas and memorable moments that enliven their senses to the beauty of the world even as it also reveals the vilest of human cruelty. It's a journey that has a mind and heart of its own. In the end, each story, kindness, and cruelty uncover the humanness that connects all living things and shows that love is a powerful, healing life force.

Veterans Dr. William Cross and Dr. Mark Dust, represent different generations and different wars. They will share their sacred journey from their service in Vietnam and Iraq to their return and what they learned about life and healing along the way.