Season Four of “TraumaTies” explored how trauma lives in our bodies, our systems, our digital spaces. In this finale episode, hosts Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg look back but also share exciting news about the podcast going forward.

Recording in Podcasthon, the world's largest podcast charity initiative, Bridgette and Lindsey revisit standout Season Four moments such as Ila Kumar's concept of "squishy ground" to build safe digital environments for children, Dr. Jaz's traffic light approach to nervous system regulation, Reesie’s work on generational trauma and epigenetics, Adaku's practice of pausing to check in with the body before entering a space, Patrice's reframing of bold systemic change, and Anna Baucher's fellowship embedding trauma-informed thinking into government systems. Check out every episode here.

Bridgette then turns the season's anchor question on Lindsey: What does the public most need to understand about trauma and healing? Lindsey's answer — that trauma doesn't happen in isolation, that connection is essential, and that resilience is something we can all build — captures the spirit of the entire season.

The hosts close by previewing the next season: Beginning in May, “TraumaTies” will shift from a seasonal format to a weekly release cadence, bringing more consistent conversations, host reflections, and guest perspectives throughout the year.

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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.

It may be invisible to some or ever present to others, but trauma entangles us all. Welcome to TraumaTies, brought to you by Volare. TraumaTies is a podcast that creates space and conversations to untangle the societal nods that keep us from addressing trauma after crime. For you, we want this podcast to be an experience, one where you leave understanding how you can be a crossing point to minimize the deeply painful and costly consequences of trauma, no matter who you are.

Welcome back to TraumaTies, where we believe trauma is a common thread of the human connection. I'm Bridgette Stumpf, and I'm here with my co-host, Lindsey Silverberg. Hey,

Everybody. We are so excited for this special episode today. Not only are we wrapping up season four, but this episode is part of the fourth edition of Podcasthon. It's the world's largest podcast charity initiative, bringing together thousands of podcasters globally for one week to highlight causes that matter.

Volare is very honored to participate in this year's Podcasthon. For one week, more than a thousand podcasts around the world are spotlighting a nonprofit or charity of their choice, and we're proud to be highlighting our own organization and incredible work done by the staff at Volare.

At its core, Podcasthon is about uniting voices to increase awareness and amplify the impact of organizations doing meaningful work. For us, that means lifting up Volare's mission to support survivors, strengthen communities, and build trauma responsive ecosystems that extend far beyond individual healing.

So today's conversation is both a reflection and a celebration of this season, of this initiative, and of the larger movement toward more informed human responses to trauma. Thanks for joining us.

So Bridgette, this season, we got to explore how trauma embeds itself into systems, in our bodies, in institutions, and even really interestingly into digital spaces. And I think it's how innovation, leadership, and science are reshaping what healing can look like. We were super fortunate to have some incredible guests that were guiding this conversation. Tell us a little bit about what really jumped out for you.

Yeah. Actually, you brought this up for me when you were mentioning the unique conversation around digital spaces. And I can't tell you how many other parents I've talked to about the conversation we had with Ila Kumar and this idea that our instinct as parents to keep our kids safe often results in complete sort of just the wall goes up around, we're not doing that complete restriction, right? Not going to get access to that. And this idea that all spaces should have squishy ground, whether that's the playground where they're growing and taking sort of calculated chances and risks to develop, also all the digital spaces they'll have to navigate. And I continue to think about not only that squishy ground concept that really struck me, but how connected it was to our first conversation this season on episode one about building confidence in our kids and helping them grow the shared language of suffering and support for their own friends, their own peers and the conversations they'll have to navigate as little people as they grow in this world and how my role is really to build a scaffolding around them, not to hold them up with my own hands.

And I'm really starting to think about my role as a parent is to be the scaffolding in the squishy ground, right? And to sort of construct all of those spaces that allow them to both push themselves and also feel like if they fall, they're going to be safe.

Oof. Just a light and easy thing to do for our kids, right? Feels a bit overwhelming when you say it that way. And I just had a conversation with my son, again, where I was not necessarily the squishy ground on a particular digital space, but it is a good reminder. And that conversation, I've heard you mention the squishy playground idea a couple of times since that episode. And I know it's really stuck with you about how we build that for our kids.

Yeah. How about you?

Yeah. I think for me, I had a conversation with my mother-in-law who said the episode that we did with Dr. Jaz around the traffic lights really stuck out to her. We were also talking about Reesie's episode about how our bodies have experienced and lived in our grandmothers. And so there is a piece of that generational trauma that sort of passes down in our genetics and both how beautiful that is and how that can be quite sad when we sort of think about the way that that might've impacted us.

Yeah. That conversation with Reesie personally, I was like, it sort of puts you in a position to confront. I think really feel connected to the struggles of our ancestors and the people that came before us and have some empathy, maybe even in ways that we don't always get in the day-to-day worldview. That was a really ... Reesie's always such a standout conversation.

No surprise. This is why we adored why she's such an incredible trauma therapist. I just keep talking about how she was pulling out Proverbs in our episode and how incredibly-

A lot of wisdom. Yeah. And we're just so lucky to have her at Volarei. And what a cool way to highlight with the podcast on, that was just one kind of the microcosm of what it's like to be at this organization with such talented, wise folks that are supporting survivors daily. So it was really awesome to get to have her on to talk a little bit more about the work that we're actually doing at the organization. And then I guess for me, there were a couple of others that I'll kind of just breeze over and you can jump in if you had any other thoughts. Of course, with Patrice, she's just done so many cool things that this kind of reframing this idea that bold, big change is actually sometimes more helpable for people. I was like, oh yeah, when you think about it that way, I thought that was really interesting.

And I love talking to Anna Baucher about the fellowship that she's going to be embarking on, kind of embedding trauma-informed thought processes and systems within government. Lastly, for me, in that conversation that we had with Adaku, I can't tell you how many times since that conversation that for me was really profound. I have had that internal dialogue with myself about when I rush because of my own sense of urgency or maybe even a real need for urgency, I am not honest with what my body is ready for. That just struck me so hard.

Interesting. And I think the thing that listeners didn't get to see that happened, that impacted both of us before we actually started recording was that they paused very intentionally prior to us starting the recording to see if they had any other thoughts or questions and to check in with their body. And that piece just impacted you and I in such a way where we were like, wow, how profound is it to take a moment and stop and be really honest with yourself about where you're at, how you're feeling and how you're sort of walking into a space. I get that that can feel for some folks like a little maybe too crunchy and I would offer or challenge people to try it and see how your body responds. Because I think the thing that I felt was, wow, you're giving your body space to actually, to your point, be honest about how you're feeling going into a moment and really honoring that and that's okay.

So it was this interesting thing that happened for us was maybe imparted more on us in some ways, just giving us permission to do that.

Yeah. I've really been trying to think about that as I move into other conversations and our leadership and how we can sort of model that pause for folks to be really honest about what they're moving into and where they're at sort of on their stress spectrum. It's something we've been thinking about a lot.

Yeah, we've been talking about it a lot. And actually one of our coworkers was just talking about it with her team this last week.

Oh, I love that. I'm just learning this live. That's awesome. Well, across all of these conversations, I just always feel so privileged and lucky to have time with you, of course, Lindsey. It's just one of my greatest gifts is to get to be really thoughtful and learn, be a forever learner with you in this work. And it's just some of the favorite moments that I get to have throughout the day. But really, it was an opportunity to connect with other folks about these kind of lived ecosystems of where trauma and healing show up in our lives and not just this passive way, but really with us as these active folks that are helping to design and encourage trauma-informed relationships, leadership, systems. And for me, I just always go back to this idea of resilience, right? Resilience is not about standing alone. It really is about connection and connection with ourselves, with communities, our histories, and really ultimately the kind of purpose of this conversation, which is connection with our shared humanity.

That's really beautiful.

Is there anything, Lynz, that you would add about what stood out to you before we kind of move on to give folks a roadmap of what's next?

I think for me, it is the piece around generational trauma, whether that is trauma that we know are sort of lineage experienced or maybe the things we don't even know and how that potentially lives within our bodies. I really can't get over the idea that that is both beautiful and incredibly challenging. And to your point, maybe gives us a space to be more empathetic, especially when we may feel like parts of our history with our families where somebody might have failed us and something and being able to look at that with a different lens. And so that piece for me, I have a lot of questions, as you know. I love getting more information. So I think for me, it's now finding out, okay, well, what does that mean? If it does show up in our epigenetics, how does that potentially impact and can it shift the way that you might respond to stress?

So just more things for us to research, which is always what I love out of these conversations. I think we get such a privilege to interview and talk to people who are doing incredible work that otherwise we might not have had the opportunity to intersect with. And that is just one of my favorite things about getting to do this with you.

Oh, I love that. You're right. It's just the amount of questions that come from being in proximity to folks that think really deeply about these issues. It's really cool to just keep always having more questions to answer. And this season was kind of cool because we introduced this idea of the anchor question where we were asking every single guest that joined us this question about one thing they wish that the kind of general public knew or understood about trauma and healing and sort of what they don't understand and if they did understand it, what might be different. And it quickly actually became one of my favorite parts of our conversations because it just really brought the guest perspectives to life and you got insight into kind of their different lenses and how they view the world. And these responses were really shaped not only by their lived experiences and expertise, but their leadership roles.

And it was really powerful to sort of think about how we can take what they shared and kind of inform our own leadership, right? And I've been sitting with many of those answers. And I was thinking, Lindsey, I'd just love to ask you the same question with all of the roles that you've held and the experience and expertise that you have and the work that you do at Volare and have done in this field, what is one thing about trauma and healing that the public might not know or understand, but if they did, what would change?

Oof. I even knew this question was coming. And I think it's two things for me, two parts. One, the trauma, it doesn't happen necessarily in isolation, right? And what I mean by that is that a lot of people experience different types of trauma throughout their life. And I think one thing as like an American United States culture that we don't do well is talk about that. You were just sharing that you got to spend time with a friend who's going through a sort of pretty intense patch in their life and how meaningful it was to be connected and to share the space together. And I think the important thing for me is that we all have those and that connection and ability to talk about how things have been hard or what's sort of weighing on you, what trauma you've experienced, it's so important to be able to share it with somebody and know that you're not alone in that.

And so I think it is that piece and I wish ... I think people do know it, but I don't know that we've given people permission to be able to be okay with sharing it. There's this song that keeps coming up for me about like, "You are not a burden." And I think that that's so true when we don't want people to feel isolated because that leads to sort of all the other potential consequences of dealing with trauma on your own. And I think the other piece that you've taught me is that we're always people under construction and that resiliency can be built, that it's not this thing you have to find, like stumble upon that we really can build the tools and help other people build the tools to get through the hard pieces in their life. And that doesn't always mean having to go to therapy.

I know that's not for everybody, but there are simple things that we can do as individuals to feel more resilient. So for me, those were the two sort of things that related to the anchor question. That's so

Beautiful. You actually are bringing up for me this idea where you were like, "People don't really know and the power of collectively holding, suffering together." And what immediately came up for me, Lindsey, is we don't know until we feel it. And once you felt that, you're like, "Oh, of course, of course naming it and validating it. " It was so interesting in the conversations I was having this weekend. We were talking about how different generations were taught to deal with hard things and hold hard things and maybe not validate and acknowledge them and just have the power of doing this. And once you've felt that connection, you just kind of know that that's the way to be for other people in your life that you love that might be holding something hard.

I know. And that's not an easy thing to get or convince somebody, especially maybe somebody to your point of a different generation that it's okay to share that for somebody to want to hold that if that's not what they were taught or how they've lived the vast majority of their life. And so reframing that, building the scaffolding later in life feels like a much bigger task than it does for our little people.

Yeah, I love that. That's so true. We got to do it all, right? Create that shared language wherever we can. And we're just so lucky for those of you that do tune in. This season in particular, we've just seen kind of this outpouring of interest in terms of folks that want to come on and be a part of these conversations and want to join in. And it's been really cool to see how excited people are about this community. And we're excited before we close to share some really exciting news that we kind of teased a little bit. And I'm hopeful that folks will be thrilled to hear that for the past four seasons, we've released one season per year with eight episodes and six incredible guests. And Lindsey and I were kind of the bookends around those conversations, but over time, we're really realizing something that these conversations don't just matter in a seasonal burst.

They matter all year long. And we're so excited to share that beginning of May, we'll be shifting to a new format. Instead of one concentrated season per year, TraumaTies will be moving to a weekly dose and we'll be sharing more about how you can have our content more regularly with more regular cadence and frequency.

Yes. And that means that you'll hear from us more consistently, not just for a few months at the start of the year, but throughout the entire year. And while we'll still be bringing on incredible guests, Bridgette and I will also have space to share more of our insights, our lived experience, reflections, and tools directly with you. We're really excited about this because it allows us to expand the conversation. Guests will continue to bring depth and perspective, but you'll also get more access to the frameworks, the stories, the behind the scenes thinking that shape our work here at Volarei.

That's exactly right. And we already have some cool guests on deck, so you can be expecting that when we launch to this new format in May. And we're just excited to have this as an ongoing conversation with our listeners throughout the year. We're really looking forward to this next evolution of TraumaTies. And for those of you who have been following us along, Lindsey and I always say there's like no greater joy than finding someone in the wild that's like, "Oh, I've listened to your podcast or I've shared your podcast." One of the most beautiful things that happened right before we started this year is someone sent me a picture they had taken of a quote from the podcast that they have on their desktop that they look at every day. And just to know that we can put these just tiny little nuggets into the world that hopefully help people feel more supported or more able to support has been really thrilling.

And I really hope and wish that that's what we can continue to bring to folks.

Yeah. As Bridgette and I now affectionately refer to this experience we have, it's the sound guy. We did a presentation a couple of years ago to a room of almost 300 people and we had an individual there who was a sound technician and he needed to stay in the room to sort of help to make sure Bridgette and I didn't go off the rails with how, where we were walking next to the speakers. And at the end of the presentation, he said to us like, "Wow, I never knew that about trauma and was like almost in tears and that has stuck with us because what we want more than anything with this podcast is that experience for somebody. We just want people to know more about trauma, resiliency and have these little nuggets out in the world. So it's our sound guy moment." And as we close, we want to return to why this episode is part of Podcast Von.

This week, thousands of podcasts across the globe are using their platforms to amplify nonprofits and causes that deserve visibility. For us, highlighting Volare means lifting up survivor-centered advocacy, trauma-informed therapy, and the work building communities that respond to harm with dignity and care.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to discover the other incredible organizations being amplified this week, you can visit www.podcastthon.org to explore the many nonprofits and charities being highlighted throughout the voices of the podcasters around the world. And if you'd like to learn more about Volare's work, whether that's our services or our policy advocacy and training, we invite you to connect with us.

We are so incredibly grateful that you've joined us for season four of TraumaTies. Whether you've been listening since the beginning or you just found us this season, thank you for spending your time with us, for leaning into the conversations and for being part of this community. If this season resonated with you, we invite you to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast wherever you listen.

And I'm sure you know now that while this is a passion project of ours, we also want to make sure that it's helpful to our audience. So please let us know your thoughts on how we can further expand your awareness of the importance of trauma-informed practices or just conversations that you want to be listening to or even joining in with us here at TraumaTies. You can always learn more about the TraumaTies podcast by looking for us on social. And of course, that's trauma, one word, TIES, T-I-E-S, like a knot. That's how I always let folks know you can find us. And if you have suggestions or ideas that you want to share, you can also just send us an email at podcast@volare-empowers.org. We cannot thank you enough for being on this journey with us, and we hope you'll join us for more Untangling in May as we begin the next chapter of TraumaTies.

Thank you.

This episode of TraumaTies is over, but this podcast is just one of our many resources. Volare welcomes all survivors of crime and their supporters, so please visit us at V-O-L-A-R-E-Empowers.org to learn more about how to access our trauma education and how to partner with us to create empowering experiences for survivors.