Explore every episode of the podcast History. Culture. Trauma

Research has found that there is credibility to the term mind-body connection. There is a clear link between our thoughts, feelings, emotions and our physical body. At this point, should we, as a society, stop separating mental health and physical health? Are they not one in the same? Please join us this week as our guest, PACEs Connection's very own Dr. Donielle Prince, discusses the mind-body connection with our host Ingrid Cockhren. Through contributing to and coordinating the PACEs Connection Creating Resilient Communities Accelerator, Donielle will continue PACEs Connection’s mission to support the growth of both statewide and local community resilience initiatives. Donielle brings to this work over 20 years’ experience as a program evaluator, focused on education, community based youth programming, mental health, and its intersections. Donielle’s core expertise is in understanding those elements of programming and initiatives that present challenges, as well as those that yield the potential for change. Donielle’s signature evaluation projects included youth development studies, trauma informed training evaluations, and educational equity focused program and curriculum evaluations. Donielle’s experience has taught her that evaluation research is above all a communication tool- the ability to examine a program and then organize those findings, a process which helps to bring clarity to a program mission. A well crafted mission then becomes a platform from which to create and sustain tangible change. In the community, Donielle’s experience with research, policy and reform is reflected in her deep commitment to advocating for social justice. This work has included youth mentoring, including first-time offending juveniles and foster youth; as well as community based organizing against state violence, educational inequity, and lack of access to mental health supports, particularly for members of marginalized communities- similar to the community where she was raised, in East Palo Alto, CA, located in the “Silicon Valley”. Currently, Donielle resides in Sacramento, CA. Donielle has studied education, counseling psychology and human development, and race and racism, earning her B.A. at Wellesley College (1995), her MS. Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania (1996), and her Ph.D. at Stanford University (2006).

This week's episode is an excerpt from a recorded interview of Dr. Bruce Perry conducted by our hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell. The interview occurred on June 28th, 2022 and launched PACEs Connection's Connecting Communities One Book at a Time initiative. In this interview, Dr. Bruce Perry discusses his #1 New York Times Bestseller What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021), which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, within the context of historical trauma.

This week our guest is Beth Tyson. Beth Tyson is a childhood trauma consultant and author. Our discussion will center on the state of infant and child mental health post-Covid. Beth Tyson, MA, is an international childhood trauma consultant, acclaimed author, CASA volunteer, and co-chair of the PA Child Abuse Prevention Team. With a background as a family-based trauma therapist, she honed her expertise in stabilizing mental health crises within foster, kinship, and adoptive homes. Motivated by her therapeutic work, Beth founded Beth Tyson Trauma Consulting in 2019, to advocate for trauma-responsive care across various organizations. Her commitment to empowering communities led her to pen three best-selling books, including therapeutic resources for children like A Grandfamily for Sullivan and Sullivan Goes to See Mama. Notably, she co-created the animated YouTube series All Connected, offering valuable insights into trauma recovery for teens. Beyond her professional endeavors, Beth cherishes her role as a mother, instilling her daughter with a passion for skiing and a penchant for making positive waves in the world.

Long-time health, science and technology journalist Jane Stevens joins PACEs Connection CEO Ingrid Cockhren to do a deep dive into why people aren’t getting an accurate picture about violence in their communities. In fact, the state of violence reporting boils down to this: the news media is unintentionally providing misinformation about violence. Remarkably, the basics of crime reporting haven’t changed much since the late 1890s. Essentially, it’s the man-bites-dog approach: the unusual, not the normal. Case in point: Although domestic violence causes comprises most aggravated assault and causes the most damage to communities in the U.S. economically and emotionally, it’s hardly reported. Yet, in many communities, up to one-third of the operating budget goes to dealing with domestic violence and its consequences. The irony is that although change is journalism’s bread and butter, getting the journalism community to modernize is like moving a mountain with a spoon and a bucket. We discuss how the news media can jettison their old ways by integrating knowledge of the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences and, in the process, provide an accurate picture of violence in their communities, reduce and prevent violence, help reduce systemic racism and its effects, and significantly increase their readership.

Self-care has become a buzzword when discussing solutions to the mental health crisis in BIPOC communities. Is self-care enough to mitigate the impact of systemic racism, intergenerational poverty, and historical trauma? This week our guest is Candice Valenzuela. Candice will provide insight concerning the need for collective care to heal communities, especially communities struggling with systemic racism and historical trauma. Candice is a MFTI who has worked at the crossroads of education, justice and community healing for the past 16 years. Candice has extensive experience in mindfulness, trauma informed care, anti-oppressive practices, cultural competency, liberatory education and youth empowerment. https://www.candicerosevalenzuela.com/

Often lacking in funding and support, Black non-profit leaders are driving the work to liberate Black communities and bring in an age of equity and reconciliation. This week, we welcome Travis Claybrooks, founder and CEO of the Raphah Institute. Raphah Institute envisions a cradle-to-homeownership pipeline that has replaced the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Through partnerships and programming, Raphah helps marginalized community members access the housing, healthcare, social support, education, and economic resources they need to heal and thrive. Travis completed his Master of Divinity at Liberty University and is a doctoral candidate in Strategic Leadership there. He has worked as a police officer in Nashville, TN, served in the US Army, and ministered as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. Travis is an active community volunteer. He holds membership on the First Horizon Bank Community Advisory Board, the Partners in Care Stakeholder Committee, the Nashville Group Violence Intervention Advisory Board, the Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment Steering Committee, Adverse Childhood Experiences Nashville Leadership Committee, the Nashville Child and Youth Collaborative, and the Nashville Health Equity Coalition. He is a restorative justice practitioner and trainer. Travis previously served as a Restorative Justice Working Group member at the United States Department of Justice. He is launching an expansion of Raphah Institute’s Restorative Justice Diversion Initiative in partnership with the Memphis/Shelby County DA, Juvenile Court, Public Defender, and community organizations. Raphah is also piloting a community investment project in early childhood education in HUD housing communities in Nashville. Travis enjoys playing video games and weekend outings with his family. He is a North Nashville native residing in White House, TN.

America's culture of child abuse and neglect negatively impacts every aspect of American life. During April 2022, co-hosts Ingrid Cockhren and Mathew Portell examined America's history of child abuse and neglect and outlined how this history connects to our current child abuse crisis. Please join our hosts for an encore of part two of this series. This episode is dedicated to illuminating the systemic nature of child abuse and neglect in America. Cockhren and Portell discussed the different layers of influence embedded within our society and how these influences create the conditions that allow abuse and neglect to fester. In part two, the focus will be on community-level influences. This discussion will include the influence of school environments, rural communities, housing discrimination, community violence, poverty, gun violence, gang culture, etc. They also outlined how PACEs science can be applied to both address and prevent child abuse and neglect.

Child abuse and neglect negatively impacts every aspect of American life. To honor Child Abuse Prevention Month, we will revisit a discussion between co-hosts, Ingrid Cockhren and Mathew Portell. In this 2-part conversation, Ingrid & Mathew examine America's history of child abuse and neglect and outline how this history connects to our current child abuse crisis. This episode is dedicated to illuminating the systemic nature of child abuse and neglect in America. Ingrid and Mathew discuss the different layers of influence embedded within our society and how these influences create the conditions that allow abuse and neglect to fester. They also outline how PACEs science can be applied to both address and prevent child abuse and neglect.

In consideration of Women's History month, we will revisit our talk with Dr. Sandra Bloom. For the past forty years, Dr. Bloom has done pioneering work in the field of traumatic stress studies. From 1980-2001, Dr. Bloom served as Founder and Executive Director of the Sanctuary programs, inpatient psychiatric programs for the treatment of trauma-related emotional disorders and during those years was also President of the Alliance for Creative Development, a multidisciplinary outpatient practice group. Dr. Bloom is recognized nationally and internationally as the founder of the Sanctuary Model. Since 2012, Dr. Bloom has also served as Co-chair for the Philadelphia ACEs Task Force (http://www.philadelphiaaces.org.) In 2020 Dr. Bloom introduced a new, online organizational and clinical approach called Creating PRESENCE™ (https://www.creatingpresence.net). Creating PRESENCE™ is for creating trauma-informed, trauma-responsive and trauma-resilient organizations.

As we continue to honor women in the worldwide PACEs movement, this week our guest is Beth Tyson. Beth Tyson is a childhood trauma consultant and author. Our discussion will center on the state of infant and child mental health post-Covid. Beth Tyson, MA, is an international childhood trauma consultant, acclaimed author, CASA volunteer, and co-chair of the PA Child Abuse Prevention Team. With a background as a family-based trauma therapist, she honed her expertise in stabilizing mental health crises within foster, kinship, and adoptive homes. Motivated by her therapeutic work, Beth founded Beth Tyson Trauma Consulting in 2019, to advocate for trauma-responsive care across various organizations. Her commitment to empowering communities led her to pen three best-selling books, including therapeutic resources for children like A Grandfamily for Sullivan and Sullivan Goes to See Mama. Notably, she co-created the animated YouTube series All Connected, offering valuable insights into trauma recovery for teens. Beyond her professional endeavors, Beth cherishes her role as a mother, instilling her daughter with a passion for skiing and a penchant for making positive waves in the world.

In honor of Women's History Month, in this episode PACEs Connection tackles the importance of trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools with guest, Dr. Tyisha Noise. Dr. Noise and hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell, dig into the paradigm shifts needed to change the landscape of our schools. Our nation's children are grappling with the stress of a global pandemic, our country's racial reckoning, a polarized political climate, increasing school shootings, and so much more. It is clear that reducing stress in schools is essential for student, staff, and community well-being. This episode delves into many possible solutions, from decreasing class sizes to teaching stress-management techniques that can empower students.

This week, in honor of Women's History Month, we will speak with Elona Washington. Elona is the founder of The Author’s Journey, an award-winning marketing agency. Elona is a childhood trauma survivor who understands firsthand the challenges of revealing life's most intimate, personal moments. After self-publishing her memoir, she was catapulted in the public eye as a #metoo activist, appearing in the USA TODAY, Canadian Broadcasting Network, and other major outlets. A 3x bestselling author with 24 years of marketing experience, eight of which in self and traditional publishing, Elona has used her expertise to design award-winning marketing campaigns for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. After resigning from a Big 5 Publisher, she sparked a revolution with this agency, championing the voices of Black and Brown authors and designing strategies to increase their impact and tell their stories to the world.

As we close out Black History Month, we must reflect on the vital role of Black non-profit leaders. Often lacking in funding and support, Black non-profit leaders are driving the work to liberate Black communities and bring in an age of equity and reconciliation. This week, we welcome Travis Claybrooks, founder and CEO of the Raphah Institute. Raphah Institute envisions a cradle-to-homeownership pipeline that has replaced the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Through partnerships and programming, Raphah helps marginalized community members access the housing, healthcare, social support, education, and economic resources they need to heal and thrive. Travis completed his Master of Divinity at Liberty University and is a doctoral candidate in Strategic Leadership there. He has worked as a police officer in Nashville, TN, served in the US Army, and ministered as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. Travis is an active community volunteer. He holds membership on the First Horizon Bank Community Advisory Board, the Partners in Care Stakeholder Committee, the Nashville Group Violence Intervention Advisory Board, the Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment Steering Committee, Adverse Childhood Experiences Nashville Leadership Committee, the Nashville Child and Youth Collaborative, and the Nashville Health Equity Coalition. He is a restorative justice practitioner and trainer. Travis previously served as a Restorative Justice Working Group member at the United States Department of Justice. He is launching an expansion of Raphah Institute’s Restorative Justice Diversion Initiative in partnership with the Memphis/Shelby County DA, Juvenile Court, Public Defender, and community organizations. Raphah is also piloting a community investment project in early childhood education in HUD housing communities in Nashville. Travis enjoys playing video games and weekend outings with his family. He is a North Nashville native residing in White House, TN.

In this episode, Candice Valenzuela joins us again. Her last episode focused on self-care and minority mental health aired in 2022 and is one of our most popular episodes. We are excited to have her as a guest again. Candice and our hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell will discuss the importance of healing intergenerational trauma. How can parents ensure that generational issues do not continue to impact future generations? This topic is especially important for parents who have a background of historical trauma (slavery, genocide, etc.). Please join us for this important conversation.

As our nation celebrates Black History Month, we at PACEs Connection believe it is appropriate to recognize the history of enslavement, discrimination, Jim Crow and domestic terrorism that Black people have endured. The resulting historical trauma of racism should be recognized and honored. This week's episode is an excerpt from a recorded interview of Dr. Bruce Perry conducted by our hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell. The interview occurred on June 28th, 2022 and launched PACEs Connection's Connecting Communities One Book at a Time initiative. In this interview, Dr. Bruce Perry discusses his #1 New York Times Bestseller What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021), which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, within the context of historical trauma.

In this week's episode, we are excited to have Dr. Amy King. Amy King, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who provides training, consultation and education to professionals and organizations. She specializes in trauma-informed work and resilience building. Dr. King advises organizations around wellness, staff vitality and creating trauma-responsive spaces. Her specialties include working with professionals to help create resilient children, patients, and thriving families, guiding them to heal their stress and trauma through connected relationships. Dr. King has served as a national expert on trauma, relational health, and resilience. Her current work is promoting resilience by training professionals who work with children and families, through partnership and collaboration. Dr. Amy & her team serve folks who aim to be champions in connected spaces. When she’s not working to promote resilience, you can find her with her family on their small hobby farm in Newberg, Oregon. In this episode, host Ingrid Cockhren and our guest will examine early relational health and how it impacts resilience. We will also discuss her first upcoming book, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, that comes out in the spring of 2024, titled, The Trauma Informed Pediatric Practice: A Resilience-Based Roadmap to Foster Early Relational Health.

We are excited to announce another episode of History. Culture. Trauma.! Our next conversation is with VictimFocus CEO & Sunday Times Bestselling author, Dr. Jessica Taylor. Late last year, the World Health Organization and the United Nations acknowledged that environmental factors played a large role in the current mental health epidemic. Also, with a new understanding of scientific colonialism and scientific racism, the question is... Is anti-pathology the next frontier for the worldwide PACEs Movement? Our host, Ingrid Cockhren, will talk with Dr. Jessica Taylor about what anti-pathology means and how trauma is often left out of the conversation concerning mental health. This leads to a larger conversation about the impact of colonialism and racism on the social sciences, especially psychology and mental health-related fields.

History. Culture. Trauma has returned! This episode is dedicated to the work of the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice, known as CTIPP. CTIPP's mission is to create a healthy, just, resilient, and trauma-informed society where all individuals, families, and communities have the social, political, cultural, economic, and spiritual opportunities and support necessary to thrive. Our host, Ingrid Cockhren, will talk with Jesse Kohler, Executive Director of CTIPP. Serving as CTIPP’s Executive Director on loan, Jesse is in charge of organizational administration and HR, fundraising, strategic planning, public engagements, and working to create conditions of safety and empowerment for the board, staff, and volunteers in their roles with the organization. Jesse is on loan from The Change Campaign, which is a nonprofit organization Jesse founded. The Change Campaign is a multi-pronged initiative to build community and systemic capacity by facilitating the application of the science of developmental adversity and its progression through the lifespan and generations to enable initiatives that improve holistic well-being and provide strategic support to government agencies and organizations focused in aligned areas. Above all else, Jesse has always had a strong vision for change that would make our world a better place for all. Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, after graduating from Oberlin College, Jesse spent the first part of his career working for various nonprofits serving Philadelphia communities and at the state level for the Office of Attorney General and the Governor’s Campaign. While in graduate school, Jesse started with CTIPP as its first intern, then served as a board member for several years before becoming its first ED. Jesse lives in Washington, D.C., with the love of his life Tina, their hamster Hamuel, guinea pigs Bryce and Jalen, stuffed animals, and many plants. Jesse enjoys time with his friends and family, playing golf and softball, watching professional sports, singing karaoke, Thursday night pilates, and barre, and watching his shows.

This week's episode focuses on how grief and mental health issues can be exacerbated by the holiday season. As we are emerging from the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have lost loved ones. And, even pre-pandemic, the holiday season was often a time of grief, loss and sadness. Our host Ingrid Cockhren will welcome former PACEs Connection team member and Grief & Wellness consultant, Gail Kennedy, and Yolo Cares for Kids Grief Specialist, Elisa Stone to discuss effective healing practices. Our discussion will center on how we can process our grief during this time and how we can assist children in managing grief and other overwhelming emotions as we end the year.

This week's episode focuses on how grief and mental health issues can be exacerbated by the holiday season. As we are emerging from the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have lost loved ones. And, even pre-pandemic, the holiday season was often a time of grief, loss and sadness. Our host Ingrid Cockhren will welcome former PACEs Connection team member and Grief & Wellness consultant, Gail Kennedy, and Yolo Cares for Kids Grief Specialist, Elisa Stone to discuss effective healing practices. Our discussion will center on how we can process our grief during this time and how we can assist children in managing grief and other overwhelming emotions as we end the year.

In response to the surge of new listeners, we want to highlight our first episode. Long-time health, science and technology journalist, and founder of PACEs Connection, Jane Stevens joins PACEs Connection's CEO Ingrid Cockhren to do a deep dive into why people aren’t getting an accurate picture about violence in their communities. In fact, the state of violence reporting boils down to this: the news media is unintentionally providing misinformation about violence. Remarkably, the basics of crime reporting haven’t changed much since the late 1890s. Essentially, it’s the man-bites-dog approach: the unusual, not the normal. Case in point: Although domestic violence causes comprises most aggravated assault and causes the most damage to communities in the U.S. economically and emotionally, it’s hardly reported. Yet, in many communities, up to one-third of the operating budget goes to dealing with domestic violence and its consequences. The irony is that although change is journalism’s bread and butter, getting the journalism community to modernize is like moving a mountain with a spoon and a bucket. We discuss how the news media can jettison their old ways by integrating knowledge of the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences and, in the process, provide an accurate picture of violence in their communities, reduce and prevent violence, help reduce systemic racism and its effects, and significantly increase their readership.

This week, co-hosts Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell will speak with author Mary Giuliani. We will discuss her new book It's Not About Food, Drugs, or Alcohol: It's About Healing Complex PTSD. The book launched on February 21st, 2023. Even though Mary was in long-term recovery with food, severe obesity, drugs, and alcohol and had what most people would consider a successful life— behind closed doors, she still struggled and wondered… Why she had so few close friends and had difficulty finding a fulfilling, romantic relationship? Why she still struggled with food, sleep, and caffeine? Why she couldn't find the flow and passion she longed for in her career? Why, even though she was in long-term recovery with food and substances and had maintained a healthy weight for several decades, she felt the need to hide these parts of her past from others? Finally, in mid-life, she discovered the root cause driving these, and her past struggles with food, obesity, and substances was a condition known as Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)—a more severe form of PTSD that developed from her being raised in a chaotic alcoholic home. This discovery sent Mary on a five-year journey where she researched leading experts in the fields of C-PTSD, neuroscience, developmental psychology, adverse childhood experiences, and addiction medicine to find the most effective treatments for optimal healing.

This week's episode is an encore of our discussion with Dr. Robert Sege. Robert Sege, MD, Ph.D., is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he directs the Center for Community-engaged Medicine and is a core faculty member of the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Sege is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, is part of the Leadership Action Team for Massachusetts Essentials for Childhood Team, and serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Children’s Trust and Prevent Child Abuse America. He received the 2019 Ray E. Helfer award from the Alliance of Children’s Trusts and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has served on national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been lead author on several important AAP policies, and received several national awards for his work. Using an evidence-based approach, parent-centered interventions begin with recognizing the strengths and stamina that families bring to raising their children, and then developing practical approaches that improve the systems support them. He has led teams that developed a new model for primary care for infants in low-income communities (DULCE) and a new framework for working with children and families, (HOPE). His extensive speaking and publication list include contributions to the prevention and treatment of child maltreatment and youth violence. He is a graduate of Yale College, and received his PhD in Biology from MIT and his MD from Harvard Medical School. Bob lives in the Boston area, where he and his wife Karen have raised three young adult children.

A supportive community can serve as a primary catalyst for healing both individual and collective trauma. Faith-based entities, organizations, and churches have been the conduit for transformation and healing if they understand PACE's science. Unfortunately, history has shown shame and blame theology, as well as the stigmatization of mental health supports, has not only perpetuated but also inflicted trauma on many in the congregation. Janyne McConnaughey, PhD is a nationally known trauma-informed author and speaker who began healing from the impact of her childhood trauma at the age of sixty-one. Realizing that healing was possible for survivors, she authored three memoirs describing the effects of childhood trauma and the paths to healing that changed her life. Janynee's recently published book, Trauma in the Pews: The Impact on Faith and Spiritual Practices draws from her thirty-three-year career training teachers and ministry workers at colleges and universities as well as her life-long involvement in church ministry. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Innovation from Colorado State University–Denver and currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN). Janyne is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tabor College (Master of Education: Neuroscience and Trauma). She and her husband live south of Seattle with their rescue dog Weber where they enjoy exploring the Pacific Northwest and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

This week's episode is an excerpt from a recorded interview of Donna Jackson Nakazawa conducted by PACEs Connection team members, Carey Sipp & Natalie Audage. The interview occurred on October 12th, 2022 and is the second installment of PACEs Connection's Connecting Communities One Book at a Time initiative. In this interview, Donna Jackson Nakazawa discusses her latest book Girls on the Brink (2022), which focuses on the impact of modern society on adolescent girls. Anyone caring for girls today knows that our daughters, students, and girls next door are more anxious and more prone to depression and self-harming than ever before. The question that no one has yet been able to credibly answer is “Why?” Now we have answers. As award-winning writer Donna Jackson Nakazawa deftly explains in Girls on the Brink, new findings reveal that the crisis facing today’s girls is a biologically rooted phenomenon: The earlier onset of puberty mixes badly with the unchecked bloom of social media and cultural misogyny. When this toxic clash occurs during the critical neurodevelopmental window of adolescence, it can alter the female stress-immune response in ways that derail healthy emotional development.

In this episode, our host, Ingrid Cockhren, will speak with Rev. Deanna Hollas. Rev. Hollas is the Gun Violence Prevention Ministry Coordinator with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, a founding member of the Everytown for Gun Safety Interfaith Advisory Council, and the co-founder of Retreat House Spirituality Center. In her role with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Rev. Hollas empowers and equips individuals and congregations across the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination to embody Jesus's call to love God and love neighbor by being informed active in the prevention of gun violence. She holds a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology and a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Recent research findings have outlined that adolescent girls are experiencing extreme levels of trauma and adversity. This is especially true for African American, Hispanic/Latina and Indigenous girls. These findings are aligned with the recently released book Girls on the Brink written by PACEs Connection member, Donna Jackson Nakazawa. In this episode, we will be joined by Vernisha Crawford to discuss the lives of girls of color and the intersectionality of racism and sexism. Vernisha is the CEO of Trauma Informed Institute. By educating 15,000+ working professionals, helping secure and manage over $12 million, and directly serving hundreds of families, her work has increased in need across many sectors and countries worldwide. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from UNC Charlotte and a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Grand Canyon University. She is a Certified Trauma Informed Executive Coach, Certified Health & Wellness Coach, a Master Level Certified Professional Life Coach, a Business Coach, and Scrum Master. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in General Psychology with a specialization in Trauma & Disaster Relief, yet her most significant learning is motherhood. Vernisha is also the Founder of the BYE Foundation. This 501c3 organization offers a unique approach to systems change work by addressing equity gaps in funding, data, research, capacity building, and wellness. Vernisha has been a guest facilitator at Davidson College, Belmont, Vanderbilt, and Fisk Universities. She has served as a member of the Early Childhood Executive Committee for Mecklenburg County, the NC ACES Task Force Advisory Board, NC Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Committee, Charlotte Lab School Board, and Charlotte Community Board for The Gathering Spot. In her free time, she is full-filled, working with her passion project @DanceHerSize, a wellness program that teaches women and girls about the eight dimensions of wellness through dance and exercise.

In this episode, Candice Valenzuela joins us again. Her last episode focused on self-care and minority mental health aired in 2022 and is one of our most popular episodes. We are excited to have her as a guest again. Candice and our hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell will discuss the importance of healing intergenerational trauma. How can parents ensure that generational issues do not continue to impact future generations? This topic is especially important for parents who have a background of historical trauma (slavery, genocide, etc.). Please join us for this important conversation.

In consideration of Indigenous Peoples Day, we will re-air our talk with Agnes Woodward. Agnes is using her knowledge of historical trauma and the healing power of the arts to raise awareness of the adversity indigenous women face and how they can also heal themselves, their families and future generations. https://bust.com/style/198432-indigenous-designer-agnes-woodward.html

Can empathetic, healing centered workplaces change the entire culture of a community? A nation? What would a healing centered workplace look like, offer, and change? Following the Pandemic, there was a ‘Great Resignation’ of people leaving the workplace, in large part, because many of our people don’t make a living wage. Many of our workplaces, unlike those in most other industrialized nations, don’t offer paid family leave and other family-supporting benefits. Katherine Manning, author of “The Empathetic Workplace - FIve Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job” joins PACEs Connection CEO Ingrid Cockhren and Mathew Portell, PACEs Connection director of education and outreach to discuss what it would take to create empathetic, healing-centered workplaces. Discussions will also focus on how individuals can take Manning’s five steps to address workplace trauma.

In this episode, PACEs Connection partners with the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health (NTTAC) to discuss the importance of healing-centered youth engagement. Our hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell, will interview Joshua Smith. Smith is a juvenile justice advocate and peer support expert. Join us for a rich discussion highlighting how healing-centered approaches are the next level of trauma-informed care. NTTAC provides states, tribes, and communities with training and technical assistance (TTA) on children’s behavioral health, with a focus on systems of care. SAMHSA has awarded the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) to implement the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health (NTTAC). CARS leads a partnership that includes Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, Change Matrix, American Academy of Pediatrics, FREDLA (Family-Run Executive Director Leadership Association), and Youth MOVE National. NTTAC is a SAMHSA-funded initiative to increase access to, effectiveness of, and dissemination of evidence-based mental health services for young people (birth to age 21) and their families, including young people experiencing serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbance (SMI/SED). NTTAC supports Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) grantees and provides an array of trainings, technical assistance, and resources to providers, organizations, and agencies from across the system of care.

America's students have returned to the classroom and the school year is well underway. In this episode, PACEs Connection tackles the importance of trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools. Our guest, Dr. Tyisha Noise and hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell, dig into the paradigm shifts needed to change the landscape of our schools. Our nation's children are grappling with the stress of a global pandemic, our country's racial reckoning, a polarized political climate, increasing school shootings, and so much more. It is clear that reducing stress in schools is essential for student, staff, and community well-being. This episode delves into many possible solutions, from decreasing class sizes to teaching stress-management techniques that can empower students.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. It is a well-studied and highly effective treatment for those who have experienced trauma or have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. In this week's episode, we will speak with Yunetta Smith, one of few African American EMDR certified therapist. Yunetta Smith is a thriving Therapreneur (Therapist + Entrepreneur) CEO and founder of Spring Forth Counseling and Ground Breakers Coaching and Consulting. Yunetta is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the States of TN, KY, and ID, as well as a Nationally Certified Counselor, Clinical Trauma Professional, and EMDR Therapist/Approved Consultant. Yunetta specializes in helping black and brown folks navigate childhood trauma that manifests in adulthood, working exclusively with public figures, professionals, pastors, and practitioners. She works diligently to spread awareness through various media platforms including the weekly “Talk it out Tuesday” segment on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, co-hosting the Deeper than the Diet Podcast, and self-publishing her self-care workbook, “Take the Struggle out of Self Care”. Yunetta is a groundbreaker, a stigma breaker, and a cycle breaker who cultivates spaces for healing, wholeness, compassion, and change. It is her hope that you will EMBRACE taking off your mask, EMBODY standing in your truth, and EXPERIENCE loving what you see.

In this episode, our host, Ingrid Cockhren, will speak with Rev. Deanna Hollas. Rev. Hollas is the Gun Violence Prevention Ministry Coordinator with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, a founding member of the Everytown for Gun Safety Interfaith Advisory Council, and the co-founder of Retreat House Spirituality Center. In her role with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Rev. Hollas empowers and equips individuals and congregations across the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination to embody Jesus's call to love God and love neighbor by being informed active in the prevention of gun violence. She holds a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology and a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

As we move into the month of September, PACEs Connection is taking a break. Our staff will be on a retreat next week and will celebrate Labor Day the following week. We will be taking the next two weeks to restore ourselves. We will engage in self & collective care. Here is CEO Ingrid Cockhren's favorite episode, What if Self-Care isn't the Answer? with Candice Valenzuela. Self-care has become a buzzword but is self-care enough to mitigate the impact of toxic workplaces, systemic racism, poverty, and historical trauma? This week our guest is Candice Valenzuela. Candice will provide insight concerning the need for collective care to heal our society. Candice is a MFTI who has worked at the crossroads of education, justice and community healing for the past 16 years. Candice has extensive experience in mindfulness, trauma informed care, anti-oppressive practices, cultural competency, liberatory education and youth empowerment. https://www.candicerosevalenzuela.com/

As the summer winds down, its time to go back to school. This month, we will examine America's school system. In recent years, COVID-19, school shootings, affirmation of LGBTQ students, institutional racism, critical race theory, teacher burnout and parent's rights, have transformed America's schools into cultural battlegrounds. In result, students, teachers and administrators are experiencing poor mental health outcomes, secondary traumatic stress and burnout. In order to determine how our nation's schools have gotten to this point, our co-hosts will interview school professionals and engage in critical discussions from a trauma-informed perspective. Please join us for our conversation with writer and journalist, Anthony Conwright. Conwright is a writer and educator who has worked in education for 14 years. His experiences in education include teaching Humanities—domestic and abroad—and school administration. Conwright has also worked as a journalist and reporter, contributing essays to the Huffington Post and other outlets.

As the summer winds down, its time to go back to school. This month, we will examine America's school system. In recent years, COVID-19, school shootings, affirmation of LGBTQ students, institutional racism, critical race theory, teacher burnout, and parent's rights have transformed America's schools into cultural battlegrounds. As a result, students, teachers, and administrators are experiencing poor mental health outcomes, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. In order to determine how our nation's schools have gotten to this point, our co-hosts will interview school professionals and engage in critical discussions from a trauma-informed perspective. Please join us for our conversation with the award-winning school nurse, Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FAAN. She is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN) in her 22nd year as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. Robin is the New Jersey State School Nurses Association Director to the National Association of School Nurses. We will talk with her about the impact and opportunities we have in returning to school for the 2022-2023 school year

As the summer winds down, its time to go back to school. This month, we will examine America's school system. In recent years, COVID-19, school shootings, affirmation of LGBTQ students, institutional racism, critical race theory, teacher burnout, and parent's rights have transformed America's schools into cultural battlegrounds. As a result, students, teachers, and administrators are experiencing poor mental health outcomes, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. In this episode, we will discuss why trauma-informed education is imperative in schools as we navigate the impact of stress and trauma on students, teachers, and the community. As the Educational Consultant for PACEs Connection, Lara brings her deep understanding of the importance of schools as community drivers for change. Lara is an experienced educator and consultant who speaks nationally on implementing trauma-informed practices in schools and building holistic, trauma-responsive systems. Lara brings over two decades of experience at the local, state, and national levels, including developing programs for integrating trauma-informed practices into community schools in Los Angeles. She worked for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as the state homeless coordinator and practiced her first love, teaching 'at-risk' youth. Lara has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MPA from The Evergreen State College. As an example of her understanding of the micro and the macro, Lara’s experience ranges from supporting individual teachers to designing a trauma-informed schools pilot implemented in 20 schools across the country. Lara has worked both as a teacher and administrator putting the science of building resilience into practice. For Lara, who is a trauma survivor and was herself an 'at-risk' youth, this work is deeply personal. She understands what schools can and should look like to benefit ALL children. As the mother of two adopted sons, she understands the effects of developmental trauma and what it takes to overcome it. Born in the Midwest, she lived for over a decade in the Pacific Northwest, and is now a transplant to Southern California, where she lives with her husband and two boys. The beach is her happy place.

In part two of this series of episodes dedicated to the systemic nature of child abuse and neglect in America, Ingrid and Mathew will discuss the different layers of influence embedded within our society that create the conditions for abuse and neglect to fester. The focus will be on community-level influences. This discussion will include the influence of school environments, rural communities, housing discrimination, community violence, poverty, gun violence, gang culture, etc. Ingrid and Mathew will also outline how PACEs science can be applied to both address and prevent child abuse and neglect.

Child abuse and neglect negatively impacts every aspect of American life. For the entire month of April 2022, co-hosts Ingrid Cockhren and Mathew Portell examined America's history of child abuse and neglect and outlined how this history connects to our current child abuse crisis. Please join our hosts for an encore of Part one of this series. This episode is dedicated to illuminating the systemic nature of child abuse and neglect in America. Ingrid and Mathew discussed the different layers of influence embedded within our society and how these influences create the conditions that allow abuse and neglect to fester. They also outlined how PACEs science can be applied to both address and prevent child abuse and neglect.

Long-time health, science and technology journalist Jane Stevens joins PACEs Connection CEO Ingrid Cockhren to do a deep dive into why people aren’t getting an accurate picture about violence in their communities. In fact, the state of violence reporting boils down to this: the news media is unintentionally providing misinformation about violence. Remarkably, the basics of crime reporting haven’t changed much since the late 1890s. Essentially, it’s the man-bites-dog approach: the unusual, not the normal. Case in point: Although domestic violence causes comprises most aggravated assault and causes the most damage to communities in the U.S. economically and emotionally, it’s hardly reported. Yet, in many communities, up to one-third of the operating budget goes to dealing with domestic violence and its consequences. The irony is that although change is journalism’s bread and butter, getting the journalism community to modernize is like moving a mountain with a spoon and a bucket. We discuss how the news media can jettison their old ways by integrating knowledge of the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences and, in the process, provide an accurate picture of violence in their communities, reduce and prevent violence, help reduce systemic racism and its effects, and significantly increase their readership.

In response to the recent rash of mass shootings (that have mirrored July 2022), we will revisit our discussion with Timothy Hughes focused on our country's gun violence epidemic. Since 2020, America has been ravaged by a pandemic and endured political divide, nationwide protests and civil unrest. It is apparent that the collective trauma of the past three years has accelerated America's already dire gun violence crisis. However, whereas, active shooter situations and school shootings tend to dominate our mainstream news outlets, community gun violence is often not given as much attention. Community violence overwhelmingly impacts low-income communities and communities of color. Mainstream news coverage of this type of violence seldom focuses on mental health, trauma or even real solutions. Instead, violence in these communities is often viewed through the lens of culture. In this episode, our guest, Timothy Hughes, will discuss how communities can reduce gun violence and how addressing gun violence is a social justice issue.

We have all heard of generational curses. But did you know that a growing body of research finds that it is possible for trauma to pass through generations? This research implies that the experiences of your ancestors can have real impact on your physical and mental health. This phenomenon is known as intergenerational transmission of trauma. Research in this area dates back to the 1960's when scientists were studying the effects of the Holocaust on descendants of survivors. In this week's episode, hosts Ingrid Cockhren and Mathew Portell will discuss intergenerational transmission of trauma within families, including their own. Cockhren and Portell will discuss how its possible for trauma to be passed on and what can be done to mitigate the impact of intergenerational transmission of trauma on families. Please join us!

As we reflect on this past weekend's celebration of Juneteenth, it is obvious that the historical trauma of chattel slavery still lingers today. This week's episode is an excerpt from a recorded interview of Dr. Bruce Perry conducted by our hosts, Ingrid Cockhren & Mathew Portell. The interview occurred on June 28th, 2022 and launched PACEs Connection's Connecting Communities One Book at a Time initiative. In this interview, Dr. Bruce Perry discusses his #1 New York Times Bestseller What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021), which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, within the context of historical trauma.

The History. Culture. Trauma Podcast examines trauma and resilience, not just at the individual level but at the systems and cultural level. How has the trauma of slavery and genocide impacted our current society? Why are the cultural manifestations of trauma, i.e., community violence, school shootings, etc., so pervasive? It was not until June 19, 2021, that Juneteenth, which marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, was recognized by the U.S. government as a federal holiday. Through this episode, Ingrid Cockhren and Brandon Jones will talk through the historical and current context of this day. Brandon Jones is the Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health Executive Director. He has a consulting and training background in addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Historical and Intergenerational trauma, Social/Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Leadership, and Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Brandon holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota, a master's in Community Psychology from Metropolitan State University, and a master's in Psychotherapy (MFT) from Adler Graduate School. Brandon is also a 2013 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow. Today, he provides the MACMH staff and board with the leadership and vision necessary to keep MACMH at the forefront of Mental Health education and advocacy. He lives by the motto of Live life with Purpose on Purpose.

This week's episode is an excerpt from a recorded interview of Donna Jackson Nakazawa conducted by PACEs Connection team members, Carey Sipp & Natalie Audage. The interview occurred on October 12th, 2022 and is the second installment of PACEs Connection's Connecting Communities One Book at a Time initiative. In this interview, Donna Jackson Nakazawa discusses her latest book Girls on the Brink (2022), which focuses on the impact of modern society on adolescent girls. Anyone caring for girls today knows that our daughters, students, and girls next door are more anxious and more prone to depression and self-harming than ever before. The question that no one has yet been able to credibly answer is “Why?” Now we have answers. As award-winning writer Donna Jackson Nakazawa deftly explains in Girls on the Brink, new findings reveal that the crisis facing today’s girls is a biologically rooted phenomenon: The earlier onset of puberty mixes badly with the unchecked bloom of social media and cultural misogyny. When this toxic clash occurs during the critical neurodevelopmental window of adolescence, it can alter the female stress-immune response in ways that derail healthy emotional development.

Pride Month occurs in the United States every June to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which happened at the end of June 1969. During this month, we recognize the impact LGBTQ+ people have had in the world. This week's episode is an encore discussion with Joe Brummer. Brummer uses his own life experiences to impact schools across the country to shift their paradigm towards strengthening individual and student school experiences through restorative practices. Joe is the survivor of child abuse, bullying, and two separate violent anti-gay hate crimes. What began as a personal healing response to the trauma has transformed into professional involvement in community and restorative justice. Since 2010, Joe has actively helped schools implement peer mediation programs and school-wide restorative practices. As a private consultant beginning in 2015, Joe has designed a trauma-informed approach to restorative practices and infused this model in schools. He is the author of the book, Building a Trauma-informed Restorative School.

Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with mental health struggles. The collective trauma of COVID-19 has exasperated our country’s mental health crisis. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This week we have an encore discussion with Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz. Lewis-Pankratz will share her life experience in rural poverty and the impact systems, including foster care, had on her journey. Rebecca grew up in addiction and poverty. Against all odds, Rebecca, with three young sons in tow, was able to fight her way out of poverty and the trailer park in 2011. She was able to do so because a local poverty resolution project found Rebecca and activated her journey. She later went to work for that non-profit and then went on to build multiple projects like it to help more families.

As we continue to reflect on Mental Health Awareness month, please enjoy this encore episode with special guest, and former PACEs Connection team member, Dr. Donielle Prince. Research has found that there is credibility to the term mind-body connection. There is a clear link between our thoughts, feelings, emotions and our physical body. At this point, should we, as a society, stop separating mental health and physical health? Are they not one in the same? Please join us this week as our guest, PACEs Connection's very own Dr. Donielle Prince, discusses the mind-body connection with our host Ingrid Cockhren. Through contributing to and coordinating the 2023 PACEs Connection Creating Resilient Communities Accelerator, Donielle has continued PACEs Connection’s mission to support the growth of both statewide and local community resilience initiatives. Donielle brings to this work over 20 years’ experience as a program evaluator, focused on education, community based youth programming, mental health, and its intersections. Donielle’s core expertise is in understanding those elements of programming and initiatives that present challenges, as well as those that yield the potential for change. Donielle’s signature evaluation projects included youth development studies, trauma informed training evaluations, and educational equity focused program and curriculum evaluations. Donielle’s experience has taught her that evaluation research is above all a communication tool- the ability to examine a program and then organize those findings, a process which helps to bring clarity to a program mission. A well crafted mission then becomes a platform from which to create and sustain tangible change. In the community, Donielle’s experience with research, policy and reform is reflected in her deep commitment to advocating for social justice. This work has included youth mentoring, including first-time offending juveniles and foster youth; as well as community based organizing against state violence, educational inequity, and lack of access to mental health supports, particularly for members of marginalized communities- similar to the community where she was raised, in East Palo Alto, CA, located in the “Silicon Valley”. Currently, Donielle resides in Sacramento, CA. Donielle has studied education, counseling psychology and human development, and race and racism, earning her B.A. at Wellesley College (1995), her MS. Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania (1996), and her Ph.D. at Stanford University (2006).

Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with mental health struggles. The collective trauma of COVID-19 exasperated our country’s mental health crisis. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In this encore episode, our co-hosts, Ingrid and Mathew, speak with Robert Sege, MD, Ph.D. Dr. Sege is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he directs the Center for Community-engaged Medicine and is a core faculty member of the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Sege is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, is part of the Leadership Action Team for Massachusetts Essentials for Childhood Team, and serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Children’s Trust and Prevent Child Abuse America. He received the 2019 Ray E. Helfer award from the Alliance of Children’s Trusts and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has served on national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been lead author on several important AAP policies, and received several national awards for his work. Using an evidence-based approach, parent-centered interventions begin with recognizing the strengths and stamina that families bring to raising their children, and then developing practical approaches that improve the systems support them. He has led teams that developed a new model for primary care for infants in low-income communities (DULCE) and a new framework for working with children and families, (HOPE). His extensive speaking and publication list include contributions to the prevention and treatment of child maltreatment and youth violence. He is a graduate of Yale College, and received his PhD in Biology from MIT and his MD from Harvard Medical School. Bob lives in the Boston area, where he and his wife Karen have raised three young adult children.