The Gifts of Trauma

Compassionate Inquiry
  • 4.7 (16)
  • Society & Culture
  • Weekly

Presented by Compassionate Inquiry®, the Gifts of Trauma is a weekly podcast that features personal stories of trauma healing and the gifts revealed on the path to authenticity. Compassionate Inquiry® is a psychotherapeutic approach created by Dr. Gabor Maté over several decades while working with both patients and retreat participants.Join us to hear what it was like for our guests to live with the tension of trauma, and what happened when they turned inward with compassionate curiosity. These highly relatable stories illustrate how they transformed their trauma generated fear, anger, pain or shame triggers into understanding, acceptance and love. www.compassionateinquiry.com

  1. 3d ago

    Humanitarian Burnout & Healing in the Midst of Chaos, with Dr Rola Hallam.

    Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. When a heavy bombardment in Syria displaced more than 50,000 people in a single night, Rola called her warehouse manager to ask how many tents they could mobilize. The answer was 50. In this third episode of No Villains, Only Wounds, our guest Dr Rola Hallam takes us inside what it means to keep showing up for others in the midst of chaos, and what happened to her after a decade of doing so. She describes a day when everything became meaningless, and the invitation delivered through burnout, a dark night of the soul and PTSD: Was she willing to be transformed by it? Rola also shares: - What kept her Syrian colleagues going through the war, and… - How they described surrendering to the divine, bound by kinship and a calling - Recognizing the voice that told her to get back to work as the voice of shame - The alarm bells she missed: Insomnia, chronic pain and a sense that nothing was ever enough Listen in and you'll leave this conversation with an invitation to notice what you are carrying that is not yours to carry, and to orient to the light alongside the many others willing to sit in the fault lines. About Dr Rola Halaam An award-winning Syrian-British doctor, international speaker, TED Fellow, trauma-informed coach and Sufi guide, Rola's work explores how we create genuinely different futures without reproducing the very patterns we are trying to change. Across more than two decades in medicine, humanitarian leadership and systems-building, Rola has worked where the stakes are real: operating theatres, war zones, collapsing health systems and frontline communities. As founder of CanDo, she helped build seven hospitals in Syria, supported care reaching more than four million people, raised millions for social change initiatives and has spoken on global stages alongside presidents, activists and changemakers. Her talks have been viewed more than 11 million times. Her own experience of burnout and PTSD revealed how extraordinarily clever we have become at creating change in the world without attending to the transformation within ourselves that genuine paradigm change requires. We call over-functioning resilience, confuse carrying with caring, and use our own life force to fund the work. We pursue new solutions from many of the same patterns of trauma, extraction, separation and human exceptionalism that shaped the problems themselves, only to reproduce them in new forms. For Rola, paradigm change asks more of us than better strategies. It asks for an evolution from clever to wise: transforming the consciousness, relationships and ways of being from which we create, so that we can embody the change we seek to bring into the world. Bringing together systems thinking, trauma healing, somatic practice, Sufi wisdom and expanded states of consciousness, Rola's work invites a shift towards sacred stewardship: rooted in relationship and belonging, guided by truth and aliveness, and in service of life and all beings. Promotional Messages: Short Course If you're drawn to Dr Gabor Maté's teachings and books, you might like to know about the Compassionate Inquiry® Short Course. This program provides an introduction to the powerful therapeutic trauma healing approach created by Dr Gabor Maté and developed by Sat Dharam Kaur. The Short Course delivers 30 hours of video and narrated powerpoints, plus PDFs that together, will not only help you understand the origins of trauma and how it can be healed, but also how trauma is linked to mental and physical illnesses. Tap this link to learn more about this program that's priced and presented to make it accessible to all.  Compassionate Inquiry® Circles 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 & Related Links: Rola's Website The Village Special Listener Offer Join The VIllage for 25% off Claim your place  Karpman Drama Triangle Rola's TedX Talk Social Media: FB: @DrRolacCoaching IG: @drrolahallam LinkedIn: Dr Rola Hallam

  2. Oct 22

    Ancestral Trauma and the Shame We Inherit, with Matthew Green

    Hosted by J'aime Rothbard & Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard After hearing a man on a crowded commuter train ask for money for somewhere to spend the night, citing his deployments in Afghanistan, Matthew watched as all along the carriage people turned their backs on him. While part of him also wished the man away, another part reached for a twenty-pound note. What stayed with Matthew was how quickly and unconsciously the man was isolated, completely alone in the middle of a crowd. In this second episode of No Villains, Only Wounds, Matthew Green returns to talk about how the psychological injuries of war come home, and about the collective and ancestral trauma work that is changing how he moves through the world. In this conversation, Matthew shares: - Why what is done in a country's name belongs to all of us, whether or not we agreed to it - What he's learned through inviting white British people to look at the legacy of the empire, and the shadow trauma that harming others leaves within those who perpetrate the harm. - How he traced his own anger, numbness and lost voice back to soldiers in his ancestral line - Where a ceasefire ends and peace begins This interview offers a gentler and braver way of looking at what lives within you and your lineage, and the lived experience that facing it in community liberates us to choose a different way. About Matther Green, Journalist, Author and Collective Trauma Integration Facilitator As a journalist covering conflicts across Africa, in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan for Reuters and the Financial Times, bouts of depression led Matthew to explore a wide range of healing practices, culminating in his 2015 book, Aftershock (stories of British military veterans and their families confronting the psychological scars of war.)   In April, 2022, Matthew's frustration over Reuters' response to the climate crisis led him to quit and join DeSmog, which exposes corporations blocking climate action. After studying the psychological and mystical principles of healing individual, ancestral and collective trauma via Thomas Hübl's Timeless Wisdom Training, Matthew became a Collective Trauma Integration Facilitator. Alongside regular panel appearances on the BBC, Matthew has co-hosted the Collective Trauma Summit, the Climate Consciousness Summit and currently co-facilitates Being White British: Colonised and Colonisers for The Pocket Project with Manda Johnson. He co-founded the Resonant Man with Jacob Kishere, and together they support men in exploring vision, creativity, relationship and brotherhood. Matthew lives in London with his wife Genevieve, a clinical psychologist, and their 9-year-old daughter. When he's not reading, writing or discussing trauma healing, he loves helping people resolve their dilemmas via the Tarot. Promotional Messages: Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.  Compassionate Inquiry®  Spotlight Episodes Your journey with Compassionate Inquiry® matters. Your work in the world matters. If you have a story to share about bringing Compassionate Inquiry into the world, we'd like to amplify your voice. Spotlight episodes are full length Gifts of Trauma podcast interviews offered exclusively to CI community members. You'll not only share your story with 55,000 healing professionals across all platforms, you'll receive a pre-interview strategy session plus three promotional video clips. We're offering only 10 Spotlight episodes per year and production realities require a financial contribution. Follow these links to access full details and express your interest. Spotlight Episodes   |   Sponsorships Resources: Website: Matthew's Professional Site Related Links: Resonant Man Aftershock Matthew's Newsletter & Podcast DeSmog Courses: Timeless Wisdom Training Being White British: Colonised and Colonisers Somatic Abolitionism Books: Aftershock: The Untold Story Of Surviving Peace  My Grandmother's Hands How the Irish Became White Podcasts: Simon Courtney, the Great Famine in Ireland Matthew's 2024 Gifts of Trauma episode Social Media: LinkedIn

  3. Oct 15

    From Grief & Hatred to Shared Loss & Humanity, with Robi Damelin & Layla Al-Sheikh

    Hosted by Kevin Young & Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. When Layla Al-Sheikh's six-month-old son, Qussay, became gravely ill after Israeli soldiers used tear gas in her village, the family set out for the hospital. For more than five hours, soldiers refused to let them through a military zone, and by the time they reached the hospital it was too late to save him. Years later, Layla stood outside a meeting room with a man who had once stopped a family with a sick child from reaching a hospital, and told him she could forgive him. In this first episode of the No VIllians, Only Wounds Series, guests Layla and Robi, bereaved Palestinian and Israeli mothers, share how they processed their grief through dialogue with bereaved parents from 'the other side.' They exchange personal stories including: - What Robi instinctively chose to do with her grief after her son David was killed - How Layla came to see bereaved Israeli parents as people who share her pain - Why Robi believes forgiveness can never be forced - How speaking about her loss changed what Layla was carrying in her body You'll leave this episode with a hopeful picture of what becomes possible when bereaved parents sit down together and share their stories, even while the conflict around them continues. About Robi Damelin,  Israeli Peace Activist & Bereaved Mother As spokesperson and director of International Relations for the Parents Circle - Families Forum, Robi joined the organization after her son was killed by a Palestinian sniper. All of her work on the ground in Palestine, Israel, and internationally, is geared towards non-violence and reconciliation as a means to end the occupation. Robi was named a 2015 Woman of Impact by Women in the World. About Layla Al-Sheikh,  Palestinian Bereaved Mother Layla lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6 month-old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli soldiers prevented Layla from taking him to the hospital for more than five hours. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment. 
Layla joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son's death, she never thought of revenge, but rather has devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children. About The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 850 families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. The members have undertaken a joint effort amid ongoing and escalating violence to transform their loss and pain into a public and collective demand for peace and reconciliation.  PCFF's Theory of Change is rooted in the understanding that personal transformation, processing loss, grief and anger, can disrupt cycles of violence, enabling both interpersonal connection and collective action. When those who have paid the highest personal price for the conflict publicly reject the logic of endless war, they challenge dominant narratives of inevitability, revenge and dehumanization. For its extraordinary work, advancing peacebuilding through educational programs and reconciliation initiatives for Palestinian and Israeli youth and adults of all ages, PCFF was nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Humbled by this nomination, PCFF bereaved members know it carries not only recognition of past work but also a great responsibility towards future impact.  Promotional Messages 3rd Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.  Compassionate Inquiry® Circles 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  Robi's Wikipedia PCFF Website Related Links We have to bring hope to the world (Video 2026) Listening From the Heart (Video)  Harvard Gazette  (Article) Robi's TedX Talk (Video)  Layla in Forbes  (Article) Social Media Instagram: @robidamelin @parentscirclefriends  Facebook: @robi.damelin1 American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum LinkedIn: American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum YouTube: American Friends of the Parents Circle

  4. Oct 8

    No Contact: The Ultimate Act of Self-Compassion, with Dr Wen Harper Harris

    Hosted by Kevin Young and J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. In the 18 months since her last interview, Wen has a new name, a new memoir, and a new outlook on life that she finds incredibly freeing and joyful. In this conversation, she unpacks institutionalized self-abandonment—the pattern of trading one's own needs and boundaries for belonging—that shows up as much inside universities and workplaces as it does within cults. Wen also tells us how she applied everything she'd learned about walking away, when she was asked to leave a healing community after witnessing and reporting another member's physical assault. She candidly shares: - What happened when a 2020 tell-all memoir exposed decades of abuse inside the Kundalini yoga community she'd devoted her twenties and thirties to supporting - Why her renaming tracks back to the day she legally severed all contact with her mother - The isolation associated with rejecting the abusers' stories and believing the people who were harmed. - That her soon-to-be-published memoir, No Contact: The Ultimate Act of Self-Compassion, draws its rich story archive from 35 years of handwritten journals If you've ever stayed quiet to keep the peace, handed your own authority to a teacher, boss, or institution, or wondered what it actually costs to finally say no, in this episode, Wen offers a hard-won, unflinching look at what it takes to come back to your Self, and the gifts that journey can deliver. About Dr Wen Harper Harris Addiction and Trauma Specialist Passionate about creating safe and welcoming spaces for deep healing and connection, Wen supports students and clients on their learning and healing journeys by integrating the Compassionate Inquiry psychotherapeutic approach with yoga, meditation, and evidence-based practices (DBT). ​ Holding a doctorate in clinical psychology, Wen published Beyond Addiction: Kundalini Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation for Recovery from Opioid Dependence (2015) prior to completing her two-year post-doctoral internship in Dialectical Behavior Therapy.  A core faculty member at Antioch University, Los Angeles, Wen created and directs the Addiction and Recovery Specialization and is deeply committed to training future therapists in compassionate, trauma-informed approaches. ​ She also facilitates Compassionate Inquiry training groups, leads Beyond Addiction retreats, and leans into the teachings of Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur for inspiration in her work as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner.    ​Promotional Messages Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.  Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Doctor Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, consider joining the Professional Training Program. It's open to all healing professionals, including naturopaths, physicians, body workers, coaches, and therapists. In addition to learning how to use compassion to support your clients in their most vulnerable moments with greater empathy and authenticity, you'll also deepen your own internal process. If you're interested, tap this link to learn more.   Resources: Websites: Professional Site Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Profile Beyond Addiction Instructor Profile Antioch University Profile Related Links Addicted to Speed & Busyness with Wen Harper Harris (Podcast) Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage (Book) Eternal Echoes (Book) Social Media Instagram LinkedIn Facebook

  5. Oct 1

    Executive Burnout: When the Body Sends the Invoice, with John Cummins

    Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes.  Produced by J'aime Rothbard. John Cummins built his entire career on learning to see what's beneath the surface, first tissue samples under a microscope, then investment portfolios, then the executives running them. Describing the onset of burnout as 'the body sending an invoice,' he shares that the invoice he received included a divorce and arrived in the middle of an outwardly thriving career. It also demanded that he reexamine every inherited belief he'd ever carried about who a successful husband, father, and professional was supposed to be. In this episode, John also explains: - Why a newly promoted executive's boss sent them straight into coaching - How his own external success co-existed with a complete internal self-disconnection - Why he walked away from a top role in European finance - What can happen when a lifelong fixer, people-pleaser, or entertainer, finally removes their mask Now based in Switzerland, trained in Compassionate Inquiry, Internal Family Systems, and polyvagal-informed somatic work, John spends his days helping high-powered executives find their way back to themselves, often using their familiar language of negotiation and deal-making. About John Cummins  Somatic Therapist and Executive Coach John works with people who look fine from the outside: Leaders, founders and high performers who have insight, language, self-awareness, and bodies that keep telling a different story. He came to this work by an unusual route, beginning his career in clinical histopathology, reading illness in cells under a microscope. He moved on to spend more than two decades in investment banking and financial market infrastructure, including nine years as a chief executive within a major European stock exchange group. Both worlds taught him the same lesson from opposite ends: The body holds what the mind cannot say. Today, John is a somatic therapist and executive coach based in Switzerland, working with clients worldwide. He trained in Compassionate Inquiry with Dr Gabor Maté, then integrated Internal Family Systems (IFS), Polyvagal Theory, EMDR, the Safe and Sound Protocol and breathwork. An International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach, John holds a Master's in Business Psychology. His practice sits where somatic therapy and corporate leadership meet. The conversation about burnout and executive wellbeing is growing louder, but remains largely surface-level. Leaders are told to meditate, to manage their time better, or build resilience. What's rarely said is that a nervous system can hold a survival state for decades, and that time management will not address what lives in the body. John's conviction is simple: Nearly everyone carries trauma—and—nobody is broken. The habits that limit a leader today were once intelligent survival responses: over-preparing, over- delivering, holding control. They soften when they are met with compassion. In John's experience, the pattern that built their success is usually the same as the pattern that drains the person. Recognising that is where the shift begins. Promotional Messages Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, Compassionate Inquiry Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.  Spotlight Episodes Your journey with Compassionate Inquiry® matters. Your work in the world matters. If you have a story to share about bringing Compassionate Inquiry into the world, we'd like to amplify your voice. Spotlight episodes are full length Gifts of Trauma podcast interviews offered exclusively to CI community members. You'll not only share your story with 55,000 healing professionals across all platforms, you'll receive a pre-interview strategy session plus three promotional video clips. We're offering only 10 Spotlight episodes per year and production realities require a financial contribution. Follow these links to access full details and express your interest.  Spotlight Episodes  |  Sponsorships Resources: Websites:  John's Professional Site John's Substack John's Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Profile Related Links: Compassionate Inquiry Training  Internal Family Systems (IFS) Polyvagal Theory Dr Gabor Maté  No bad parts. No bad leaders (Article) Social Media: John's Instagram John's LinkedIn

  6. Sep 24

    Toxic Shame & the Long Way Home to Self, with Dagmara Ziniewicz

    Hosted by Kevin Young.  Produced by J'aime Rothbard Dagmara grew up in communist Poland, where feelings weren't discussed, and disappointment was carried quietly. She moved to the US at twenty, where she worked at odd jobs, drank, partied hard and led a very colourful life. She continued moving from country to country, searching for the one place where her life would start working. It took her mother's illness, and a conversation at a spiritual retreat, to uncover that she'd actually been running from what she'd been searching for.  In this conversation Dagmara shares her transformational journey and explains: - What toxic shame can actually feel like, in the body - How a single conversation at a spiritual retreat became the doorway into her own childhood - Why when the phrase, "my life doesn't work" comes up, it is worth taking seriously - What happens when someone starts questioning whether they were ever the problem This episode ends with Dagmara passing on something beautiful and brilliant that she wished someone had told her when she was travelling the world, looking for answers. "if you feel lost, or have problems with yourself, or in relationships, with dissatisfaction, or perfectionism, or workaholism or addictions, you may need some healing."  About Dagmara K. Ziniewicz Psychosomatic Practitioner | Founder of Metamorfosis Therapy  The founder of Metamorfosis Therapy, a space dedicated to profound inner transformation and changing the paradigm through which we relate to ourselves, others and reality, Dagmara is also a Certified Compassionate Inquiry® Practitioner, Educator and Mentor, with two years of training and internship in Dr. Gabor Maté's approach. She holds a MA in Pedagogy, is trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS Level 1 & Groups), Non-Dual Therapy, Somatic Meditation, Psychodrama, Therapeutic Theatre, Conscious Sexuality and Relating, and is a certified facilitator of Contact Beyond Contact, a therapeutic dance and movement practice exploring embodiment, connection, boundaries and relational patterns. Dagmara integrates different modalities to meet the complexity of each person's experience. Her work explores not only what we think and feel, but also how our experiences are held in the body, shaped by the nervous system and expressed through our relationships. At the core of her work is the exploration of toxic shame—the deeply rooted sense that something is fundamentally wrong with us. Through awareness and embodiment she supports people in loosening shame's grip and developing a more conscious, compassionate and authentic way of relating. Since 2020, Dagmara has created and facilitated experiential workshops and transformational programmes in Poland, Bali and internationally, while cultivating an online community. The education and mentoring she provides for therapists and practitioners, share an experiential approach to trauma-informed, somatic and relational work. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: You don't need to fix yourself. You need to understand and integrate what led you to believe that something is wrong with you.  Promotional Messages Compassionate Inquiry® Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.  Compassionate Inquiry® Experience If you've been listening to our podcast and are curious about the transformative power of Compassionate Inquiry®, join us on Sep 26 for a 6-hour online experiential introduction to the Compassionate Inquiry approach and community. This link takes you to a web page where you can get information and, if you choose, register for the CI Experience.  Resources Websites: Dagmara's Metamorfosis Site Dagmara's Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Profile Dagmara's Compassionate Inquiry Private Mento Profile Related Links: Happiness is a Choice (Book) From Self Judgement To Self Love (Video) Understanding Trauma - Interview (Video) How to Overcome Toxic Shame, Peter A. Levine, PhD (Video) The Five Levels of Compassion, Dr Gabor Maté (Video) Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training  Social Media: Dagmara's Facebook Dagmara's Instagram Dagmara's YouTube Channel

  7. Sep 17

    From Controlling to Cancer to Choosing Herself, with Urszula Radzińska

    Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. Five years ago, during the COVID lockdown, Urszula received an email that informed her that she had cancer. No doctor called first to walk her through it, so she assumed it was a mistake, but her doctor's call the next morning confirmed the diagnosis. Up until that point, Urszula had been the person who managed everything and everyone, a role she first took on as a child.  She carried that same instinct into music school, journalism, and her own business (a communications agency built entirely on her own terms where she answered to no one). It took a cancer diagnosis and one blunt sentence from a Chinese medicine practitioner, to show her what all of that managing had actually cost her. In this conversation Urszula also shares: - The unexpected gift buried inside a diagnosis nobody would have asked for - Why it took her so long to understand a Chinese medicine practitioner's assessment - What redefining 'being good' actually means became the hardest part of her recovery - What she built in Warsaw to share what she learned, and why she refuses to push it on anyone This isn't a conversation about cancer, it's about a woman who spent decades making sure everyone around her was fine, and learning—the hard way—how to notice when she wasn't fine herself. Today that same instinct to manage everything has shifted into an invitation: "Come find your body at 7am or 8pm, in Polish or English, and no one will try to convince you to stay." About Urszula Radzińska: Founder, MyMeditation.Space | Meditation Teacher  & Mindfulness Coach After discovering meditation as a university student, Urszula's life path led her to build and run a successful communications agency. For 20 years, she was effective, responsible, always 'on.' Then in 2016, while still running her agency, she began sharing meditation with others. In the 2020 pandemic lockdown, she built MyMeditation.Space, a project that has since become her life's work. The real tipping point came in 2021, when a cancer diagnosis forced her to stop controlling everything and start listening to her body, not as a tool to optimize, but as a source of wisdom in its own right. That shift changed her life. In the years that followed, Urszula became an internationally certified OSHO Active Meditations facilitator, she completed EMCC-accredited* training in mindfulness-based coaching and recently finished the year-long training in Compassionate Inquiry—the approach at the heart of this podcast—which she is now integrating into her coaching and teaching. Ula also lives with ADHD, which shapes how she supports clients in finding steadiness without forcing themselves into constant action. Since 2022, she has focused on growing MyMeditation.Space, teaching active meditation classes, training future OSHO facilitators, and offering individual sessions and workshops in Warsaw and online. In these few years, she also founded The Mindful Living Foundation, a non-profit she now chairs, and launched and hosts OBECNA, a Polish language podcast that explores mindfulness, meditation, and coming back to oneself. Contact with oneself, Urszula believes, isn't a luxury, it's the foundation everything else is built on. Curious listeners can start with a free 20-minute consultation via her website. *EMCC: The European Mentoring and Coaching Council Promotional Messages: Compassionate Inquiry® Circles 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. The Portal If you've been listening to our podcast, you may have heard guests connect their birth experiences with enduring subconscious behavioural and emotional patterns. To help break this cycle, Compassionate Inquiry® offers The Portal, a 28-week trauma-informed training for perinatal health professionals; such as midwives, obstetricians, nurses and doulas, who want to empower their patients to trust their innate ability to birth, bond and nurture their child. Use this link to learn more Resources Websites: Ureszula's Professional Website  MyMeditation.Space Website Mindful Living Foundation Website Related Links: OBECNA podcast  Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training  OSHO Trainings Social Media: Instagram: @urszula.radzinska Facebook: @urszula.radzinska LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/urszularadzinska YouTube: @urszula.radzinska Spotify: @urszula.radzinska

  8. Sep 10

    A 9/11 Firefighter's Daughter Turns Grief Into Service, with Caitlin Leavey

    Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey's voice on the radio tapes from that morning was calm, steady and in command as he led his men into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.  His daughter, Caitlin was just ten, and it took her some time to understand why he never came home, and what had happened to the outgoing larger-than-life father she adored. Twenty-five years later, on the anniversary of 9/11, Cait joins us to talk about her clinical work as a therapist to first responders, military veterans and their families. She also shares: - The gift that emerged from the ashes of that disaster - How it felt when the initial wave of community support faded, and her lifelong mission to keep it alive - What Camp America did for kids who lost family on 9/11 - Where the Spirit of 9/12 shares its messages of hope This isn't a conversation about what was lost on September 11th, but about what one person refused to let fade. Every year, Cait returns to her father's firehouse on 9/11 to be embraced by her father's memory and the second family she's known all her life. Then, every 9/12, she runs a local event that inspires the next generation to keep the compassionate spirit of that dark time alive. About Caitlin Leavey, LMHC A licensed mental health counselor, trauma-informed therapist, and advocate whose personal and professional work is rooted in grief, healing, and service, Caitlin is the daughter of FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey, whom she lost on September 11, 2001. In the years since, she has carried her dad's legacy forward by helping individuals and communities transform grief into meaningful connection and action. Cait specializes in supporting people affected by trauma, loss, anxiety, and depression, with a particular commitment to first responders, military, Gold Star families, and others whose experiences of grief and service are often carried quietly. She is the co-founder of The Holding Frames, a nonprofit that uses art, storytelling, and compassionate connection to help people feel seen and supported during times of hardship. Cait also co-founded the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Visionary Network and founded The Spirit of 9/12, an annual youth-led day of service that honors the September 11 National Day of Service (9/11 Day). She is also a 9/11 Day Ambassador. Through her work as a clinician, storyteller, and community leader, Cait invites others to recognize that healing does not mean leaving loss behind—it means finding ways to carry love, purpose, and connection forward. Promotional Messages: Compassionate Inquiry 3rd CI Conference—Vancouver 2026 If you've completed, or are currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry training, you're invited to attend the third international CI Conference in Vancouver, Canada from October 30 to November 1. Dr Gabor Maté is returning as our keynote speaker and master class presenter. Enjoy engaging workshops and inspiring demonstrations with Sat Dharam Kaur, CI Facilitators and Practitioners. Whether you join us in person for three days of shared inquiry with CI cohort partners, and colleagues from around the world, or attend virtually to focus on the teachings, tap this link to learn more and secure your place. And yes—there will be dancing.  Compassionate Inquiry Suicide Attention 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 to access a web page where you can learn more about this training, and decide if it's a good fit for you.  Websites: Cait's Psychology Today Profile The Holding Frames  The Spirit of 9/12 Points of Light Related Links: 9/11 Memorial & Museum Article The Spirit of 9/12 Event Info America's Camp  Tunnel to Towers Gold Star Families Smart Home Recipients A Paradise Built in Hell (Book) Feathers of the Phoenix (Art Project) Social Media Cait's Instagram The Holding Frames Instagram  Cait's Facebook The Holding Frames Facebook Cait's LinkedIn

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16 Ratings

About

Presented by Compassionate Inquiry®, the Gifts of Trauma is a weekly podcast that features personal stories of trauma healing and the gifts revealed on the path to authenticity. Compassionate Inquiry® is a psychotherapeutic approach created by Dr. Gabor Maté over several decades while working with both patients and retreat participants.Join us to hear what it was like for our guests to live with the tension of trauma, and what happened when they turned inward with compassionate curiosity. These highly relatable stories illustrate how they transformed their trauma generated fear, anger, pain or shame triggers into understanding, acceptance and love. www.compassionateinquiry.com

Information

  • Creator
    Compassionate Inquiry
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    The Gifts of Trauma

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