The Gifts of Trauma

Mandy Rodstrom & Debbie Mason on, Creating Spaces for Stuttering to Exist
Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.
What if traditional fluency-focused approaches designed to "fix" stuttering cause more harm than healing? In this conversation, speech therapists Mandy Rodstrom and Debbie Mason share personal and clinical insights that reveal how trauma, nervous system dysregulation and social stigma profoundly impact those who stammer. They highlight the critical importance of connecting people who stutter with supportive communities where stuttering is welcomed and celebrated as authentic expression. 
Debbie and Mandy also reflect on:
- The neurological underpinnings of developmental stammering
- How an overburdened nervous system is related to functional stammering
- How fluency-focused approaches can disconnect people from their authentic selves
- how suppressed grief and emotion can manifest as functional stammering
This conversation connects stuttering to so much more than verbal expression. It's about feelings, thoughts, environments, community, trauma and the courage to exist authentically in a world that demands fluency. 
About Mandy Rodstrom, 
Speech-Language Therapist
After spending 30+ years hiding her stutter and her Self—Mandy made the life-changing decision to embrace her authentic voice and her community. Many who stutter carry invisible wounds from years of being silenced, interrupted, or misunderstood in ableist systems that prioritize fluency over authenticity. Through compassionate trauma-informed conversation, Mandy provides greater understanding of stuttering as a deeply embodied experience which shapes, and is shaped by, societal narratives and how we relate to ourselves and others. 
With 19 years of school-based experience, she specializes in developmental stuttering through a client- and family-centered, neurodiversity- affirming, and trauma-informed lens. In her private practice, Mandy's stuttering-affirming therapeutic approach honors each person's unique journey. A passionate advocate for transforming how speech therapists understand and support people who stutter, Mandy supervises graduate clinicians and shapes the next generation of speech-language therapists through the university stuttering courses she teaches.
Mandy is a STARR Commonwealth Certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist / Coach, holds the Spero Ally of Stuttering seal and is a Special Projects Ambassador for Spero Ally of Stuttering, who works to expand access to affirming care and professional development. She's also a freelance audio narrator for The Informed SLP, using her openly stuttering voice to challenge conventional narratives about fluency and representation.
Her international presentations—including the International Conference on Stuttering in Rome and the World Congress of Stuttering and Cluttering—advocate for a paradigm shift that celebrates stuttering as part of human diversity rather than something to fix.
About Debbie Mason, 
CI, IFS and Hypnotherapy Trained
Speech & Language Therapist
Debbie has worked with children and adults who stammer for 30+ years. In her private practice, she supports them in reaching their potential by connecting to their intuition, values and personal truth. Currently she is interested in functional stammering, which is increasing significantly in the UK. 
Debbie also leads a National Health Stammering Service in South West England, delivers trainings and workshops to Speech and Language Therapists, students and people who stammer. She co-hosts a group; "Stammering and Spirituality" for Stamma, the British Stammering Association and is committed to supporting the goals of the Stammering Pride movement which aims to create a society that understands, values and honours the stammering voice.  To support a positive and affirming view of stammering, Debbie has acted as an advisor on several plays featuring characters who stammer. She has also written about the use of NLP with people who stammer and been part of a research project that examined the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on adults who stammer in the UK.
Always interested in the role of the unconscious mind and the mind-body link, Debbie has trained in Compassionate Inquiry, Internal Family Systems, Hypnotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.  She practices meditation and enjoys exploring the links between psychology and spirituality. 
When not working with clients, students or movements, Debbie enjoys recharging in nature, and taking long country walks with her partner and friends which may involve a beach, definitely involve a dog, a pub and lots of treats.
Promotional Message
The Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, tap this link. It will take you to a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you. 
Resources:
Websites
Mandy's Professional Website
Debbie's ASLTIP Profile
Related Links:
Stuttering Commons
Library of Dysfluent Voices
The National Association of Young People Who Stutter
Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research
British Stammering Association 
Action for Stammering Children
Podcasts:
Stutter Talk
Around the Block
Video:
Open Stutter YouTube Channel
Books:
Out With It
Every Waking Moment
the-book;Life on Delay
On Stuttering
Stammering Pride and Prejudice
Stammering Therapy from the Inside
Articles:
Enacted stigma and felt stigma experienced by adults who stutter
Fostering Positive Stuttering Identities Using Stutter-Affirming Therapy 
"Hide and survive:" A conceptual model of stuttering concealment
Concealing Stuttering at School: "When You Can't Fix It…the Only Alternative Is to Hide It"
Quotes:
"Trauma is not what happens to you, it's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you." - Gabor Maté
"It takes two to stutter." - Dr. Joshua St. Pierre


"...there's no other area of parenting where a child is obviously struggling to master something, where the parents don't offer support in some way. And I'm not sure why we see stammering as different."
- Debbie Mason
"If we meet someone who stutters, how can we support them? Slow down for more connection, be as present as possible, neutral [in your body language] and non verbal. But also ask, how can I support you?" - Mandy Rodstrom 
"...people who tend to have difficulty saying no, who suppress emotion, who are hyper responsible, take on the problems of everyone else and ignore their own needs, are more susceptible to functional stammering."  - Debbie Mason
Social Media:
Mandy's IG  @arod.581

Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.
What happens when we stop performing and start being? Cat guides us through her transformational journey from codependent conditioning to embodied authenticity. With wisdom drawn from 30+ years of yoga practice, plant medicine journeys, and navigating her own healing from Breast Cancer, Cat reveals why the answers we seek aren't outside ourselves, but waiting to be uncovered within.
Cat reflects on:
- How shedding her protective layers enabled her to access her true strength
- Her expanded her capacity to be present, hold space for others and become a conduit for transformation
- How humor helps her navigate life's challenges, as everything is funny... eventually
- The importance of receiving—from others and ourselves
Through humor, vulnerability, and profound insight, Cat shares many life lessons, including how learning to trust her innate healing capacity revealed the ease that comes from truly holding ourselves from the inside.
About Cat McCarthy, 
Trauma-informed Somatic Coach
Cat integrates the practice of Yoga, the empathy skills of Compassionate/Nonviolent Communication (NVC), and trauma-Informed somatic movement therapy. Her approach to the relational container in which others safely explore the heart-mind-body terrain is deeply respectful. She supports Compassionate Inquiry's year-long and Circles programs, and co-leads its NVCI Focus group.  
A dedicated yoga practitioner and international teacher/trainer, Cat holds certifications in Anusara Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, NYCNVC Facilitation, Compassionate Inquiry® and is registered with the Yoga Alliance and the American Yoga Council. Her extensive studies span the traditions of Rajanaka Philosophy, Neelakantha meditation, The Breathing Project's Embodied Anatomy, and Polyvagal Theory practices. 
As an experiential learner and fellow traveler, Cat holds space as a plant medicine journey integrator at a psychedelic wellness center in NYC.  She also leads Body-Mindfulness (meditation/breathwork/sound work) classes for the global Spinal Cord Injury population via the Back2Life Center at NYC's Mt. Sinai Hospital.  
Cat's entertaining teaching style blends her vulnerable humor, dynamic clarity and attuned presence.  When not traversing the globe teaching and training, this Emmy-nominated filmmaker directs/produces non-fiction projects.  Her podcast, The Upside of Over, focuses on integrating NVC into our daily lives. 
An avid singer who offers vocal and sound resonance courses for embodied self-expression and collective healing, Cat's aim is to support people in rewriting their self-narratives for evolution and growth. She's also developing  programs for actors using therapeutic approaches to character development. But her biggest offering is sharing lessons learned in her "cancer discovery" and ongoing life journey.
Promotional Message
If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.
Resources:
Websites:
Cat's Professional Website
Cat's NYCNVC Profile
Cat's Compassionate Inquiry Profile
Related Links:
The Upside of Over Podcast
Center for Nonviolent Communication
Compassionate Inquriy Year-Long Training
Books:
When the Body Says No 
The Body Keeps the Score
Waking the Tiger  
In a Different Voice  
The Myth of Normal
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
Divine Beauty
Quotes:
"I watched my mother die. Not of cancer, but of a type of resentment and grief about having to live, choosing to live a certain way when there weren't too many options for women." - Cat McCarthy
"These beliefs that I held to be true, that I'm not enough…there must be something wrong with me…my opinion doesn't matter…I'm alone in the world… All these interpretations that helped me get very far, are not true. They never were true. But they needed to be true then." - Cat  McCarthy
"We all have the healing capacity. We all can tap into the quantum field. We all get these downloads. It's not about doing more. It's actually about letting more and more of these layers, this armor, these protections, all these things that we have created to get through life, letting them go one by one and trusting that there is going to be a strength and a resource inside that might need to be mirrored from outside, but it ultimately is an inside job." - Cat McCarthy
"We are not the healers. We are the context in which healing is inspired." - Ron Kurtz 
"To be practicing together in communal spaces, building communities, sharing, caring, supporting. I think that's the Viva la revolution. Bring it on." - Kevin Young
"I am a work in progress, constantly becoming a more essential version of myself." - Cat McCarthy
"For Aquinas, beauty also included the notion of integrity...He understands that each thing is alive and on a journey to become fully itself. Integrity is achieved when there is a complete realization of whatever a thing is supposed to be...Integrity is the adequacy of a thing to itself." - John O'Donohue
Social Media 
Cat's IG
Cat's FB

Hosted by J'aime Rothbard & Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard.
What if the path to inner and outer peace—and to the survival of our species—runs through our biology, not just our psychology? In this bonus finale to our Relating Series, Eva and Zach guide us beyond the familiar terrain of human-to-human relating to the new ground of relating to our original imprint. This conversation weaves hard science with systems thinking and spiritual wisdom to show that rather than transcending our humanity, healing our separation wound is about fully embracing our original design as vessels of biodiversity, wisdom and interconnected intelligence.
Our guests explain:
- The energetic upgrade offered by, 'remembering through water'
- How the victim-perpetrator-saviour triad (The Drama Triangle) has served us, and why it's time to transmute it
- What constriction and expansion reveal about the human experience
- Why the human colon holds more biodiversity than any other species
If you've been seeking peace through fixing, escaping, or transcending the darkness, this episode offers a radically different perspective: "What if we came here to experience it all?"  Listen to this mind-expanding discussion to see how shifting from polarization to polarity, and welcoming both compression and expansion, can transform your own life journey.
About Eva Dalak
Founder, Peace Activation
A skilled conflict transformation facilitator and peacebuilding trainer, for 20+ years Eva has worked with international organisations in 22+ conflict zones across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, blending systemic change with personal and collective healing. After 30+ years as a gender and conflict expert, she leads trauma- informed, soul-centered initiatives as a women's empowerment coach. 
Growing up as a Palestinian-Muslim in Israel, Eva experienced a fragmented identity within a system designed to 'divide and rule.'. Fluent in five languages, she's trained in international development and law, spiritual psychology, and somatic experiencing. 
Currently based in Costa Rica, Eva launched Peace Activation on October 7, 2023 in response to the escalating crisis in Palestine and Israel. A global peace initiative, it's rooted in the belief that sustainable peace begins within. Eva also hosts the Peace is Possible podcast and authors The Other Narrative Substack.
About Zach Bush, MD
A physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology and hospice care, Zach is an internationally recognized educator and thought leader on the microbiome as it relates to health, disease, and food systems. 
He founded the Seraphic Group and the non-profit Farmer's Footprint to develop root-cause solutions for human and ecological health. 
His passion for education reaches across many disciplines, including topics such as the role of soil and water ecosystems in human genomics, immunity, and gut/brain health. 
Zach's education has highlighted the need for a radical departure from chemical farming and pharmacy, and his ongoing efforts are providing a path for consumers, farmers and mega-industries to work together for a healthy future for people and our planet.
Promotional Message:
If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.
Resources
Websites:
Eva Dalak
Peace Activation
Zach Bush
Farmer's Footprint
Related links: 
The Drama Triangle
The Other Narrative – Substack
Earth One Transatlantic Crossing
Earthrise Collective
Pooven Moodley
Ubuntu
Burning Man
Courses:
Peace Leader Pathway
Journey Collective Immersion
Compassionate Inquiry Circles 
Books:
Dancing In The Dark: How I Found My True Vision For Peace.
Human: From Crisis to Our Greatest Opportunity (Available Aug 18)
Pleiadan Prophesy 2020: The New Golden Age
Podcasts:
Peace is Possible Podcast
August 2025 Interview with Eva & Zach
Quotes:
"More so than the victim or the perpetrator, the savior is actually the one going in to poison the system and see who can survive." - Zach Bush, MD
"I'm inviting people to come to that field, beyond right doing and wrongdoing. This field where you exist and you have all legitimacy to exist without doing anything." - Eva Dalak
"...there is no saving a system that sees itself as its own enemy. And every cancer cell is an inherent part of every human body, and it is your self." - Zach Bush, MD
"In Arabic, we say, "Yom asal yom basal." One day it's gonna be honey, and one day it's gonna be onion. When you're in a honey day, you know that tomorrow might be an onion, and it's going to stink."
- Eva Dalak
"... the loneliest cell in the body is the cancer cell… If you welcome it back into the fold, it will eliminate all of its own cancer properties and will actually call in stem cells to lay down healthy tissue."
- Zach Bush, MD
"Stop waiting for the king. Be a queen." - Caroline Myss
"... abandonment disorder is the fundamental foundation of human behavior. In our improving sciences around addiction, we find addiction is the necessary and absolute reaction to abandonment disorder."
- Zach Bush, MD
"The way in which we tend to drown in guilt again is addiction. So our choice is either to perpetuate our own victimization through addiction, or hold our ground and switch the direction of guilt to shame as a weapon." - Zach Bush, MD
Social Media:
Eva's Instagram
Zach's Instagram
Eva's Facebook
Zach's Facebook
Eva's LinkedIn
Zach's LinkedIn
Eva's Youtube
Zach's YouTube
Zach's X

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes and J'aime Rothbard.  Produced by J'aime Rothbard.
This vulnerable conversation continues exploring relating through the LGBTQ+ lens, as Vimalasara and Jordan share insights rarely disclosed to the heteronormative population. Jordan reflects on the inner work required to create safety for others—unpacking his own trauma so he can hold space for someone else's. Vimalasara addresses the harsh realities of domestic violence in LGBTQ+ communities, highlighting the barriers to seeking help—being subjected to transphobia, homophobia, or violence in shelters intended to provide refuge.
They also explore:
- Why trans women face the most heinous violence
- The erosion of trans rights which give people "permission" to be openly transphobic
- Why supporting trans youth requires parents' unconditional love
- The trauma of conversion therapy, and the impact of 'unsafe' school policies 
Both guests emphasize that change begins within as "humans are capable of transformation," and cultivating self-compassion allows us to see others more clearly. The conversation concludes with Jordan offering his mantra: "Every minute is a choice. I choose to get better by the minute."
About: Dr Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John,  M.A (hon.doc) 
Hailed by Dr. Ken Hardy as, "One of the premier social, cultural, and psychological healers of our time" Vimalasara is an award-winning author of 11 books including Detox Your Heart, Meditations for Emotional Trauma, and Eight Step Recovery Using The Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction. 
They are a co-founder of the secular 8-week course Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) and one of the new leading African Descent Voices in the field of Mindfulness Approaches for Addiction. Their latest book, a First Aid Kit for the Mind, Breaking the Cycle of Habitual Behaviours has been  described by Gabor Maté as distilling 'Aeons of Wisdom." 
About Jordan Decker
Jordan "SameHeart" Decker is a National and International Speaker, Course Creator of the HeartLine Approach to Gender Affirmation, Creator of the Alchemy of Authenticity Coaching, a Polarity Integration Consultant, a Plant Medicine Guide and Accidental Activist for Transyouth Suicide Prevention. 
His background in Neuro-linguistic programming, Somatic Experiencing, Compassionate Inquiry® Training with Dr. Gabor Maté, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate ground him in educating, consulting and healing trauma through hands-on bodywork. 
Tapping into his Indigenous ancestry, he lives to be in alignment with the land, trees, water, air and self. In his spare time he is a cat whisperer and animal lover.

Promotional Message:
The Compassionate Inquiry® Suicide Attention Training is for therapists, health professionals and others working in therapeutic, healing, educational, medical, or coaching roles. If you're seeking sensitive training to help you recognize and support people in your communities who may be experiencing suicidal distress, tap this link. It will take you to a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you. 
Resources:
Websites:
Vimalasara's Website
Vimalasara's CI Practitioner Profile
Jordan's Website
Related Links:
Vimalasara's Wikipedia Page 
Sadhguru's Website
Videos:
How Not to Die
We Are What We Think - TedX
Let Go of Stories
Courses: 
First Aid Kit for the Mind Course
Overcoming Addiction Course
Inner Engineering Course
Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training
Books:
First Aid Kit for the Mind
Detox Your Heart
Inner Engineering
Quotes:
"Humans are capable of change. Humans are capable of transformation and liberation of the mind and we are capable of true compassion." - Dr. Valerie Mason-John
"If we look at the emotional component of a heart attack, it's a heartbreak. My heart broke."
- Jordan Decker
"Healing is not the erasure of pain, but the capacity to hold it with consciousness until it transforms."
- Solea Anani
"There needs to be more services, and to make it safe for [LGBTQ+] people to go somewhere and say, this is happening in my relationship. I need help."  - Dr. Valerie Mason-John
"Every minute is a choice. So, yeah, I choose to get better by the minute." - Jordan Decker
Social Media:
IG:  @vmasonjohn
      @_jdeck__
FB: Vimalasara - Valerie Mason-John
      Jordan Decker

Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes and J'aime Rothbard.  Produced by J'aime Rothbard.
This thought provoking conversation explores relating through the LGBTQ+ lens, but not only presented to that community. Instead it is a vulnerable and honest sharing in which Vimalarara and Jordan offer insights and perspectives rarely disclosed to the heteronormative population. In this inclusive episode they touch on the:
- Use of pronouns can create a sense of safety and inclusion
- Perspective of gender as a social construct rather than a personal identity
- Historical impact of religious and colonial beliefs on gender and sexuality
- Concept of "care" being used to justify harmful practices (residential schools/conversion therapy) 
This conversation concludes with reflections on the importance of self-awareness regarding one's own biases, and how understanding personal challenges can help in supporting others. It also pauses the conversation on care, which will be resumed in the second part of this episode.
About: Dr Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John,  M.A (hon.doc) 
Hailed by Dr. Ken Hardy as, "One of the premier social, cultural, and psychological healers of our time" Vimalasara is an award-winning author of 11 books including Detox Your Heart, Meditations for Emotional Trauma, and Eight Step Recovery Using The Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction. 
They are a co-founder of the secular 8-week course Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) and one of the new leading African Descent Voices in the field of Mindfulness Approaches for Addiction. Their latest book, a First Aid Kit for the Mind, Breaking the Cycle of Habitual Behaviours has been  described by Gabor Maté as distilling 'Aeons of Wisdom." 
About Jordan Decker
Jordan "SameHeart" Decker is a National and International Speaker, Course Creator of the HeartLine Approach to Gender Affirmation, Creator of the Alchemy of Authenticity Coaching, a Polarity Integration Consultant, a Plant Medicine Guide and Accidental Activist for Transyouth Suicide Prevention. 
His background in Neuro-linguistic programming, Somatic Experiencing, Compassionate Inquiry® Training with Dr. Gabor Maté, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate ground him in educating, consulting and healing trauma through hands-on bodywork. 
Tapping into his Indigenous ancestry, he lives to be in alignment with the land, trees, water, air and self. In his spare time he is a cat whisperer and animal lover.




Promotional Message:
If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.
Resources:
Websites:
Vimalasara's Website
Vimalasara's CI Practitioner Profile
Jordan's Website
Related Links:
Eating Disorder Recovery Programs
Vimalasara's Wikipedia Page 
Sadhguru's Website
Bayo Akomolafe's Website
Resmaa Menaken's Website
Videos:
How Not to Die
We Are What We Think - TedX
Let Go of Stories
Courses: 
First Aid Kit for the Mind Course
Overcoming Addiction Course
Inner Engineering Course
Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training
Books:
First Aid Kit for the Mind
Detox Your Heart
Inner Engineering
Quotes:
"... about heart disease… what these cardiologists are saying, it's not coronary disease, it's culinary disease. " - Vimalasara
"...we don't think about gender. Because in a way… I really believe that these are social constructs. However, we do live in a world which is gendered, so actually we are treated differently. These constructs …have an impact." - Vimalasara
"I am going with the flow. I'm definitely learning how to be in the river and float, not drown."
- Jordan Decker
"I'm not nonbinary in the sense of a third gender or something in-between. I'm nonbinary in the sense that the binary itself is the problem. … My gender is a disruption, a disidentification, a structural exit, a refusal of the classificatory logic that makes gender a legible commodity in the first place." -  Maxi Glamour
Social Media:
IG:  @vmasonjohn
      @_jdeck__
FB: Vimalasara - Valerie Mason-John
      Jordan Decker