Think Peace Podcast: Where Peace Crosses the Mind

What impact do uncertainty and high stress have on the minds of those who protect and serve? First responders and public safety personnel are often hailed as heroes, but the mental health struggles they face in the wake of crises can be overwhelming. Anxiety, trauma, and burnout are all too common, yet they are not always provided with the proper safeguards or resources needed to navigate these stressors.

In this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, host Colette Rausch sits down with Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton, a Professor of Clinical Psychology and expert in anxiety and trauma, to explore the intersection of neuroscience and crisis response as it relates to the mental health of first responders. Together, they delve into the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to emotional dysregulation and discuss how a deeper understanding of these factors can help others navigate high-stress situations.

What is social transformation? This is a question that many peacebuilders and ponder daily. There are a plethora of definitions which can be applied to this concept. Does it begin at the individual level, or can it only succeed within the collective?

On this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, host Colette Rausch is joined by Laura Webber to ponder this exact question and explore a new paradigm of social transformation which is rooted in a holistic approach they have termed as integrative transformation.

In today's peacebuilding landscape, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) have emerged as essential components. Any peacebuilding or reconciliation initiative that overlooks MHPSS neglects a crucial aspect of holistic peacebuilding, which should be trauma-informed and human-centered rather than solely technical.

In this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, host Colette Rausch engages in a conversation with Rowda Olad, the founder and clinical director of Maandeeq Mental Health based in Mogadishu, Somalia. Maandeeq is a nonprofit organization that aims to integrate mental health and trauma healing into the realm of peacebuilding and community development.

Rowda shares her motivations for pioneering this work in Somalia, highlighting the necessity for implementing trauma-informed practices within Western peacebuilding approaches. The episode delves into the importance of MHPSS in fostering sustainable peace and shares Rowda's aspirations for the future of MHPSS-based initiatives.

As societal landscapes experience rapid and holistic transformations, the integration of multiple disciplines and knowledge fields is shaping new paradigms of "peace" and "wellbeing." In this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, your host, Colette Rausch, delves into a discussion with Dr. Sará King on the intersection of neuroscience, mental health, and wellbeing. Dr. King, the founder of the MindHealthCollective—an organization focused on addressing the impacts of trauma—provides valuable insights into the integration of wellbeing practices within this important field.

As peacebuilders, we dedicate ourselves to the cause of creating sustainable peace. However, it's crucial to ask how we can achieve this sustainability without adequately training and empowering the next generation of peacebuilders, equipping them with the essential tools to perpetuate the cycle of peace.

In our quest to understand the pivotal role of trauma and neuroscience in our field, we need to ensure that we impart a trauma-informed approach to peacebuilding to the upcoming generation. This approach is inseparable from the concept of

 In this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, our host, Colette Rausch, engages in a conversation with Cam Cassar, the podcast’s Senior Producer and a member of the next generation of peacebuilders. Together, they delve into Cam's journey into

When discussing justice, many think that there is a one size fits all approach. In reality, justice has many different interpretations that are applicable to a wealth of different contexts and scenarios. It is important to have justice processes that are designed holistically and take into account the knowledge of other cultures and most importantly the diversity of the human experience.

On this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, our host Colette Rausch sits down with Think Peace Learning and Support Hub Director of Truth-Telling and global transitional justice expert Eduardo Gonzalez to explain how his experiences growing up in Peru during a time of civil strife laid the foundation for his interest in transitional justice, how the field has evolved from its early iterations to become more inclusive of different viewpoints, and how the notions of trauma, healing, and human rights have informed his approach to transitional justice and peacebuilding.

In thinking about social hierarchies, one may not be aware of the psychology behind power dynamics and the direct effect they have on perpetuating group-based hierarchies and inequalities.

Join us for the first episode of Season 3 of the Think Peace Podcast as host Colette Rausch and UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Sa-kiera Hudson discuss theories of social dominance and identity, the role of empathy, and schadenfreude within intergroup conflict as well as how these all coalesce to create and perpetuate systems of harm.

Going down the road of reconciliation is a daunting path that not many people can take. This road may test you in ways you couldn't imagine but when the end result leads to tangible and sustainable change, you realize that the journey is worth it. In this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, host Colette Rausch sits down with reconciliation expert, Director of the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation and Think Peace Learning and Support Hub Convener Antti Pentikainen to discuss his journey into reconciliation, his experiences working in different contexts, and what have been the most effective methods in working towards reconciliation.

Creating social change requires a strong cause to rally people behind and includes bringing together different groups, even groups who normally would not work together. In this episode of the Think Peace Podcast, Host Colette Rausch sits down with Dr. Hema Preya Selvanathan to discuss how different groups rally together behind a cause. and the beauty that comes from working together for improving society.