TraumaTies

Missy Mendo uses these two Latin words to describe herself: ama odi. “It means I love what I do to help other people, but I hate what I do because it exists,” she explains to hosts Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg.

At 14 years old, Missy was a freshman at Columbine High School School during the 1999 mass shooting. Since then, she has dedicated herself to supporting others as the director of community outreach for The Rebels Project, which supports and connects survivors of mass tragedy and trauma. She discusses the challenges communities face in navigating collective grief, rebuilding, and using their pain to create positive change. She emphasizes the importance of peer support, community resilience, and healing – reminding listeners that a timeline for grief is unique to each individual survivor. 

☑️ Missy Mendo | LinkedIn | The Rebels Project

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

Tanaya Winder and her friends in the indigenous community wanted to raise awareness about the estimated 1,181 missing and murdered indigenous women. They asked for donations of 1,181 single-sided earrings to represent each woman. They received 4,000. 

“There's so many metaphors, because sometimes people would send the earrings, and they would need repair. They got damaged in the shipment. Some were broken beyond repair. It's like, wow. Sometimes, we feel like trauma does that to us, too,” Tanaya tells hosts Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg. 

A member of the Duckwater Shoshone Nation, Tanaya is an author, singer, motivational speaker, and teaching artist who founded Dream Warriors Management in 2015. Tune in for her insights about honoring her culture and – as with the earring project, which became a public artwork – applying art to strengthen resiliency.

☑️ Tanaya Winder | LinkedIn | X | Dream Warriors Management   

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

December 14, 2012, will always be part of Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis. But, in the years since that tragic day, she’s refused to let it define her. And she’s worked relentlessly to take back control. 

A teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Kaitlin saved her first-grade students from a mass shooter. She is now an advocate, author, and storyteller who shares her journey with audiences around the globe. In this visit with hosts Bridgette Stumpf Lindsey Silverberg, Kaitlin discusses her mission of eradicating hate and fostering connections. “Perspective is everything,” she says. “For me, choosing hope is that reminder – even on your hardest, darkest, lowest of days, you can always choose hope.”

Click here for Kaitlin’s book, “Choosing Hope: How I Moved Forward from Life's Darkest Hour,” and here to learn about her nonprofit, Classes 4 Classes.

☑️ Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis | LinkedIn 

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

There is a moment in the Broadway musical “Water for Elephants” when a ghost version of the character Wade, played by Wade McCollum, is on stage. The character Wade is crying, and the scene comes across as tragic to the audience. To the actor Wade, it doesn’t feel tragic. 

“In that moment, I'm not just personally forgiving, I'm not just personally and character-wise invoking liberation. I am praying that may all beings be free from suffering. That it's hard to be alive, and that every single person in that audience is dealing with their own grief and their own pain,” Wade tells hosts Lindsey Silverberg and Bridgette Stump

A prolific actor and filmmaker, Wade is earning a degree in cognitive neuroscience. Tune in for his insights about the intersection of art and trauma storytelling, including that artists have a responsibility to be compassionate to themselves and their audiences. Click here to learn about his upcoming film, “Secondary Dominance,” where he plays a neuroscientist hosting an event about trauma, the brain, and art making.

☑️ Wade McCollum | Facebook

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

Serial killer Ted Bundy would abduct a victim from a parking lot. But who did he take? In the media, the victim would simply be named, followed by a comma… and another name.

Kathy Kleiner Rubin has seen her name, followed by a comma, in many narratives about Bundy. He attacked her in her sorority house in 1978. She has a message for the media: “Understand that there were two parts to the story.” In this visit with hosts Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg, Kathy also shares her message to other survivors of trauma: “Walk away from what traumatized you, and look forward to doing things, even if it's walking to an island that you'll never reach. But take baby steps way out in the ocean.”

Tune in for more of Kathy’s insights. And for more about her inspiring story, read her book, “A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy.”

☑️ Kathy Kleiner Rubin | Facebook | X | YouTube

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

Hosts Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg welcome listeners to the third season of “TraumaTies” by introducing the sponsoring organization’s new name: Volare. 

The third season will focus on the power of storytelling to reshape trauma narratives. To help the hosts tell that story, they have a powerful roster of guests. These will include, among others, Kathy Kleiner Rubin, who survived an attack by serial killer Ted Bundy in 1978; Broadway actor Wade McCollum, recently in “Water for Elephants,” who will discuss bringing trauma stories to life; and Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, who saved her first-grade class at Sandy Hook Elementary School during the mass shooting in 2012. 

As Bridgette explains, this season will invite listeners to learn about resiliency through storytelling and to “acknowledge and recognize where trauma shows up in our everyday lives.”

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

“In times of great need, look for the helpers.” Mr. Rogers’ words have never been truer than in Season Two of TraumaTies, where we spoke with some of the preeminent helpers navigating vicarious trauma in their fields.

In the Season Two finale of TraumaTies, host and Executive Director of the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), Bridgette Stumpf, and co-host, Lindsey Silverberg, Deputy Director at NVRDC, reflect on the impactful conversations with unsung heroes in trauma support. 

If we are born as ice blocks, helpers are the torches smoothing and shaping us. This season included fascinating discussions with helpers in their respective fields on the importance of empathy and caretaking. Bridgette and Lindsey got to explore the often unexpected intersection between trauma and areas such as medicine, politics, nutrition, and veterinary and mortuary sciences. Overall, Season Two has highlighted the importance of searching for meaning and purpose in each of our lives. TraumaTies looks forward to continuing these conversations in Season Three!

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ NVRDC | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube 

Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

“Food in and of itself can be a source of trauma or adversity. It can also be used as a response to this adversity and trauma.”

In this episode of TraumaTies, host and Executive Director of the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), Bridgette Stumpf, and co-host, Lindsey Silverberg, Deputy Director at NVRDC, speak with a registered dietitian nutritionist and clinical trauma specialist. They explore the intricate connection between trauma and nutrition, emphasizing the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on food choices and behaviors. 

This registered dietitian nutritionist and clinical trauma specialist integrates trauma-informed approaches into nutrition and health services and spreads awareness in community settings. Food can be a source of trauma and a coping mechanism, both of which may lead to disordered eating patterns. Shedding light on the societal complexities around diet culture to help reduce the shame and blame associated with food choices.

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ NVRDC | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube 

Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

The funeral services industry is one of the places where unsung heroes intersect with families, sometimes in the deepest and hardest moments of their lives.

In this episode of TraumaTies, host and Executive Director of the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), Bridgette Stumpf, and co-host, Lindsey Silverberg, Deputy Director at NVRDC, are joined by Janet McGee, a licensed mortician, adjunct instructor, and advocate for furniture tip-over prevention whose 22-month-old son died tragically from a furniture tip-over incident. She is the author of the children’s book, Visiting Ted in Heaven.

Tune in to hear Janet share her deeply personal story and learn about the parent coalition she formed called Parents Against Tip-overs (PAT). Janet also provides her insights on mental health in the mortuary profession and discusses compassion fatigue and burnout.  

☑️ Janet McGee | LinkedIn

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ NVRDC | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube 

Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

Journalists, especially those covering difficult topics such as war and conflict, violence, corruption, the death penalty, and other human rights issues, are exposed to vicarious trauma through their work. 

In this episode of TraumaTies, host and Executive Director of the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), Bridgette Stumpf, and co-host, Lindsey Silverberg, Deputy Director at NVRDC, welcome guests, Alex Hannaford and Jeremy Young, both journalists and fellows at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. 

Alex is also the writer and director of The Last 40 Miles, an award-winning animated short film about the death penalty. In 2015, he won the Media Award from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Jeremy Young is a senior producer with Al Jazeera based in Washington, D.C. where he helped launch Fault Lines in 2009, the channel's award-winning strand that covers U.S. foreign policy issues. He has also produced several groundbreaking documentaries on jails, prisons, and the lives of inmates. 

Tune in to hear Alex and Jeremy discuss their roles as ethical storytellers, the impact of covering trauma on journalists, and the need for journalists to be trauma-responsive when interviewing people who have been through trauma themselves. Their discussion also explores the topics of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma, as well as building resilience, compartmentalization, and the value of human connection. 

☑️ Alex Hannaford | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram 

☑️ Jeremy Young | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram 

☑️ Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn 

☑️ NVRDC | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube 

Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.