When Laryssa Lamrock created her digital story "Enveloped," she never anticipated how profoundly a four-minute video would transform her advocacy work with military families. As the National Strategic Advisor for Families at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Laryssa brings her lived experience as a military spouse, daughter, and mother to her work supporting those affected by service-related mental health challenges.

The conversation explores the many ways digital stories become catalysts for healing and connection – from introducing presentations to facilitating psycho-educational workshops for family members affected by PTSD. We also discover how Laryssa's experience informed her work co-hosting the Mind Beyond the Mission podcast, where she brings the family perspective to conversations about military mental health.

Episode Key Messages

0:00 Introduction to Laryssa Lamrock

2:33 Creating a Digital Story at Atlas

5:12 Enveloped: Laryssa's Personal Digital Story

9:33 Sharing Digital Stories with Others

18:48 Supporting Young Adults' Storytelling Journey

25:37 Mind Beyond the Mission Podcast

28:20 Legacy Stories and Final Thoughts

Other Links Mentioned

• Watch more digital stories from Atlas Institute
• Check out the Mindkit website
• Watch the Caregivers in the Wild episode mentioned
• Listen to the Co-Created episode with Joy Pavelich mentioned
• Read this episode's blog post
• Watch the Looking Back video about Ep 28 with Wellspring Alberta

Learn more about Laryssa Lamrock here.

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The power of digital storytelling lies in its ability to capture what textbooks and lectures cannot - the raw, human experience of navigating life's most challenging moments. In this deeply moving conversation with Kathy Cortes-Miller and Keri-Lyn Durant, co-hosts of the Disrupting Death podcast, we explore how digital storytelling creates transformative spaces for processing grief and sharing experiences around Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).

When qualitative researchers like Kathy hear countless personal narratives that most people never access, digital storytelling emerges as the perfect vehicle to bridge this gap. Through a five-year research project, their team has worked with individuals who accompanied loved ones through MAID, capturing these profound experiences in digital stories that serve multiple purposes - from personal healing to education and advocacy. The stories become catalysts for important conversations about death, caregiving, and end-of-life choices while empowering individuals to own their narratives.

Episode Key Messages

0:05 Storytelling as Catalyst for Discussion

1:00 Meeting the Disrupting Death Co-Hosts

3:00 Connecting Through Digital Storytelling

5:35 The MAID Digital Story Workshops

8:45 How Stories Create Impact

18:40 Digital Stories for Education

30:15 Future Storytelling Projects

Find more stories and resources at the Disrupting Death podcast, which features a three-part series on digital storytelling and MAID.

• Digital Stories Part 1 Research Project & Diane Sims
• Digital Stories Part 2 Bridge C-14 Participants
• Digital Stories Part 3 MAID Family Support Participants

Other Links Mentioned

• Watch Keri-Lyn's digital story
• Read this episode's blog post
• Watch the Looking Back video about Ep 27 with Dr. Burcu Simsek

Learn more about Keri-Lyn Durant & Kathy Kortes-Miller here.

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What happens when personal trauma transforms into powerful advocacy? Fabiana Bacchini, Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation, takes us on a journey through her evolution from NICU parent to healthcare changemaker through the lens of digital storytelling.

The conversation reveals the unique power of digital stories to transcend traditional limitations. Unlike presentations that exist in one moment for one audience, digital stories live online, cross borders, translate across languages, and remain relevant for years. They protect storytellers from repeatedly reliving trauma while maximizing impact and creating space for multiple perspectives – including those of siblings and patients themselves.

Whether you're a healthcare professional seeking to understand patient experiences, a parent navigating your own medical journey, or an advocate looking for powerful tools to drive change, this episode illuminates how personal narratives can reshape healthcare from the inside out. Listen now to discover how digital storytelling is revolutionizing patient advocacy and transforming healthcare one story at a time.

Key Messages

• Digital stories have unique power to convey the emotional reality of NICU experiences
• Fabiana's own story begins with performing CPR on her son when "no one came" after calling for help
• Family integrated care research empowered her as a parent and improved her son's outcomes
• Digital stories reach audiences beyond conference rooms and remain impactful over time
• Parent stories consistently receive the highest ratings in conference evaluations
• Creating opportunities for siblings and patients to tell their own stories offers valuable perspectives
• Digital storytelling allows advocates to share impactful experiences without repeatedly reliving trauma

Other Links Mentioned

• Watch Fabiana's digital story
• Watch Petya's story from CPBF's launch event Building Resilience Together
• Watch Alice's story from CPBF's Preemie Chat: The Importance of Sharing your Story
• Read this episode's blog post
• Watch the Looking Back video about Ep 26 with Dr. Peter Rosenbaum

Learn more about Fabiana Bacchini here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.