Episodes

Food is something we encounter every day, yet for many of us, nourishment can involve a great deal of thought, effort, emotion, and complexity. In this conversation, registered dietitian and co-creator of Trauma-Informed Mindful Eating (TIME), Kristen Zappone, explores how our relationships with food and our bodies are shaped by far more than nutrition knowledge or willpower. Our lived experiences, nervous systems, relationships, environments, cultural messages, diet culture, and ability to con...

Leading from Abundance (LFA) is an invitation to help humanitarian providers use the skills of the Community Resiliency Model to shift from survival mode and a scarcity mindset to one of resilience. Compassion fatigue is a real thing; our programming helps humanitarian providers understand that their well-being is not a luxury; it is a best practice. We help providers understand that sustainable leadership doesn’t come from a place of burnout—it grows from a place of abundance.

Patrisse Cullors joins Elaine Miller-Karas on Resiliency Within for a conversation about the transformative power of art, imagination, spirituality, and community in creating pathways toward healing and social change. Cullors believes that art can do more than reflect the world as it is—it can help us imagine and build the world as it could be. Drawing upon more than two decades as a visual and performing artist, author, educator, and community organizer, she will explore how creativity can bec...

This conversation will explore the potential of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® to support lawyers and others working in civil legal services (or “legal aid”) nonprofits. It will begin by introducing legal services - what the work is, who it serves, and the role nonprofit legal aid organizations play in helping people address legal problems affecting basic life necessities. Drawing on Julia Wilson’s path from practicing as a legal aid attorney to coaching lawyers and nonprofit leaders, th...

Why do so many of us struggle with people-pleasing, perfectionism, difficulty setting boundaries, or feeling responsible for everyone else's wellbeing? What if these patterns are not flaws, but survival adaptations shaped by our earliest relationships? In this episode, Adam McCormick explores the "unfinished business of childhood" and how early experiences continue to influence our emotional lives, relationships, and sense of self. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in trauma and child...

Join Resiliency Within host Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, as she welcomes Dr. Michael Sapp, Executive Director of the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI), and Jeanine Harris, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, for a conversation about TRI’s first annual International Conference, October 2–4, 2026, in Claremont, California, and online worldwide. Celebrating 20 years of TRI’s work, the conference will bring together a global community of natural leaders, educators, practitioners, researchers, and partne...

This episode of Resiliency Within explores how patriarchal traditions have influenced leadership in the healing professions, often emphasizing hierarchy, authority, and "fixing" over collaboration, curiosity, and empowerment. Jenn Turner and Elaine Miller Karas, drawing from their own experiences, will reflect on how challenging these dynamics inspired them to embrace a different way of leading—one that honors the wisdom of the body, psychological safety, shared power, and the resilience inheren...

What happens when we teach resilience as a pathway to healing for incarcerated youth? In this compelling episode of Resiliency Within, Dr. Ingrid Duva and Dr. Linda Grabbe share the findings from their research on the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Conducted in partnership with the Georgia Preparatory Academy and the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, this study explored how an innovative program introducing body-based resilience skills hel...

On an unremarkable summer night at the age of fifteen, Mary Keating got into a 1965 Mustang convertible driven by a boy she barely knew. She never walked again. In her memoir-in-verse, Recalibrating Gravity, Keating explores life before, during, and after her spinal cord injury, bringing readers into the lived experience of navigating ill-fitting wheelchairs, poorly designed buildings, well-intentioned loved ones, the medical-industrial complex, and our ableist society. It’s not a story of trag...

What happens when we step away from the noise of everyday life and allow our feet to carry us toward something greater than ourselves? In this episode of Resiliency Within, I am joined by my colleague, K. Thomas, as we explore the profound physical, emotional, and spiritual transformations that unfolded during two remarkable pilgrimages. I share my experience walking the Camino de Santiago in my seventies, while K reflects on her journey to Machu Picchu in her thirties. Though our paths led us a...

Crisis Recovery for Kids, Parents, and Teachers Children worldwide are living during very difficult times within the United States and globally. Current policies are impacting our schools - our children, teachers, and school staff. Inez Tiger and Elaine Miller-Karas will discuss how educational systems worldwide are increasingly confronted with the impact of natural and human-made crises - war, genocide, wildfires, ICE raids, and community violence. These events disrupt the stability of whole...

In this episode of Resiliency Within, Elaine Miller-Karas, interviews Dr. Adam Barsouk about a sobering reality: cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in many developed nations. Yet there is hope—up to half of cancer deaths may be preventable through lifestyle changes, environmental awareness, and thoughtful public policy. Dr. Barsouk shares important information from his recently published book, Outsmarting Cancer, which reframes one of the most pressing medical cha...

We must not forget that the greatness of America has been shaped by the immigrants who have come for that hopeful opportunity of a better future. People have immigrated to the United States from many places around the globe. They have often escaped the horrors of war and oppression to come to a country hoping for a future where their families could thrive in a Democratic Republic. The host of Resiliency Within will share aspects of her first-generation view with her colleague, Martha Parra, LC...

Essential funds are being cut for important programs helping youth. Where common sense laws are lacking to protect children, violence prevention professionals and credible messengers are working on the frontlines to mediate conflict, interrupt violence, and restore peace. Jordan R. Murphy, PhD, RN, is a nurse scientist who specializes in behavioral health and trauma and resiliency-informed care. In this encore episode, Dr. Murphy will share her work in Gun Violence Prevention, supporting prof...

On this episode of Resiliency Within, host Elaine Miller-Karas welcomes Heather Lilly, co-founder and past Executive Director of Yoga Village in Wilmington, North Carolina, for a thoughtful conversation about the integration of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) with Trauma-Informed Yoga. Together, Elaine and Heather explore how these complementary, body-based approaches can help individuals and communities strengthen resilience, regulate the nervous system, and support healing in the face of ...

On this special episode of Resiliency Within, host Elaine Miller-Karas sits down with Michael Sapp, Executive Director of the Trauma Resource Institute, for a heartfelt conversation reflecting on the remarkable global journey of the Trauma Resource Institute. What began as a small idea rooted in compassion and neuroscience has grown into an international movement of healing, hope, and human connection, reaching communities across cultures, languages, and lived experiences worldwide. They will s...

The Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® contains powerful skills for nervous system regulation that can be used anywhere and anytime. CRM in Schools is a strengths-based, compassionate approach that is helping school staff and students re-connect to their bodies and understand new ways to support their well-being through nervous system regulation. Since 2019, the Community Resiliency Model has been shared with thousands of educators and students, world-wide. Pro-active and preventative skills li...

In this episode of Resiliency Within, Elaine Miller-Karas interviews Cathy Salser about a deceptively simple proposition: that time and connection — not paint or canvas — can be one of the most powerful art supplies we have. Cathy is the founder of A Window Between Worlds (AWBW), a non-profit dedicated to nurturing art-based journeys of transforming trauma. Since 1991, AWBW has grown into a national circle of co-creation reaching nearly 150,000 participants annually across 44 states and 8 count...

During Mental Health Awareness Month, join host Elaine Miller-Karas for a heartfelt and deeply personal hour-long conversation about why mental health must be viewed as a public health issue. Drawing from her Psychology Today article, “Why Mental Health Is a Public Health Issue,” and her decades of work developing the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) and Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), Elaine speaks directly to listeners about the biological impact of stress, trauma, disasters, loss, and uncerta...

In this episode of Resiliency Within, Elaine Miller-Karas, interviews Dr. Adam Barsouk about a sobering reality: cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in many developed nations. Yet there is hope—up to half of cancer deaths may be preventable through lifestyle changes, environmental awareness, and thoughtful public policy. Dr. Barsouk shares important information from his recently published book, Outsmarting Cancer, which reframes one of the most pressing medical cha...

In this powerful episode, we honor the legacy of Jane Stevens, founder of PACEs Connection, and explore how her vision is evolving into a bold national and global trauma recovery movement—one grounded in the belief that healing-centered care is a right, not a privilege. Through an intentional collaboration of organizations guided by Alliance Practice | Strategic Consulting for the Trauma Sector, this conversation highlights a growing movement that weaves together grassroots to systems-level cha...

Special Guest Louise Godbold

In this episode of Resiliency Within, I am joined by Jenn Turner of the Center for Trauma and Embodiment for a thoughtful and energizing conversation about what it means to be women leaders in the fields of mind-body health and trauma healing. Together, we explore the evolving landscape of therapeutic relationships—moving away from traditional hierarchies toward models of shared power, collaboration, and mutual respect. Jenn brings deep insight into embodied trauma healing, helping us understan...