When Bearing Witness®: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Storyteller

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AI has seemed to blow in like a tornado this past year. The rapid development of AI has brought both excitement and concerns around potential biases and inequities. 

In this episode, data equity expert Meena discusses why we need to be intentional about centering humans and promoting inclusivity as AI becomes more ubiquitous. Meena emphasizes that data is ultimately about people - we are the data points that these systems analyze and make predictions from. If AI models are trained on datasets lacking diverse representation, they will perpetuate harmful biases and alienate entire communities.

Meena advocates for having open conversations to develop organizational "AI values" that prioritize ethics, accountability, and evaluating real-world impacts. Rather than rushing to adopt shiny new AI tools, she urges taking a step back to understand how the technology aligns with an organization's mission and equitably serves all stakeholders. Meena shares examples of responsible AI practices in action.

About Meena Das

Meena Das (she/her) is the CEO, consultant, and facilitator of two practices - NamasteData and Data Is For Everyone. Namaste Data focuses on advancing data equity for nonprofits and social impact agencies, while Data Is For Everyone provides tools and resources to help people learn how to navigate the world of data. Meena is a specialist in designing and teaching equitable research tools and analyzing engagement. She supports nonprofits in three critical areas: data collection assessments, community surveys, and staff workshops on topics like improving data equity and human-centric algorithms. 

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Website | LinkedIn | Dear Human Newsletter | Data Uncollected Newsletter

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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Giving voice to our stories, especially the painful chapters, can be a daunting yet profoundly healing journey. Many of us hold back, grappling with self-doubt and the fear of revisiting trauma. However, as Marti Statler, CEO of Rebel Queen Books, passionately shares, bravely articulating your narrative through writing can be a transformative act of self-reclamation.

To be clear, this path of healing is a choice. And if you do choose to reclaim your story, this episode is for you.

Statler guides us through the delicate process of unpacking our stories with care and compassion. She emphasizes the importance of cultivating a strong support system of "dream keepers" - trusted individuals who can hold space for you as you dive into the tender depths. Developing self-care practices, such as compassionate journaling, can help reframe perspectives and offer solace.

With authenticity and vulnerability, Statler opens up about how boldly owning her truth allowed others to feel less alone in their struggles. While revisiting painful memories can be challenging, she shares how giving voice to your story can forge deep human connections and personal growth.

This episode provides a roadmap for courageously exploring your narrative, even the most difficult chapters, with gentleness and care. Through Statler's guidance, you'll gain insights into creating a nurturing environment to safely unpack your story, one layer at a time, ultimately discovering the healing potential within your truth.

About Marti Statler

Marti Statler is the CEO of Rebel Queen and podcast host of The Rebel Maker. She knows exactly what she's doing when it comes to helping women get their books done and into the world. She has a "no BS" approach to publishing and problem-solving—along with her tenacity to make things happen.

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Rebel Queen Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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Reverend Sanghoon Yoo has walked an incredible journey - from a social worker dealing with trauma and crisis to becoming a pastor and experiencing his own period of trauma and burnout. This led him to the trauma-informed care movement over a decade ago. 

In this episode Rev. Yoo shares how principles of unconditional love and creating a "community of belonging" are key to being trauma-informed, even for those without clinical training. He powerfully reframes trauma-informed practices not just as an individual healing approach but as a societal justice issue that we all contribute to positively or negatively.

Rev. Yoo's perspective bridges the worlds of faith and science. He highlights how showing compassion and safety and making space for people's stories without correction creates the foundations for a trauma-informed community. Just as importantly, he emphasizes that to hold space for others' pain, we must start with self-love and self-care. 

Ultimately, Rev. Yoo casts a vision of communities becoming resilient together across all divides - faith traditions, sectors, politics, and more. Being trauma-informed is an ongoing journey, but one that can bring hope through the powerful pivot of asking "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?" 

Listen as we learn from Rev. Yoo, whose lived experience and spiritual wisdom make him a unique voice in the trauma-informed movement.

About Rev. Sanghoon Yoo

Rev. Sanghoon Yoo leading a trauma-informed movement in the faith space. He’s the founder of The Faithful City and Arizona Trauma Informed Faith Coalition and has led ministries and social services at Arizona State University and the Phoenix metropolitan area for over three decades.  

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About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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The way we communicate about traumatic experiences matters deeply. This episode dives into the importance of using trauma-informed language with nonprofit marketing expert Cody Hays. 

The discussion explores how word choices can inadvertently re-traumatize individuals or marginalized groups.  Cody shares strategies for communicating about sensitive topics in a way that prioritizes empathy and hope.  He breaks down why trauma-informed language is vital for building trust, telling authentic stories, and catalyzing positive social impact through clear and conscientious messaging.

Tune in to learn practical tips on using non-stigmatizing language, avoiding victim-blaming rhetoric, and crafting content that creates space for progress. 

About Cody Hays

Cody Hays is the CEO and Founder of Marketing Mission, a digital marketing firm that provides marketing services to nonprofit organizations to help advance progressive social change. He serves as the Executive Editor of the Journal of Public Interest Communications. If that’s not enough, he is also pursuing a PhD in communications at Arizona State University - studying how to curb the climate misinformation polluting our digital ecosystems. 

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Marketing Mission | Marketing Mission Resources | Instagram | Journal of Public Interest Communications

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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The most compelling yet exploitative stories often caricature complex experiences. 

When we know better, we can do better. 

Ethical storytellers build connections and go deeper into issues. They leave room for nuance, get permission, and make sure stories enlighten people rather than just expose them. The result? Story owners are dignified and respected, and audiences feel centered by shared understanding.

Christy Kern joins us on this episode to discuss all things ethical storytelling, with a deep dive into the complexities of cross-cultural storytelling. 

About Christy Kern
Christy Kern is a workshop facilitator who helps folks find clarity, determine what they are for, anchor their work in value, and, ultimately, become better communicators. She is an ethical storytelling advocate and has developed an ethical storytelling database with an evolving collection of resources to support better ethical storytelling practices. 

Connect with Christy Kern

Website | Ethical Storytelling Research Database

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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When it comes to nonprofit marketing, personal stories are powerful. But we need to be careful—not every story is ours to tell. 

Diana Farias Heinrich, founder of Habrá Marketing, joins us on the podcast to tell us how she learned this the hard way when a story she shared had unexpected consequences for the young woman involved. Motivated by this eye-opening experience, Diana decided there must be an ethical way to leverage stories in our marketing efforts.  

The solution? Informed consent conversations. Diana dove into research on consent procedures and trauma-informed storytelling. She began incorporating what she learned into her nonprofit consultancy. Over time, her expertise crystallized into a practical guide—a new standard for protecting vulnerable populations as we promote our causes. 

Listen as we explore Diana’s journey and how we can implement what she has learned in our own lives and work.

About Diana

Diana Farias Heinrich is a nonprofit storyteller and marketer and the founder and CEO of Habrá Marketing. Her consultancy is rooted in bringing equity into nonprofit marketing and fundraising strategies through Informed Consent. Diana is on the show to walk us through her Guide to Informed Consent Conversations - which is a crucial part of trauma-informed storytelling.  

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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In this interview with trauma expert Katie Kurtz, listeners can expect to come away with an expanded understanding of trauma and what it means to operate through a trauma-informed lens. 

Katie provides clarity around key trauma definitions and outlines competencies ranging from basic awareness to active trauma responsiveness, empowering listeners to evaluate their own experience and knowledge.

With nuance and care, Katie addresses concepts like safety, trust-building, and unintended harm, equipping storytellers and creatives with principles to minimize hurt. She also offers transparency about her own learning journey, normalizing missteps while offering suggestions for self-compassion and repairing damage.

Katie gives storytellers guidance on holding space, maintaining boundaries, and sharing responsibly within one’s scope. Her insight bridges theory and practice, making trauma-informed approaches tangible through diverse examples across industries.

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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In the inaugural episode of her "When Bearing Witness" podcast, host Maria Bryan is interviewed by veteran podcaster Rain about becoming a trauma-informed storyteller. Listeners can expect to learn Maria's origin story of arriving at this work after a student asked a pivotal question about incorporating trauma-informed practices into nonprofit storytelling.

Maria and Rainn define trauma-informed storytelling as the safe gathering and telling of painful stories in a way that transforms yet protects story owners, audiences, and storytellers. They discuss critical topics like consent, boundaries, grounding techniques, and the responsibility held by storygatherers and tellers.

This conversation lays the groundwork for what's to come on the podcast itself. Maria shares why she started the When Bearing Witness Podcast and what listeners can expect from season one of the show.

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

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Welcome to The When Bearing Witness Podcast!

This is an invitation to explore trauma-informed storytelling, a safe and healthy process of gathering and telling difficult stories. Join me as I engage in thought-provoking conversations with trauma-informed experts and social-good storytellers coming together to shape the intersection of trauma-informed care and the storytelling process. 

Stories are sacred, and with this podcast, we’re working towards creating safe spaces to tell and share them.

The When Bearing Witness Podcast will launch on January 16, 2024. Stay tuned!

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place. 

Connect with Maria

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