What happens when devotion turns into oppression? Join us for a gripping episode of Beyond the Surface as we sit down with Ruth from snowy Connecticut, who bravely recounts her harrowing experiences growing up in a militant Catholic institution. Separated from her parents and subjected to the institution's extreme religious and political ideologies, Ruth's story is a powerful testament to the devastating effects of institutionalised abuse and religious indoctrination. Through her vivid recounting of physical, emotional, and psychological torment, we gain a deeper understanding of the traumatic impact of growing up in such a cult-like environment.

Who Is Ruth?

Ruth Reymundo Mandel has been in training and implementation since 1995. Her career began as a middle school teacher in post revolutionary Nicaragua. As a teacher in a developing, post war country she became dedicated to issues surrounding social justice and violence. She later transitioned to higher education and worked at the Bryman School and at The Art Institute of Phoenix as an Assistant Director of Admissions. Her responsibilities included vetting prospective students and identifying barriers to enrolment and to matriculation.

After taking a break to raise her three children, she began working as a trainer and technical support for a national professional line nutritional company and an international professional line herbal company which trained medical professionals in alternative therapies.

In her role she trained doctors and medical professionals in clinical application and was an ongoing support for successful implementation through patient outcomes. She developed systems for practice management, patient support, managed, created and promoted cyclical education events for clinical success. She developed training strategies to respond to a variety of real time field challenges.

Ruth also worked as a professional business coach specialising in systems and practice management. Her dedication to understanding root challenges, institutional, structural and personal impediments which keep people from applying their skills and knowledge in a targeted and successful way helped many of her clients increase their business success.

Aside from her professional accomplishments Ruth is a published poet, an artist, writer and a public speaker. Drawing on her childhood experiences growing up in an abusive, religious institution and as a survivor she is a fierce advocate for those who have experienced institutional abuse. She is dedicated to helping survivors and allies understand their behavioral coping mechanisms, arising out of trauma and mitigating societal and personal judgments surrounding common human responses to violence.

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• To find out more about Ruth's work - https://safeandtogetherinstitute.com/
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