The Gifts of Trauma

Hosted by J'aime Rothbard & Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

After hearing a man on a crowded commuter train ask for money for somewhere to spend the night, citing his deployments in Afghanistan, Matthew watched as all along the carriage people turned their backs on him. While part of him also wished the man away, another part reached for a twenty-pound note. What stayed with Matthew was how quickly and unconsciously the man was isolated, completely alone in the middle of a crowd.

In this second episode of No Villains, Only Wounds, Matthew Green returns to talk about how the psychological injuries of war come home, and about the collective and ancestral trauma work that is changing how he moves through the world.

In this conversation, Matthew shares: - Why what is done in a country's name belongs to all of us, whether or not we agreed to it - What he's learned through inviting white British people to look at the legacy of the empire, and the shadow trauma that harming others leaves within those who perpetrate the harm. - How he traced his own anger, numbness and lost voice back to soldiers in his ancestral line - Where a ceasefire ends and peace begins

This interview offers a gentler and braver way of looking at what lives within you and your lineage, and the lived experience that facing it in community liberates us to choose a different way.

About Matther Green, Journalist, Author and Collective Trauma Integration Facilitator

As a journalist covering conflicts across Africa, in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan for Reuters and the Financial Times, bouts of depression led Matthew to explore a wide range of healing practices, culminating in his 2015 book, Aftershock (stories of British military veterans and their families confronting the psychological scars of war.)

In April, 2022, Matthew's frustration over Reuters' response to the climate crisis led him to quit and join DeSmog, which exposes corporations blocking climate action.

After studying the psychological and mystical principles of healing individual, ancestral and collective trauma via Thomas Hübl's Timeless Wisdom Training, Matthew became a Collective Trauma Integration Facilitator.

Alongside regular panel appearances on the BBC, Matthew has co-hosted the Collective Trauma Summit, the Climate Consciousness Summit and currently co-facilitates Being White British: Colonised and Colonisers for The Pocket Project with Manda Johnson.

He co-founded the Resonant Man with Jacob Kishere, and together they support men in exploring vision, creativity, relationship and brotherhood. Matthew lives in London with his wife Genevieve, a clinical psychologist, and their 9-year-old daughter. When he's not reading, writing or discussing trauma healing, he loves helping people resolve their dilemmas via the Tarot.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry® Spotlight Episodes Your journey with Compassionate Inquiry® matters. Your work in the world matters. If you have a story to share about bringing Compassionate Inquiry into the world, we'd like to amplify your voice. Spotlight episodes are full length Gifts of Trauma podcast interviews offered exclusively to CI community members. You'll not only share your story with 55,000 healing professionals across all platforms, you'll receive a pre-interview strategy session plus three promotional video clips. We're offering only 10 Spotlight episodes per year and production realities require a financial contribution. Follow these links to access full details and express your interest. Spotlight Episodes | Sponsorships

Resources:

Website:

Matthew's Professional Site

Related Links:

Resonant Man

Aftershock

Matthew's Newsletter & Podcast

DeSmog

Courses:

Timeless Wisdom Training

Being White British: Colonised and Colonisers

Somatic Abolitionism

Books:

Aftershock: The Untold Story Of Surviving Peace

My Grandmother's Hands

How the Irish Became White

Podcasts:

Simon Courtney, the Great Famine in Ireland

Matthew's 2024 Gifts of Trauma episode

Social Media:

LinkedIn

Hosted by Kevin Young & Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

When Layla Al-Sheikh's six-month-old son, Qussay, became gravely ill after Israeli soldiers used tear gas in her village, the family set out for the hospital. For more than five hours, soldiers refused to let them through a military zone, and by the time they reached the hospital it was too late to save him. Years later, Layla stood outside a meeting room with a man who had once stopped a family with a sick child from reaching a hospital, and told him she could forgive him.

In this first episode of the No VIllians, Only Wounds Series, guests Layla and Robi, bereaved Palestinian and Israeli mothers, share how they processed their grief through dialogue with bereaved parents from 'the other side.'

They exchange personal stories including: - What Robi instinctively chose to do with her grief after her son David was killed - How Layla came to see bereaved Israeli parents as people who share her pain - Why Robi believes forgiveness can never be forced - How speaking about her loss changed what Layla was carrying in her body

You'll leave this episode with a hopeful picture of what becomes possible when bereaved parents sit down together and share their stories, even while the conflict around them continues.

About Robi Damelin, Israeli Peace Activist & Bereaved Mother As spokesperson and director of International Relations for the Parents Circle - Families Forum, Robi joined the organization after her son was killed by a Palestinian sniper. All of her work on the ground in Palestine, Israel, and internationally, is geared towards non-violence and reconciliation as a means to end the occupation. Robi was named a 2015 Woman of Impact by Women in the World.

About Layla Al-Sheikh, Palestinian Bereaved Mother

Layla lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6 month-old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli soldiers prevented Layla from taking him to the hospital for more than five hours. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment. Layla joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son's death, she never thought of revenge, but rather has devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children.

About The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 850 families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. The members have undertaken a joint effort amid ongoing and escalating violence to transform their loss and pain into a public and collective demand for peace and reconciliation.

PCFF's Theory of Change is rooted in the understanding that personal transformation, processing loss, grief and anger, can disrupt cycles of violence, enabling both interpersonal connection and collective action. When those who have paid the highest personal price for the conflict publicly reject the logic of endless war, they challenge dominant narratives of inevitability, revenge and dehumanization.

For its extraordinary work, advancing peacebuilding through educational programs and reconciliation initiatives for Palestinian and Israeli youth and adults of all ages, PCFF was nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Humbled by this nomination, PCFF bereaved members know it carries not only recognition of past work but also a great responsibility towards future impact.

Promotional Messages 3rd Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry® Circles If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

Resources

Websites

Robi's Wikipedia

PCFF Website

Related Links

We have to bring hope to the world (Video 2026)

Listening From the Heart (Video)

Harvard Gazette (Article)

Robi's TedX Talk (Video)

Layla in Forbes (Article)

Social Media

Instagram: @robidamelin

@parentscirclefriends

Facebook: @robi.damelin1

American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum

LinkedIn: American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum

YouTube: American Friends of the Parents Circle

Hosted by Kevin Young and J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

In the 18 months since her last interview, Wen has a new name, a new memoir, and a new outlook on life that she finds incredibly freeing and joyful. In this conversation, she unpacks institutionalized self-abandonment—the pattern of trading one's own needs and boundaries for belonging—that shows up as much inside universities and workplaces as it does within cults. Wen also tells us how she applied everything she'd learned about walking away, when she was asked to leave a healing community after witnessing and reporting another member's physical assault.

She candidly shares: - What happened when a 2020 tell-all memoir exposed decades of abuse inside the Kundalini yoga community she'd devoted her twenties and thirties to supporting - Why her renaming tracks back to the day she legally severed all contact with her mother - The isolation associated with rejecting the abusers' stories and believing the people who were harmed. - That her soon-to-be-published memoir, No Contact: The Ultimate Act of Self-Compassion, draws its rich story archive from 35 years of handwritten journals

If you've ever stayed quiet to keep the peace, handed your own authority to a teacher, boss, or institution, or wondered what it actually costs to finally say no, in this episode, Wen offers a hard-won, unflinching look at what it takes to come back to your Self, and the gifts that journey can deliver.

About Dr Wen Harper Harris Addiction and Trauma Specialist

Passionate about creating safe and welcoming spaces for deep healing and connection, Wen supports students and clients on their learning and healing journeys by integrating the Compassionate Inquiry psychotherapeutic approach with yoga, meditation, and evidence-based practices (DBT). ​

Holding a doctorate in clinical psychology, Wen published Beyond Addiction: Kundalini Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation for Recovery from Opioid Dependence (2015) prior to completing her two-year post-doctoral internship in Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

A core faculty member at Antioch University, Los Angeles, Wen created and directs the Addiction and Recovery Specialization and is deeply committed to training future therapists in compassionate, trauma-informed approaches. ​

She also facilitates Compassionate Inquiry training groups, leads Beyond Addiction retreats, and leans into the teachings of Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur for inspiration in her work as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner.

​Promotional Messages

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, tap this link to learn more.

Resources:

Websites:

Professional Site

Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Profile

Beyond Addiction Instructor Profile

Antioch University Profile

Related Links

Addicted to Speed & Busyness with Wen Harper Harris (Podcast)

Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage (Book)

Eternal Echoes (Book)

Social Media

Instagram

LinkedIn

Facebook

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

John Cummins built his entire career on learning to see what's beneath the surface, first tissue samples under a microscope, then investment portfolios, then the executives running them. Describing the onset of burnout as 'the body sending an invoice,' he shares that the invoice he received included a divorce and arrived in the middle of an outwardly thriving career. It also demanded that he reexamine every inherited belief he'd ever carried about who a successful husband, father, and professional was supposed to be.

In this episode, John also explains: - Why a newly promoted executive's boss sent them straight into coaching - How his own external success co-existed with a complete internal self-disconnection - Why he walked away from a top role in European finance - What can happen when a lifelong fixer, people-pleaser, or entertainer, finally removes their mask

Now based in Switzerland, trained in Compassionate Inquiry, Internal Family Systems, and polyvagal-informed somatic work, John spends his days helping high-powered executives find their way back to themselves, often using their familiar language of negotiation and deal-making.

About John Cummins Somatic Therapist and Executive Coach

John works with people who look fine from the outside: Leaders, founders and high performers who have insight, language, self-awareness, and bodies that keep telling a different story.

He came to this work by an unusual route, beginning his career in clinical histopathology, reading illness in cells under a microscope. He moved on to spend more than two decades in investment banking and financial market infrastructure, including nine years as a chief executive within a major European stock exchange group. Both worlds taught him the same lesson from opposite ends: The body holds what the mind cannot say.

Today, John is a somatic therapist and executive coach based in Switzerland, working with clients worldwide. He trained in Compassionate Inquiry with Dr Gabor Maté, then integrated Internal Family Systems (IFS), Polyvagal Theory, EMDR, the Safe and Sound Protocol and breathwork. An International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach, John holds a Master's in Business Psychology.

His practice sits where somatic therapy and corporate leadership meet. The conversation about burnout and executive wellbeing is growing louder, but remains largely surface-level. Leaders are told to meditate, to manage their time better, or build resilience. What's rarely said is that a nervous system can hold a survival state for decades, and that time management will not address what lives in the body.

John's conviction is simple: Nearly everyone carries trauma—and—nobody is broken. The habits that limit a leader today were once intelligent survival responses: over-preparing, over- delivering, holding control. They soften when they are met with compassion. In John's experience, the pattern that built their success is usually the same as the pattern that drains the person. Recognising that is where the shift begins.

Promotional Messages

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, Compassionate Inquiry Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Spotlight Episodes Your journey with Compassionate Inquiry® matters. Your work in the world matters. If you have a story to share about bringing Compassionate Inquiry into the world, we'd like to amplify your voice. Spotlight episodes are full length Gifts of Trauma podcast interviews offered exclusively to CI community members. You'll not only share your story with 55,000 healing professionals across all platforms, you'll receive a pre-interview strategy session plus three promotional video clips. We're offering only 10 Spotlight episodes per year and production realities require a financial contribution. Follow these links to access full details and express your interest. Spotlight Episodes | Sponsorships

Resources:

Websites:

John's Professional Site

John's Substack

John's Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Profile

Related Links:

Compassionate Inquiry Training

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Polyvagal Theory

Dr Gabor Maté

No bad parts. No bad leaders (Article)

Social Media:

John's Instagram

John's LinkedIn

Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

Dagmara grew up in communist Poland, where feelings weren't discussed, and disappointment was carried quietly. She moved to the US at twenty, where she worked at odd jobs, drank, partied hard and led a very colourful life. She continued moving from country to country, searching for the one place where her life would start working. It took her mother's illness, and a conversation at a spiritual retreat, to uncover that she'd actually been running from what she'd been searching for.

In this conversation Dagmara shares her transformational journey and explains:

- What toxic shame can actually feel like, in the body - How a single conversation at a spiritual retreat became the doorway into her own childhood - Why when the phrase, "my life doesn't work" comes up, it is worth taking seriously - What happens when someone starts questioning whether they were ever the problem

This episode ends with Dagmara passing on something beautiful and brilliant that she wished someone had told her when she was travelling the world, looking for answers. "if you feel lost, or have problems with yourself, or in relationships, with dissatisfaction, or perfectionism, or workaholism or addictions, you may need some healing."

About Dagmara K. Ziniewicz Psychosomatic Practitioner | Founder of Metamorfosis Therapy

The founder of Metamorfosis Therapy, a space dedicated to profound inner transformation and changing the paradigm through which we relate to ourselves, others and reality, Dagmara is also a Certified Compassionate Inquiry® Practitioner, Educator and Mentor, with two years of training and internship in Dr. Gabor Maté's approach. She holds a MA in Pedagogy, is trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS Level 1 & Groups), Non-Dual Therapy, Somatic Meditation, Psychodrama, Therapeutic Theatre, Conscious Sexuality and Relating, and is a certified facilitator of Contact Beyond Contact, a therapeutic dance and movement practice exploring embodiment, connection, boundaries and relational patterns.

Dagmara integrates different modalities to meet the complexity of each person's experience. Her work explores not only what we think and feel, but also how our experiences are held in the body, shaped by the nervous system and expressed through our relationships.

At the core of her work is the exploration of toxic shame—the deeply rooted sense that something is fundamentally wrong with us. Through awareness and embodiment she supports people in loosening shame's grip and developing a more conscious, compassionate and authentic way of relating.

Since 2020, Dagmara has created and facilitated experiential workshops and transformational programmes in Poland, Bali and internationally, while cultivating an online community. The education and mentoring she provides for therapists and practitioners, share an experiential approach to trauma-informed, somatic and relational work.

At the heart of her work is a simple belief: You don't need to fix yourself. You need to understand and integrate what led you to believe that something is wrong with you.

Promotional Messages

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry® Experience If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the transformative power of Compassionate Inquiry®, join us on Sep 26 for a 6-hour online experiential introduction to the Compassionate Inquiry approach and community. This link takes you to a web page where you can get information and, if you choose, register for the CI Experience.

Resources

Websites:

Dagmara's Metamorfosis Site

Dagmara's Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Profile

Dagmara's Compassionate Inquiry Private Mento Profile

Related Links:

Happiness is a Choice (Book)

From Self Judgement To Self Love (Video)

Understanding Trauma - Interview (Video)

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training

Social Media:

Dagmara's Facebook

Dagmara's Instagram

Dagmara's YouTube Channel

Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

Five years ago, during the COVID lockdown, Urszula received an email that informed her that she had cancer. No doctor called first to walk her through it, so she assumed it was a mistake, but her doctor's call the next morning confirmed the diagnosis. Up until that point, Urszula had been the person who managed everything and everyone, a role she first took on as a child.

She carried that same instinct into music school, journalism, and her own business (a communications agency built entirely on her own terms where she answered to no one). It took a cancer diagnosis and one blunt sentence from a Chinese medicine practitioner, to show her what all of that managing had actually cost her.

In this conversation Urszula also shares: - The unexpected gift buried inside a diagnosis nobody would have asked for - Why it took her so long to understand a Chinese medicine practitioner's assessment - What redefining 'being good' actually means became the hardest part of her recovery - What she built in Warsaw to share what she learned, and why she refuses to push it on anyone

This isn't a conversation about cancer, it's about a woman who spent decades making sure everyone around her was fine, and learning—the hard way—how to notice when she wasn't fine herself. Today that same instinct to manage everything has shifted into an invitation: "Come find your body at 7am or 8pm, in Polish or English, and no one will try to convince you to stay."

About Urszula Radzińska: Founder, MyMeditation.Space | Meditation Teacher & Mindfulness Coach

After discovering meditation as a university student, Urszula's life path led her to build and run a successful communications agency. For 20 years, she was effective, responsible, always 'on.' Then in 2016, while still running her agency, she began sharing meditation with others. In the 2020 pandemic lockdown, she built MyMeditation.Space, a project that has since become her life's work. The real tipping point came in 2021, when a cancer diagnosis forced her to stop controlling everything and start listening to her body, not as a tool to optimize, but as a source of wisdom in its own right.

That shift changed her life. In the years that followed, Urszula became an internationally certified OSHO Active Meditations facilitator, she completed EMCC-accredited* training in mindfulness-based coaching and recently finished the year-long training in Compassionate Inquiry—the approach at the heart of this podcast—which she is now integrating into her coaching and teaching. Ula also lives with ADHD, which shapes how she supports clients in finding steadiness without forcing themselves into constant action.

Since 2022, she has focused on growing MyMeditation.Space, teaching active meditation classes, training future OSHO facilitators, and offering individual sessions and workshops in Warsaw and online. In these few years, she also founded The Mindful Living Foundation, a non-profit she now chairs, and launched and hosts OBECNA, a Polish language podcast that explores mindfulness, meditation, and coming back to oneself.

Contact with oneself, Urszula believes, isn't a luxury, it's the foundation everything else is built on. Curious listeners can start with a free 20-minute consultation via her website.

*EMCC: The European Mentoring and Coaching Council

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry® Circles If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

The Portal If you've been listening to our podcast, you may have heard guests connect their birth experiences with enduring subconscious behavioural and emotional patterns. To help break this cycle, Compassionate Inquiry® offers The Portal, a 28-week trauma-informed training for perinatal health professionals; such as midwives, obstetricians, nurses and doulas, who want to empower their patients to trust their innate ability to birth, bond and nurture their child. Use this link to learn more

Resources

Websites:

Ureszula's Professional Website

MyMeditation.Space Website

Mindful Living Foundation Website

Related Links:

OBECNA podcast

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training

OSHO Trainings

Social Media:

Instagram: @urszula.radzinska

Facebook: @urszula.radzinska

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/urszularadzinska

YouTube: @urszula.radzinska

Spotify: @urszula.radzinska

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey's voice on the radio tapes from that morning was calm, steady and in command as he led his men into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. His daughter, Caitlin was just ten, and it took her some time to understand why he never came home, and what had happened to the outgoing larger-than-life father she adored. Twenty-five years later, on the anniversary of 9/11, Cait joins us to talk about her clinical work as a therapist to first responders, military veterans and their families.

She also shares: - The gift that emerged from the ashes of that disaster - How it felt when the initial wave of community support faded, and her lifelong mission to keep it alive - What Camp America did for kids who lost family on 9/11 - Where the Spirit of 9/12 shares its messages of hope

This isn't a conversation about what was lost on September 11th, but about what one person refused to let fade. Every year, Cait returns to her father's firehouse on 9/11 to be embraced by her father's memory and the second family she's known all her life. Then, every 9/12, she runs a local event that inspires the next generation to keep the compassionate spirit of that dark time alive.

About Caitlin Leavey, LMHC

A licensed mental health counselor, trauma-informed therapist, and advocate whose personal and professional work is rooted in grief, healing, and service, Caitlin is the daughter of FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey, whom she lost on September 11, 2001. In the years since, she has carried her dad's legacy forward by helping individuals and communities transform grief into meaningful connection and action.

Cait specializes in supporting people affected by trauma, loss, anxiety, and depression, with a particular commitment to first responders, military, Gold Star families, and others whose experiences of grief and service are often carried quietly.

She is the co-founder of The Holding Frames, a nonprofit that uses art, storytelling, and compassionate connection to help people feel seen and supported during times of hardship. Cait also co-founded the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Visionary Network and founded The Spirit of 9/12, an annual youth-led day of service that honors the September 11 National Day of Service (9/11 Day). She is also a 9/11 Day Ambassador.

Through her work as a clinician, storyteller, and community leader, Cait invites others to recognize that healing does not mean leaving loss behind—it means finding ways to carry love, purpose, and connection forward.

Promotional Messages:

Compassionate Inquiry 3rd CI Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention The Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, tap this link to access a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you.

Websites:

Cait's Psychology Today Profile

The Holding Frames

The Spirit of 9/12

Points of Light

Related Links:

9/11 Memorial & Museum Article

The Spirit of 9/12 Event Info

America's Camp

Tunnel to Towers

Gold Star Families

Smart Home Recipients

A Paradise Built in Hell (Book)

Feathers of the Phoenix (Art Project)

Social Media

Cait's Instagram

The Holding Frames Instagram

Cait's Facebook

The Holding Frames Facebook

Cait's LinkedIn

Hosted by Kevin Young and J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

Most people experience one or two truly traumatic events in their lifetimes. Most first responders live through a hundred. In this final episode of our First Responders Series, Brandon returns to integrate everything this series has explored and uncovered. In this reflective conversation he challenges and embraces the word we use most often to describe people like him, and almost never ask them about.

Brandon also shares: - Why calling first responders "heroes" might be doing them more harm than good - How the "hero" label reflects both first responders' 'superpowers' and desire to be 'regular people' - What a sports psychologist taught a team of competitive firefighters about winning - Why the first call Brandon made after his own crisis was to a therapist, and why for most first responders, that's usually the last call they make

This isn't just a wrap-up episode. It's the conversation this whole series has been building toward; what it actually means to be human first, and a hero second, if at all.

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.

Promotional Messages:

The Compassionate Inquiry® Experience If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the transformative power of Compassionate Inquiry®, join us on Feb 22 for a 6-hour online experiential introduction to the Compassionate Inquiry approach and community. This link takes you to a web page where you can get information and, if you choose, register for the CI Experience event.

Compassionate Inquiry® Circles If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.

Resources:

Websites:

Fire to Light Foundation

Fire to Light Website

Support Fire to Light — Zeffy

Fire to Light Research Study

Related Links:

Crackyl Magazine

International Association of Fire Chiefs

FireFit Championships

Book:

Divine Beauty

Articles:

Firefighters and Mental Health: The Fear of Raising Your Hand

But There Is Nothing Wrong With Me

Trauma: Who, What, Where, When and Why

Podcasts:

Upgrade Your Self Love (2025)

Heroes are Also Human (2025)

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities (2025)

Videos:

The Case Against Cosby (2023)

Firefighting and Mental Fitness (2025)

Real Leadership Comes from Courage (2024)

Social Media:

Facebook: Fire to Light

Instagram: @firetolight_firefighters

LinkedIn: Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by J'aime Rothbard & Rosemary Davies Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard

Rachael Staebell spent two decades being the first person on the scene on the worst day of people's lives, but no one ever trained her for the part of the job that came after the sirens stopped. In this episode, Rachael, retired fire service paramedic and president of Women in Fire, joins returning guest Brandon Evans to talk about what it actually means to carry the not-knowing, the grief, and the weight of the ones who didn't make it.

In this episode, Rachael and Brandon explain: - What it's like to be the one who tells a stranger their loved one is dead - A reframe of the First Responders' suicide epidemic as a need to "make it all stop" - What mountain biking, waterskiing and pulling weeds have to do with surviving the job - What they want from the public, instead of being thanked for their service

This conversation doesn't flinch in taking on hard subjects. Our guests are two people who've done this work, honestly sharing what the job takes, what it can cost, and what can help. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a first responder, this episode will change how you see the people who show up when they're needed, save the lives that they can, and leave with burdens that need to be carefully unpacked.

About Rachael Staebell, Lieutenant, Colorado Springs Fire Department (Retired) President, Women In Fire

As the first paid, full‑time female firefighter in Fountain, Colorado, Rachael spent over two decades advancing through the ranks at Colorado Springs Fire Department before retiring as a Lieutenant, and dedicating her efforts to advancing the Women in Fire organization.​

What kept her engaged as a fire services paramedic was the team. Having grown up on a soccer field, the fire service felt like a new kind of team where her size, strength and drive finally made sense. That sense of belonging is what Rachael works to create for others, especially women who don't see themselves reflected in the "classic" firefighter image.​

As President of Women in Fire, Rachael's focus is simple: Support and empower firefighters so they can succeed and stay. She leads hands-on training at conferences to help shape mission driven programs in training, advocacy, and networking. She also works with partners like FEMA/USFA, Science to the Station and national fire organizations to advocate for the tools, equipment, mentorship, and visibility all firefighters need to grow. ​

Rachael cares deeply about the practical side of inclusion: gear that fits, stations with facilities for everyone, policies that support caregivers, and cultures that treat people with dignity and respect. Those "details" change who can show up, who can stay, and who can lead. Today only a small percentage of firefighters are women. Changing that is about building stronger, safer, more resilient organizations.​

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.About Brandon Evans

Promotional Messages

The Compassionate Inquiry® Experience If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the transformative power of Compassionate Inquiry, join us on Sep 26 for a 6-hour online experiential introduction to the Compassionate Inquiry approach and community. This link takes you to a web page where you can get information and, if you choose, register for the CI Experience event.

Compassionate Inquiry® Suicide Attention Training The Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, tap this link to access a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you.

Resources

Websites:

Women in Fire

Support Women in Fire

Colorado Springs Fire Department

Fire to Light

Support Fire to Light

Related Links:

Women in Fire Conference

Fire Camps

Reproductive Health

Big Interview

Podcasts:

Fire Engineering (Women in Fire Podcast)

The Chief Exchange

A Duty to Act

Social Media:

Facebook: Women in Fire

Fire to Light

YouTube: Women in Fire

Instagram: Women in Fire

Fire to Light

LinkedIn: Women in Fire

Fire to Light Foundation

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.

In this episode, a retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lieutenant (and co-founder of Warriors Rest) joins a retired firefighter (and founder of Fire to Light) to discuss the similarities and differences of the challenges each profession faces. They also explain how their organizations meet similar needs from different places; one intervening when there's a crisis, the other going to work upstream, before the crisis happens.

Brett and Brandon take turns sharing: - The moment a counselor's simple question finally broke through Brett's resistance to getting help - Why the phrase, "Take a minute to make a minute," stayed with Brandon - What his partner's death, hours after his own son's birth, taught Brett about cumulative trauma - The question Warriors Rest trains people to ask when someone may be suicidal - The weight ever-increasing public scrutiny adds to policing that firefighters and EMS don't experience - Why a net under the Golden Gate Bridge is proof that small interventions save lives

Brett remembers the pounding of his heart during his very first highway pursuit, and how over time, even the most adrenaline-charged calls stopped registering as stressful. This conversation is about what it takes for first responders to stay present to stay well. Because if you have to call for help on the worst day of your life, you want those first responders to be mentally, emotionally and physically fit. About Brett Key, OHP Lieutenant (Retired)

A retired Lieutenant with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), Brett is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Warriors Rest Foundation, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the mental health and wellness of first responders—law enforcement, fire and EMS.

After 26 years with OHP, Brett brings a depth of experience that few can match. During his career he served as a K-9 handler and supervisor in the Criminal Interdiction Division, developed curriculum for OHP's Leadership Development and Law Enforcement Driver Training programs, and served as Commandant and Assistant Commandant for three OHP Academies. He also served on OHP's Tactical Team as an operator, sniper, Team Leader, and rising to the position of Assistant Commander before retiring in 2021.

For over a decade, Brett served as a peer counselor in OHP's Officer Assistance Program, work that planted the seed for everything Warriors Rest Foundation has become. He is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, has helped build and train peer support teams across Oklahoma, and has served as a peer counselor at Post Critical Incident Seminars and with C.O.P.S. at National Police Week in Washington D.C.

Brett is an experienced presenter and instructor in leadership, peer support, and first responder wellness—speaking to command staff, agencies and conferences across the US.

He founded Warriors Rest because he believes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health should be the number one priority for every first responder, their family, and their department.

About Brandon Evans Executive Director, Fire to Light Foundation, Founder & CEO, Fire to Light

Brandon Evans is a retired firefighter and the Founder of Fire to Light, an organisation dedicated to advancing preventative Mental Fitness training inside the fire service. Drawing on lived experience and independent global research involving over 104 fire chiefs and leaders across 13 countries and 5 continents, Brandon developed the Fire to Light Mental Fitness Training System, a practical operationalised approach to training Mental Fitness the same way fire departments train every other critical skill.

Through the Fire to Light Foundation, a registered Canadian charity of which Brandon serves as Executive Director, the goal is to make Mental Fitness training accessible to every fire department, removing barriers so that Mental Fitness is systemised and embedded into fire service operations worldwide. not treated as a clinical afterthought, but trained, reinforced, and owned at every level of the organisation.

Brandon's mission is to help reduce rates of suicide and psychological injury in the fire service through an upstream approach of Mental Fitness Training, Fitness before Therapy.

Promotional Messages

Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, look for the link in the show notes.

Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap the link in the show notes to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.

Resources:

Websites:

Warrior's Rest

Support Warrior's Rest

Fire to Light

Support Fire to Light

Related Links:

"Clinicians for Warriors" Conference 2025

ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

Peer Support Teams

Law Enforcement Suicides & Riska Study

Police Trauma Syndrome Research

2020 Dallas Police Study

Golden Gate Bridge Net

Social Media:

Facebook: Warrior's Rest

Fire to Light

Instagram: Warrior's Rest

@firetolight_firefighters

X Warrior's Rest

TikTok Warrior's Rest

LinkedIn: Warrior's Rest

Fire to Light Foundation