How do you define resilience? In American culture, resilience is often equated with “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”. But in reality, it is all about. nervous system capacity. In this episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is joined by Jen Schneeman for a rich, trauma-informed conversation that challenges the idea that people should simply “bounce back.” Together, they explore the difference between resilience and malleability, drawing on neuroscience, somatic wisdom, and lived experience to unpack how stress, trauma, and healing live not just in the mind, but in the body.

Learn more about Jen:

Jen Schneeman is a soul-driven scientist, holistic mental health coach and trauma-informed nervous system specialist who helps individuals and communities reclaim personal energy, prevent burnout and live in their bodies with ease. With a deep understanding of the nervous system, trauma recovery, and human energy patterns, Jen bridges science + spirit to guide people toward resilience, self-trust, and inner freedom.
Jen began her career as a science + tech advisor with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office, and later as a Deputy at the Air Force Research Lab, Human Performance Wing. There she managed a collaborative research portfolio focused on how nutrition, disease, brain injury and stressors uniquely affect human susceptibility, resilience and future determinants of health.

Her lived experience of toxic stress-related burnout in a post-9/11 environment catalyzed her personal and professional transformation. Jen committed to the applied science of therapeutic mindbody connection programs to support sustainable healing and energy restoration. She knows firsthand that no amount of bootstrapping can truly reignite a system shut down by chronic stress, concussion, addiction, trauma, or pain — but that regenerative nervous system care can.
Jen brings this knowledge to life through her Self-Care and Resilience (SCAR) program, a multi-tiered nervous system restoration framework tailored to reduce stress, improve coping, and restore vitality. Her signature offering, Everyday Resilience, empowers people to stay present in joy and grounded in struggle using the ABCs of Presence that makes recovery and regulation tangible, practical, and embodied.

She has brought trauma-informed, nervous system-based programming to three VA Medical Centers, PTSD and TBI residential programs, addiction treatment centers, treatment courts, support groups, and beyond. She has also launched mindbody connection programs within two NFL teams, three military branches, four addiction treatment centers, dozens of corporations, hundreds of veterans and thousands of medical, mental health, and caregiving professionals.

Today, Jen facilitates resilience-based programs for medical professionals, caregivers and survivors of sexual assault, addiction, PTSD and brain injury. Since COVID she expanded programming to real humans just like us.

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Content Warning: This episode is focused on discussing, educating and uplifting the voices of survivors of sexual violence. In this episode, we will be discussing sexual violence, the rape crisis movement and healing avenues for survivors. Please be mindful as you listen and share this episode. We encourage survivors to honor themselves and those who are not to be present with this reality and be open to ways we can together create a more survivor informed care standard.

This is not an episode to “consume and move on from.” In this episode, host Katie Kurtz sits down with Molly Boeder-Harris, founder of The Breathe Network, for a conversation that goes far beyond headlines and statistics. We talk about what survivors actually need, how systems of care can unintentionally cause harm, and why healing must be part of how we show up.It’s an invitation to pause, listen deeply, and reckon with how we respond to survivors of sexual violence personally, professionally, and collectively. At a time when sexual violence is once again dominating headlines, this conversation asks an essential question: What does it actually mean to believe survivors and what are we willing to do once we say we do?

Learn more about Molly:

Molly Boeder Harris is the Founder and Executive Director of The Breathe Network, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), and a trauma-informed yoga teacher and trainer (E-RYT). Her own experiences of surviving sexual trauma catalyzed her to enter the trauma healing field in 2003, beginning with her work as a medical and legal advocate with children and adult survivors, a violence prevention educator, and later, as a yoga instructor specializing in working with survivors of sexual trauma.

She earned a Master’s Degree in International Studies and a Master’s Certificate in Women’s & Gender Studies, which inform the way she holds individual and collective forms of trauma, oppression, and healing close together in her work and in her life. Over the last 2 decades of her career and her ongoing healing trajectory, she has found that the practices that recognize the whole person – body, mind and spirit – while also attending to the ways in which both trauma and resilience manifest physiologically, offer the greatest possibility for embodied justice and social change.

Connect with Molly:

• https://www.thebreathenetwork.org/
• https://www.mollyboederharris.com/

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In nearly every community, pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers: seeing patients up to 12 times a year or more. Yet burnout rates are staggering, and meaningful connection often gets lost in the grind. On this episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz talks to Dr. Ashley Builta who reveals how trauma-informed care is changing everything in pharmacy delivery. She shares how it's not another task to add to an overwhelming workload, but rather a simple mindset shift that takes just three extra minutes and transforms both patient outcomes and professional purpose. From a life-changing Sunday morning encounter to training the next generation of pharmacy students, discover how Dr. Builta is using this approach to reshape pharmacy practice across Michigan and beyond.

Learn more about Ashley:

Dr. Ashley Builta is a dedicated pharmacy professional and educator currently serving as the Director of Professional Development and Education at the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA). In this role, she leads initiatives that empower pharmacists to better support the mental well-being of their patients and communities. She brings a wealth of experience to her role in advancing pharmacist education and public health initiatives.

Ashley holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and is a certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, a credential that enables her to expanded her impact with healthcare professionals, training them in recognizing and responding to mental health and substance use challenges. Her work bridges the gap between pharmacy practice and mental health support, helping to reduce stigma and promote early intervention.

Ashley’s work reflects a deep commitment to holistic patient care, emphasizing the critical role pharmacists play in early intervention and mental health advocacy. Her leadership continues to shape a more compassionate and informed healthcare landscape across Michigan.

Connect with Ashley:

• Website: https://www.michiganpharmacists.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-builta

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Interested in a keynote or consulting? Connect with Katie!