In this episode of Resiliency Within, our host, Elaine Miller-Karas, will interview Bo Dean about his reflections of how the first 2,000 days of life—from pregnancy through early childhood—lay the foundation for resilience across the lifespan. Together, we discuss how these early experiences shape the developing brain, nervous system, and sense of self.

Our conversation explores how love and stress can coexist within families, and how unspoken trauma can quietly influence a child's development. Drawing from neuroscience and research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), we examine how early environments shape long-term health and well-being—and, importantly, how resilience can still be cultivated.

The hopeful message is clear: resilience is not something a child builds alone. Even one stable, caring relationship can change the trajectory of a life. Bo and Elaine will explore how families, educators, faith leaders, and communities can create supportive environments that foster healing and help children truly thrive.

Join us for this meaningful and insightful conversation on shaping resilience from the very beginning.

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About Our Guest

L.S. "Bo" Dean Jr. is a Senior HR Analyst for Learning & Development at New Hanover County Government and a certified Community Resiliency Model® Teacher/Educator through the Trauma Resource Institute. He designs and delivers Learning and Development for approximately 2,000 public employees across 30 departments — always through a trauma-informed, nervous-system-aware lens.

Learn more: https://bodean.substack.com/

In times of global upheaval and community suffering, many of us feel shaken—mentally, emotionally, and physically. The brutality and uncertainty we witness can disrupt our sense of well-being, leaving us confused, anxious, or overwhelmed. Yet even in the midst of collective stress, it is possible to cultivate inner harmony.

Inner harmony is the quiet meeting place of our thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. It is a living balance that emerges when we understand the rhythms of our nervous system and gently guide it back toward regulation and well-being.

On this episode of Resiliency Within, host Elaine Miller-Karas shares heartfelt reflections and practical, biologically based insights drawn from the Community Resiliency Model. She explores how we can restore balance, strengthen our resilience circuits, and reconnect with a sense of embodied well-being—even when the world around us feels unsteady. Join us for a thoughtful and empowering conversation on how to nurture inner harmony during stressful times.

Crisis Recovery for Kids, Parents, and Teachers

Children worldwide are living during very difficult times within the United States and globally. Current policies are impacting our schools - our children, teachers, and school staff.

Inez Tiger and Elaine Miller-Karas will discuss how educational systems worldwide are increasingly confronted with the impact of natural and human-made crises - war, genocide, wildfires, ICE raids, and community violence.

These events disrupt the stability of whole communities with profound implications to children and those who care for them.

Join our host, Elaine Miller-Karas, and Educator Inez Tiger for this encore show on implementing the Community Resiliency Model in a systematic, phased approach to support resilience for children, educators, and school staff.

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About Our Guest:

Inez Tiger, LMFT, brings over 30 years of experience as an educator, school leader, and mental health professional. She has served as an elementary and middle school teacher, counselor, principal, and most recently as Director of Wellness at The Pressman Academy.

Inez is a certified teacher of the Community Resiliency Model® (CRM), a practitioner of the Trauma Resiliency Model® (TRM), and a longtime facilitator and trainer in the practice of Council.

Specializing in self-regulation, trauma healing, and the power of storytelling, Inez recently transitioned from her role as a school-based educator to focus more deeply on healing and wellness.

A collector of stories, she finds meaning in listening to the resilience of students, parents, and teachers as they navigate their school journeys.

Originally from South Africa, Inez lives in Los Angeles with her partner and their two children. She finds joy in art-making, meaningful collaboration, and long walks with their dog, Chase.

One of her guiding mottos comes from Maya Angelou: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

On this episode of Resiliency Within, Elaine Miller-Karas welcomes Bev Weise, MBA,
ACC—leadership coach, social entrepreneur, and co-founder of Refugee Jumpstart Coaching.
Bev shares the inspiring story behind the organization she co-founded in 2021 with Syrian
refugee Hussein Alzribi to help educated and highly skilled refugees rebuild their professional
lives.

Refugee Jumpstart Coaching connects refugees around the world with a global network of pro
bono leadership, wellness, and career coaches, as well as job search, entrepreneurship, and
industry mentors. Their innovative work empowering displaced professionals earned the
organization the International Coaching Federation's Global Social Impact Award in 2024.

That same year, Refugee Jumpstart Coaching became a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization in California, expanding its ability to support refugees seeking opportunity,
dignity, and meaningful work.

Bev brings more than 35 years of experience in corporate and nonprofit leadership development.

She is an ICF-certified Leadership Coach and the founder of Leadership Talent Solutions, a
consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations identify, develop, and retain leadership talent.

Her career has included roles such as Executive Director of Interlaw Ltd., an international
association of law firms, and Corporate Director of Executive Planning and Development
at Northrop Grumman Corporation.

A turning point in Bev's life came in 2016 when she volunteered in a refugee camp in Chios,
Greece. The experience deeply moved her and inspired her commitment to helping refugees
recognize their strengths and rebuild their futures.

In this heartfelt conversation, Bev shares how compassion, leadership, and global collaboration
can help transform adversity into opportunity—reminding us that resilience often grows when
people are given the chance to rediscover their gifts and purpose.

Resiliency Within welcomes back Dr. Phillip Allen. Dr. Allen is a theologian and ethicist whose research and writings include the intersections of social structure, race, culture, and theology and ethics of justice.

He has authored two books: Open Wounds: A Story of Racial Tragedy, Trauma, and Redemption and The Prophetic Lens: The Camera and Black Moral Agency From MLK to Darnella Frazier. He is an affiliate assistant professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he completed his PhD in Theology. He is also a poet and documentary filmmaker.

Dr. Allen founded the nonprofit Racial Solidarity Project based in Pasadena, CA. As a former Division 1 college basketball player at North Carolina A&T State University, he has enjoyed opportunities as a guest chaplain for college and pro sports teams.

Dr. Allen will talk about the nonprofit he started, the Racial Solidarity Project and his book, the Prophetic Lens. The Prophetic Lens takes an important look at the use of the video camera as an indispensable prophetic tool for the security of Black lives and greater possibility for racial justice.

He will share how the camera can be a catalyst for cultural change, using Walter Brueggemann's Prophetic Imagination as a framework for understanding the concept of "prophetic." Chronicling the use of the camera, particularly in film from J.D. Griffiths' Birth of a Nation to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Allen's historical approach reveals how effective this technology has been in achieving the goals of its respective storytellers.

Dr. Allen's work is an example of the importance of chronicling the richness of black history.

In a time of deep division, uncertainty, and crisis, Finding Light in the Darkness will explore how we can maintain our well-being, integrity, and hope.

Hosted by Elaine Miller-Karas, an internationally recognized trauma expert and resiliency advocate, she will illuminate practical strategies for navigating today's complex social and political landscape.

Elaine hopes this episode will provide a beacon of light—insights on staying grounded, fostering compassion, and building resilience in the face of adversity.

Elaine is dedicated to empowering listeners to cultivate inner strength and create ripples of change for themselves, their families and their communities.

Join Resiliency Within as Elaine uncovers pathways to healing, unity, and action—because light can be found even in the darkest times.

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About Elaine

Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, is a social worker, trauma therapist, author, lecturer, consultant, VoiceAmerica podcast host, Psychology Today blogger, and social entrepreneur.

She has been called an "ambassador of hope" in the fields of trauma therapy and community resiliency.

As a co-founder of the Trauma Resource Institute, Elaine serves as the Director of Innovation. She has led the development of the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, which have left an indelible global footprint, impacting over 75 countries.

Her book, "Building Resiliency to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Model, Second Edition (2023)," has been recognized by the United Nations and Taylor and Francis. She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today.

She has presented internationally at Oxford University's Skoll World Forum, the United Nations, Resiliency 2024, Medscape, Psychotherapy Networker, the Global Fund, the Carter Center, and the Centers for Disease Control.

Elaine believes in a world where every person is treated with dignity and our differences are acknowledged and respected.

In this encore episode, Elaine Miller-Karas, host of Resiliency Within, welcomes back Kevin McLeod, Director of Business & Community Development at the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI), for a powerful conversation about teens, healing, and hope.

In this episode, Kevin addresses the Trauma Resource Institute's inspiring work bringing the Youth Ambassador Program (YAP) to teens in Georgia's Juvenile Justice System—and how this innovative program can be brought to schools, teen centers, and community clubs everywhere. YAP has recently been applied to the Disaster Relief Mobilization-Community Resiliency Model Program.

YAP empowers teens with simple, science-based wellness skills from the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)—tools that help calm the nervous system and restore well-being after stress or trauma. Through hands-on, experiential training, youth become CRM Teen Ambassadors (CRM-TAs) and learn six easy-to-use skills they can apply for self-care and peer support.

What's more, these young leaders go on to share the skills with their friends and classmates through short, engaging "share-backs" that bring the skills to life in everyday settings—from classrooms to living rooms.

YAP is more than a program—it's a movement to build resilience, foster connection, and inspire hope—one teen at a time.