The Teaching Journeys Podcast

A childhood of abuse, a 15-year battle with addiction, and the loss of both parents within six months — Piere Ingram turns all of it into poetry, purpose, and a roadmap for recovery. If you need proof that your hardest chapter can become your greatest gift, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Dave Roberts sits down with poet, author, and recovery advocate Piere Ingram to trace the moments that changed everything: early trauma, an overdose scare, and the quiet decision to stop going backward. What follows is a raw, hopeful story of transformation, where Dr. Seuss, scripture, and spoken word all become tools for healing.

You’ll discover:

• Why Piere says “transparency leads to transformation”
• How he replaced destructive habits with simple, repeatable actions like water, walking, and writing
• The mindset shift that helped him see relapse as a setback, not an identity
• How sobriety unlocked his creativity and led him to write seven books
• Why motion, faith, and rhythm are central to his creative process

Dave and Piere also break down the deeper idea behind addiction recovery, the stigma that labels people by their worst choices, and why the real breakthrough often starts inside long before it shows up outside. Piere’s “It’sy Bissy Spider” moment, his “subtraction equals multiplication” insight, and his belief that “you gotta let go to grow” make this episode both deeply personal and immediately useful.

This episode matters if you’re in recovery, loving someone who is, or carrying pain you haven’t learned how to turn into purpose yet. It’s also for anyone who wants to create more honestly, live more intentionally, and understand how faith, grief, and creativity can work together to rebuild a life.

Essential listening for anyone who believes their story is not over.

Piere's Bio and Contact Information

Piere was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His first exposure to poetry was through Dr. Suess books when he was very young. Piere loved the rhythm, rhymes, and wordplay of poetry. Reading and writing poetry became a way for Piere to escape from his problems and release his emotions. Piere is a recovering addict who has experienced much growth, and has met many people who has influenced his way of thinking.

One thing that hit him after his mom died was remembering her words, "Piere, you only have one life to live, so you better get this right".

Her words forced Piere to look within himself and come to terms with the bad choices he was making. Through his work, he wants to make her proud.

Through his website NewLifePoetry.live and his social platforms, he shares writing and recovery-focused messages designed to encourage and inspire others.

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Burnout does not mean you are broken. It can be the signal that your life needs a different framework, and Dianna Collier shares the practical positive psychology tools that helped her move from exhaustion and languishing into a life and career built around flourishing.

Dave Roberts sits down with Dianna, an Austin-based certified positive psychology coach and school psychologist, for a conversation about what actually helps people shift out of stuckness. Dianna traces her path from high-pressure school psychology, through burnout and major life transitions, to the coaching work she does now with clients navigating change, self-doubt, and renewal.

You'll discover how positive psychology works as the science of flourishing, why strengths-based coaching can be more effective than deficit-focused thinking, and how small actions can create real momentum when you are feeling low. Dianna breaks down her CHANGE framework for coaching, including clarifying a positive goal, building hope, taking tiny first steps, navigating the bigger picture, going for it, and expanding into what comes next.

She also shares how she uses tools like the VIA Character Strengths assessment, appreciative inquiry, self-compassion, and authentic gratitude to help clients rebuild confidence without falling into forced positivity. If you've ever dealt with imposter syndrome, negative self-talk, or the sense that you're doing everything right but still feeling stuck, this conversation offers a grounded, hopeful way forward.

Dave and Dianna also explore the reality of endings and transitions in helping relationships, the mind-body impact of stress, and the challenges young adults and parents face during big life changes. Dianna's Positive Launch program brings positive psychology into the parent-child transition to college and adulthood, offering support, perspective, and practical tools for families who want to stay connected while letting go well.

This episode is ideal for anyone in a season of transition, anyone supporting a young adult, and anyone who wants a more compassionate, realistic way to build confidence and momentum. If you need proof that small shifts can create meaningful change, this is the conversation to hear.

Dianna Bio and Contact Information

Dianna Collier, M.A., is an Austin, Texas–based Certified Positive Psychology Coach and School Psychologist who helps people navigate challenging life transitions with greater ease. She has a private coaching practice and also provides career coaching for clients at the Career Transition Center.

Dianna writes The Positive Pull, a weekly newsletter that shares practical, positive psychology–based tools for facing life’s difficulties and nurturing success from one’s most empowered self. She has also facilitated workshops on a variety of positive psychology topics. Alongside fellow Positive Psychology Coach Jennifer Hanawald, Dianna co-facilitates Positive Launch, an interactive program that supports parents of young adults as they transition to college and greater independence. Dianna is the mother of two daughters, ages 20 and 22.

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College is breaking students in ways most people never see. Dana Christian Lee and Jason Reid reveal why so many young adults are overwhelmed by pressure, loneliness, impossible workloads, and the struggle to belong, and how their new documentary College Unscripted is designed to spark the conversations campuses desperately need.

About Dana and Jason

Dana and Jason bring a rare mix of lived experience, deep compassion, and hard-won insight into youth mental health. Dana, executive director of Tell My Story, explains how the film grew out of conversations with students, parents, and educators who kept pointing to the same crisis: young people are expected to become adults instantly, often without the life skills, emotional support, or freedom to navigate it well. Jason, who co-founded Tell My Story after the death of his 14-year-old son Ryan, shares why storytelling and honest dialogue can reach students in ways lectures and warnings cannot.

Website: tellmystory.org

Dana: [email protected]

Events and screening inquiries: [email protected]

You’ll discover:

• Why the transition from high school to college feels so much heavier now than it did for past generations
• How belonging, becoming, and burnout collide for today’s students
• Why overpacked schedules, AP pressure, and social comparison are feeding anxiety and depression
• What colleges can do differently by prioritizing human connection over sheer output
• Why AI, cheating, and unrealistic expectations are becoming part of the same conversation
• How Tell My Story uses film as a turnkey campus event that leads to real discussion, not passive viewing

This conversation goes far beyond college advice. It gets into the emotional cost of perfectionism, the hidden pain students carry with them, and the urgent need for educators, parents, and peers to notice when someone is struggling before it’s too late. Dave Roberts also brings his perspective as a college educator, making the episode especially valuable for anyone working with young adults who are balancing academics, jobs, grief, family pressure, and mental health challenges all at once.

If you care about students, teach students, parent students, or are a student trying to hold it all together, this is essential listening. College Unscripted is really about something bigger than college—it’s about giving young people the space to be seen, heard, and supported as they write their own story.

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What if the patterns running your life were never yours to begin with? James Kawainui reveals how ancestral trauma, childhood wounds, and unconscious “operating system” beliefs quietly shape the choices we make, the relationships we repeat, and the leadership we bring to work and home.

Dave Roberts guides a powerful conversation with James, a native Hawaiian Kahu healer, teacher, and mentor whose path took him from Navy service and corporate success to a life-changing ancestral awakening at 42. Together they unpack why geographic escape never fixes internal pain, how unresolved conflict keeps recreating itself, and why real transformation begins when you stop outsourcing your power.

You’ll discover:

• Why the same emotional script keeps showing up with new people and new circumstances
• How Pono, grounding, and somatic awareness help you recognize what’s happening inside your body before you react
• The difference between helping someone and becoming their guru
• Why integrity means knowing your limits, telling the truth, and refusing to give advice that disempowers
• How Ho’oponopono works as a process of accountability, listening, self-inquiry, and true resolution

James also shares the story behind his forthcoming book, What My Ancestors Knew, and explains why the traditional Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono is far deeper than a simplified “forgiveness” mantra. He breaks down the sacred process of bringing people together, holding space without interruption, and restoring balance only after every voice is heard.

This episode is especially resonant if you’ve been carrying old pain, repeating the same conflict in different forms, or trying to lead others without first getting honest with yourself. If you’re craving clarity, peace of mind, and a more sovereign way to move through the world, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Perfect for anyone ready to stop repeating the past, reclaim personal responsibility, and discover what healing looks like when it is rooted in culture, humility, and deep inner truth.

James Bio and Contact Information

James Kealiipiilani Kawainui is a Native Hawaiian Kahu, healer, teacher, and mentor carrying a Kahuna lihim

James lived a full and driven life—serving in the Navy, building custom homes and yachts, and spending 17 years as a corporate executive. Despite outward success, something essential was missing. At 42, he experienced an awakening when his ancestors spoke to him and called him home. He left corporate life and began the path back to his lineage and healing work.

Today James works with people stuck in unresolved conflict, repeating patterns, or quiet self-doubt. He helps them uncover and clear what lies beneath those struggles and find clarity, confidence, and courage.

Rooted in pono—the Hawaiian practice of living in balance, harmony, and integrity—his work includes healing, mentoring, teaching, speaking, and retreats. James is the author of the forthcoming What My Ancestors Knew and is the owner of Red Rock Property Reset, bringing ancestral clearing practices to real estate professionals. He lives in Sedona, Arizona.

Website : jameskawainui.com

Email; [email protected]

Linkedin: James Kawainui

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What if the life you were handed was never the life you had to keep? KAYR Robinson turns a childhood of poverty, instability, and repeated setbacks into a blueprint for unbreakable success. If you need proof that mindset, discipline, and the right people can change everything, this conversation delivers it.

Dave Roberts talks with Kevin "KAYR" Robinson, a two-time USA Today bestselling author, real estate investor, and former Goldman Sachs finance professional who built a portfolio of more than 160 rental units after growing up in Philadelphia with uncertainty, hardship, and constant movement. KAYR shares how he moved from survival to structure to stability - and why the turning point was not talent, luck, or timing, but vulnerability.

You'll discover the exact mindset shifts that helped him go from skipping school and struggling academically to becoming valedictorian, student leader, Wall Street professional, and multi-million-dollar entrepreneur. KAYR breaks down his "three D's" - desire, discipline, and determination - and explains why motivation fades but discipline lasts. He also shares the role mentors, sponsors, and a "personal board of directors" played in helping him build a life that was bigger than his circumstances.

We also unpack what vulnerability really means for men, why asking for help is a strength instead of a weakness, and how to stop confusing personal pain with personal destiny. KAYR opens up about loss, identity, resilience, and the responsibility of creating your own safety net when no one is coming to save you.

This episode is a powerful reminder that where you start does not decide where you finish. Perfect for anyone rebuilding, reinventing, or trying to level up with more clarity, structure, and purpose.

Kevin Bio and Contact Information

Kevin “KAYR” Robinson (pronounced KAY-R) is a real estate investor, entrepreneur,and operator who built a multimillion-dollar portfolio after growing up in poverty in West Philadelphia. After beginning his career in finance — including roles at Goldman Sachs and other investment firms — he went on to build a real estate company from the ground up. Today, his portfolio includes 160+ rental units, supported by a professional team focused on acquisition, development, and operations.

KAYR is also a sought-after speaker and business advisor focused on discipline, mindset, leadership, and wealth-building systems. His work bridges street-level lived experience with institutional business training — offering a powerful lens on what it actually takes to break generational cycles.

He serves on the boards of Philadelphia Young Playwrights, The Great Young Society II Organization, and the Grove Collective Foundation, and has been recognized as a nominee for Philadelphia’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards. His story and perspectives have been featured by outlets including MarketWatch, NPR, PBS, NBC, The Atlantic, and KBS (Korean Broadcasting System). His memoir, Can’t Break Me, became a USA

TODAY Best Seller and landed on the list for consecutive weeks in 2026. His life journey is also highlighted in Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life by Yale professor Elijah Anderson.

KAYR earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Bowdoin College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Website: kayrmotivates.com

Instagram: @kayrmotivates

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krobins2

TikTok: @kayrmotivates

YouTube: @kayrmotivates

His book: Can't Break Me, is available wherever books are sold.

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Trauma may not need years of talk therapy to shift. Dr. Judith Swack shows how the body stores emotional pain, why it keeps repeating in your life, and how to interrupt it in minutes using simple techniques you can do yourself.

Host Dave Roberts sits down with Dr. Judith A. Swack, the originator of Healing from the Body Level Up, for a conversation that blends science, somatic healing, and surprising hands-on demonstrations. Judith explains why the conscious mind often misses the real problem, how trauma gets frozen into the nervous system, and why uncovering the structure of a pattern is the missing piece in lasting healing.

You'll discover:

• Why trauma lives in the body, not just the story you tell about it
• The four-step framework Judith uses to identify and clear stuck patterns
• How hugging and tapping can calm the nervous system fast
• Why frontal occipital holding can shift guilt, fear, and old childhood pain
• How ancestral trauma and root causes can keep showing up across generations

Dave doesn't just ask the questions - he steps into the process and experiences the techniques in real time, making this episode especially powerful if you've ever felt stuck in the same emotional loops, relationship patterns, or body-based stress responses.

Judith also shares how HBLU integrates biomedical science, psychology, hypnosis, NLP, applied kinesiology, energy psychology, and spiritual techniques, plus how her work extends to root-cause healing, past lives, and ancestral patterns. If you've ever wondered why talking about trauma isn't always enough, this conversation will change how you think about healing.

Essential listening for therapists, coaches, healing practitioners, and anyone ready to understand trauma at the level where it actually lives. T

Judith Swack Bio and Contact Information

Judith A. Swack, Ph.D., biochemist/immunologist, Master NLP practitioner, mind/body healer and best-selling author is the originator of Healing from the Body Level Up (HBLU), an innovative and powerful methodology with transformative results. HBLU integrates biomedical science, psychology, hypnosis, NLP, applied kinesiology, Energy Psychology and spiritual techniques with original research on the structure of complex damage patterns. She has presented her dramatic results on national television and at international conferences and has published in scientific, professional, and popular books and journals. Dr. Swack is a recipient of the 2015 Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) award for major contribution to the field of Energy Psychology and author of CLEAR TRAUMA NOW A Powerful Solution for Getting Unstuck. Dr. Swack works with clients in person and by Zoom

https://hblu.org/

Purchase Heal Trauma Now on Amazon

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Shame can look like freedom on the outside and still keep you locked up for years. Matilde Hernandez reveals how she turned incarceration, silence, and self-protection into a life of real freedom, and why the hardest prison to escape is often the one in your own mind.

Host Dave Roberts sits down with Matilde Hernandez, certified coach, speaker, author of Beyond These Walls, and founder of Dare to Lift It, for a powerful conversation about what it takes to stop surviving and start truly living. Matilde shares the experiences that shaped her, from incarceration to years of mental imprisonment after release, and the moment she realized healing had to begin with forgiveness, self-awareness, and community.

You'll discover:

• Why incarceration is not just physical, but deeply mental and emotional
• How shame, fear, and silence can keep you stuck long after release
• The difference between strength and freedom, and why one does not guarantee the other
• How forgiveness becomes a tool for liberation, not just a moral ideal
• Why community, honest conversation, and aligned support matter for lasting change
• This episode is a reminder that your past does not get the final word. Whether you're navigating trauma, recovery, self-doubt, or a season of reinvention, Matilde's story offers something urgent and deeply practical: freedom is a choice, healing is a process, and your voice matters.

Essential listening if you need encouragement to forgive yourself, reclaim your voice, and step into the life waiting beyond your walls.

Matilde’s Bio and Contact Information

Matilde Hernandez is a , certified coach, speaker, author, and founder of Dare 2 Lift It.

For years, she carried the weight of expectation, silence, and responsibility. Matilde knew how to be strong, but didn’t always feel free. She poured into others, held things together, and kept moving — even when she hadn’t fully acknowledged what I needed to heal.

Matilde’s life shifted when she stopped surviving and started asking better questions. When she chose to pause and examine the patterns that kept pulling her back. When she started reclaiming the parts of myself that were hidden or buried.

Dare 2 Lift It was born out of that process. Not just personal growth, but personal liberation. She is also the author of Beyond These Walls.

• Website: Dare 2 Lift It — spelled “D-A-R-E,” the number 2, “Lift It”
• Podcast: Unpack That Be Free
• Listen on: YouTube and Spotify
• Available through her website: book information, workshops, a free assessment, and a complimentary 30-minute call

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The most painful part of Alzheimer’s is not always the diagnosis - it’s the slow, heartbreaking loss of the person you love before they’re gone. Sarah Vosburgh shares the story behind Who Will Name the Bees? and the moment a simple question about bees became the title of a memoir about memory, grief, and holding on.Sarah - a psychologist, mother, wife, and memoirist - opens up about her mother’s decline, the emotional toll of caregiving, and the impossible choices families face when autonomy begins to disappear. She and host Dave Roberts talk candidly about memory care, the grief that starts long before death, and why caregivers so often feel isolated even when they’re not alone. You’ll discover:

• Why the title Who Will Name the Bees? carries so much emotional weight
• What Sarah’s mother was like before Alzheimer’s and how dementia changed their relationship
• The painful reality of losing autonomy, driving, and independence
• How Sarah navigated the decision to place her mother in memory care
• Why caregiver guilt is so common, and why grace matters more than perfection

Dave also draws on his own experience with loss, creating an honest, compassionate conversation about anticipatory grief, end-of-life decisions, and the burden so many families carry in silence. If you’ve ever cared for a parent, walked alongside someone with dementia, or questioned whether you made the right choice, this episode will meet you where you are.Sarah’s memoir itself was born in the middle of the night from dreams, memories, and a pile of Sharpie notes on the glass beside her bed - and the result is a deeply personal book shaped by prose, poetry, and family. This is essential listening for anyone navigating Alzheimer’s, caregiving, grief, or the search for meaning inside loss. Sarah Vosburgh is a psychologist, memoirist, and member of the International Memoir Writers Association and San Diego Writers, Ink.

Sarah’s Bio and Contact Information

It was never in Sarah Vosburgh’s plan to be an author or to write a memoir.

As a busy mom, wife, and psychologist, she always saw her life as full (sometimes overfull). But in the dark of night, memories knocked on her brain, compelling her to commit them first to paper, then to bits and bytes. Sarah is a member of the International Memoir Writers Association and San Diego Writers, Ink. Her work has been published in A Year in Ink and numerous volumes of Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir. A native New Englander, she now lives in San Diego with her husband, her daughter, her granddog, and a most extraordinary feline.

Her book Who Will Name the Bees? is available at whowillnamethebees.com, sarahvosburgh.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible.

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Discover the inspiring story of resilience and rebirth in our latest episode featuring Ron Klopfanstein, an adjunct professor at Utica University and host of Hot Seat Media Monday. After suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome for over a decade, Ron shares how he transformed his life from debilitating illness to impactful educator and community activist.

Ron’s journey is not just about overcoming a health crisis; it’s a testament to the power of choice in the face of adversity. He candidly discusses the struggles that come with chronic fatigue syndrome, including the physical and emotional toll it takes. You’ll hear about the innovative treatments that finally helped him reclaim his life, including the surprising role that colloidal silver played in his recovery.

In this episode, you'll discover:

- The lesser-known symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and its elusive causes.

- The unconventional treatment paths that led to Ron's recovery.

- How his experiences shaped his teaching philosophy and approach to life.

- Insights into the importance of choosing gratitude over bitterness after loss.

- The ways in which chronic illness can redefine one’s purpose and passion.

Ron’s story is a powerful reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always a path forward. He emphasizes the importance of resilience, the strength found in vulnerability, and the impact of maintaining a positive outlook.

Whether you’re facing your own challenges or simply seeking inspiration, this episode is essential listening. Ron’s journey will leave you motivated to confront your own obstacles with courage and determination. Tune in and be inspired to live with intention and purpose

Ron’s Bio and Contact Information

Ron Klopfanstein is an adjunct professor at Utica University and has taught in the Utica New York school system for several years. He is also involved in various social causes in the Utica area, with his husband Jim Hale. Ron is also the host of Hot Seat Media Monday, a live podcast which highlights individuals and organizations who are having a positive impact in the Utica, New York community.

Ron’s Contact information

All Social Media: Ron Klopfanstein

Podcast: Hot Seat Media Monday

uticapheonix.net/media-monday , 95.5 FM The Heat, Mondays from 5–6 p.m, and on all major podcast platforms

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What if the behaviors that make you great at helping others are also the ones that keep you stuck, burned out, and disconnected from yourself?

Trauma expert and award-winning professor Dr. Adam McCormick joins host Dave Roberts for a deeply practical conversation about adverse childhood experiences, emotional survival, and why so many helping professionals are drawn to this work long before they ever realize it.

Adam shares how growing up with an alcoholic father and becoming a parentified child shaped his path into social work, and why so many adults recreate familiar pain in relationships, work, and self-sabotage without meaning to. He breaks down the difference between ACEs and trauma, why trauma is the wound rather than the event, and how shame, control, and survival adaptations like fight, flight, freeze, overfunctioning, and people-pleasing follow us into adulthood.

You’ll discover:

• Why emotional and relational trauma often shapes professionals more than overt abuse
• How childhood survival skills get rewarded in social work, teaching, and other helping roles
• Why “just do self-care” fails when someone has disconnected from their authentic self to survive
• How countertransference can reveal unresolved childhood material in the room
• Why connection, co-regulation, and being truly seen matter more than perfect advice

Adam offers a powerful framework for understanding how meaning gets made, how trauma spreads when it goes unrecognized, and how healing begins when someone finally stays present without judgment.

This conversation is essential listening for anyone who works with trauma, supports young people, or is trying to break generational cycles in their own life.

About Adam

Adam McCormick, MSSW, PhD, is an award-winning professor, social worker, keynote speaker, and author whose work explores trauma, burnout, emotional development, helping professionals, foster care, resilience, masculinity, and the emotional lives of boys and men.

Over the course of his career, Adam has delivered nearly 300 keynote presentations, workshops, conference sessions, continuing education trainings, and professional development programs for social workers, counselors, healthcare professionals, educators, universities, and helping organizations across the United States.

In 2026, Adam received the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, widely regarded as the highest honor for teaching excellence in the state of Texas. He is also a candidate for the 2028 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, one of the most prestigious teaching awards in higher education in the United States, and was the recipient of St. Edward's University's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2025.

Adam is the author of Healing the Helping Professional: The Unfinished Business of Childhood (NASW Press, 2026), a book exploring childhood trauma, emotional survival adaptations, burnout, authenticity, and the journey back to the self. He is also currently completing The Cost of Becoming a Boy: Trauma, Boyhood, and a Return to Self, a forthcoming book examining the emotional, developmental, and cultural experiences that shape boys and men. Dr. McCormick is the author of LGBTQ+ Youth in Foster Care (Routledge).

Known for blending trauma science, storytelling, vulnerability, humor, and practical application, Adam's presentations help audiences better understand both the people they serve and themselves.

Connect with Adam McCormick:

Follow Adam on LinkedIn for his social links and weekly trauma-focused newsletter.

His book is available through Amazon and NASW Press.

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