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How We Can Heal

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
23 reviews
This podcast has
95 episodes
Explicit
No
Date created
2022/03/10
Latest episode
2026/04/15
Average duration
52 min.
Release period
9 days

Description

A podcast to share deep conversations about How We Can Heal from life’s toughest circumstances.  46e25130-c4e4-11f0-b994-d9ed1c1b3183

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from How We Can Heal podcast


That's a Wrap for Season 7!
2026/04/15
Season 7 ends with a look back at what we built together: a collection of conversations designed to support embodied, collective trauma healing. I’m taking a summer pause, but before we step away, I want to name the themes that kept returning across the season and why they matter if you live with complex trauma, support survivors, or work in mental health. You’ll hear a quick tour of the guests and topics that shaped this run of the How We Can Heal podcast, from preventing organized and extreme abuse to disability pride, intergenerational resilience, and the ways music can become a bridge back to self. We also touch the clinical questions: how borderline personality disorder can be mistaken for complex trauma, how trauma-informed research is helping us Find Solid Ground, and what to keep in mind when offering transgender-affirming support in trauma therapy. We close with a nod to predictive processing and the Flash Technique, pointing to practical ways the brain can update and soften stuck threat responses. Then the lens widens. A reflection inspired by Artemis space travel lands on a truth that’s hard to unsee: from far enough away, Earth looks like one lifeboat. That perspective invites gratitude and a deeper sense of connection, the kind that makes healing feel less lonely and more like a shared crew effort.  If this season supported you, scroll back and catch what you missed, share a favorite conversation with a friend, and stay connected for updates. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell me which guest or idea you want to hear more about next! Support the show
EMDR, Predictive Processing and the Flash Technique with Thomas Zimmerman
2026/04/08
Today I’m joined by trauma therapist and EMDR trainer Thomas Zimmerman to talk about Flash technique, a fast-evolving approach that aims to process traumatic memories with dramatically less distress, especially for people with complex PTSD and dissociation who may struggle with the “admission cost” of standard EMDR. We unpack what Flash is, why it can work even when someone cannot tolerate long activation, and how it differs from simply “distracting” yourself. Thomas explains his predictive processing version of Flash through a clear image: instead of dumping the whole memory into awareness, we bring in one tiny “bean” of it, then shift into a strong pleasant scene to create the kind of sensory mismatch that helps the nervous system update. We also explore why dissociation can be a brilliant adaptation, how culture shapes what we think healing should look like, and why resourcing can be practical, tolerable, and even fun. We get concrete about clinical application too: the core resources Thomas teaches, why sensory grounding matters, how parts-informed consent changes the pace, and when to slow down for DID or severe amnesia. We close with where the research is headed, what Thomas is building next through trainings and a nonprofit, and why accessible trauma therapy could matter at a societal scale. If this conversation sparks something for you, subscribe, share it with someone who’d benefit, and leave a review. What’s one idea from this talk you want to try or think about more? Learn more:  https://thomaszimmerman.us/ https://emdrcleveland.com/ Support the show
Trauma & Dissociation-Informed Care for Transgender & LGBTQIA+ Clients with Dr. Lou Himes
2026/03/24
Pronouns can feel like a tiny detail until you realize they are a real-time test of safety. When someone’s identity has been questioned, policed, or punished, the smallest moments in a therapy office can signal either danger or relief. I sit down with Dr. Lou Himes, a licensed psychologist and certified specialist in transgender mental health, to get concrete about what gender-affirming care looks like when trauma, dissociation, and systemic betrayal are part of the story. We talk about how Dr. Himes found their way into working with transgender clients, why many well-intentioned clinicians still hesitate, and how a trauma-informed lens can help us understand anger and guardedness as protection rather than “resistance.” We dig into identity-affirming therapy as dignity-affirming care and self-determination, including why it can be more healing to honor a client’s self-definition early on than to rush toward certainty or a perfect clinical formulation. Dr. Himes also shares how psychodynamic psychotherapy makes room for contradiction, parts of self, and shifting truths without treating clients as deceptive. We also zoom out to the sociopolitical climate and what helps when anxiety spikes: boundaries around the news, a return from hypervigilance to inner focus, and simple co-regulation that prioritizes breath and presence. Finally, we touch the tender terrain of spirituality and religious trauma, and the idea that deep therapy is “soul work” that helps people grow back the parts of themselves they had to hide. If this conversation supports you, subscribe, share it with someone who cares about LGBTQIA+ mental health, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one idea you’re taking with you? Learn more about Dr. Himes here: https://drhimes.com/ Support the show
Finding Solid Ground: An Evidence Based Program For Complex Trauma & Dissociation with Dr. Bethany Brand
2026/03/23
This episode is sponsored by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is an international, non-profit, professional association organized to develop and promote comprehensive, clinically effective and empirically based resources and responses to trauma and dissociation and to address its relevance to other theoretical constructs. To learn more and become a member, visit: https://www.isst-d.org/ Visit https://cfas.isst-d.org/ to access educational offerings for both professionals and non-professionals --- The people most harmed by trauma are often the ones research quietly leaves out: clients dealing with severe dissociation, chronic self-harm risk, suicidal crises, and symptoms that don’t fit neatly into a study design. That’s why this conversation with clinical psychologist and trauma researcher Dr. Bethany Brand lands so hard and so hopefully. We talk about Finding Solid Ground (FSG), a structured stabilization program created specifically for complex trauma, complex PTSD, and dissociative disorders, and why its step-by-step approach can help both survivors and the therapists supporting them.  We unpack how the program was built over 15 years with a “dream team” of experts plus direct feedback from people with lived experience with dissociation. Bethany explains the logic behind the sequencing across modules: grounding as the true foundation, separating past from present to reduce flooding from traumatic intrusions, then moving into safety planning and emotional work only after clients have enough internal resources to tolerate it. We also explore the unique role of brief teaching videos and workbook practice, including why the videos can feel relational while still staying safely under the client’s control.  Then we dig into the research. Bethany walks through results from a randomized controlled trial showing Finding Solid Ground adds measurable benefit beyond individual therapy alone, along with individual-level findings like reliable change and reduced deterioration. We also touch on what clinicians report learning and how the program can strengthen the therapy relationship, build self-compassion, and expand adaptive capacities in ways people don’t always expect from “stage one” trauma treatment.  If you’re looking for evidence-based trauma stabilization tools, grounded coping skills, and a clearer map for dissociation treatment, press play. If the conversation helps, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a steadier path, and leave a review so more people can find this work. Learn more about FSG here: https://www.findingsolidground.info/ Support the show
Wayfinding After Trauma: A Guide To Wholeness with Dr. Rochelle Sharpe Lohrasbe
2026/03/18
What if trauma healing is less about excavating one awful moment and more about learning how to move through life again with skill, support, and a steadier nervous system? I’m joined by Dr. Rochelle Sharpe Lohrasbe, a clinical counselor, educator, and supervisor with four decades of experience in complex trauma, dissociation, EMDR-informed work, and deeply somatic approaches to resilience. We talk about the philosophy behind her upcoming book, Trauma and Somatic Healing: Wayfinding and the Intelligence of Experience in Therapeutic Practice, and why “wayfinding” can be a kinder, more realistic framework than trying to conquer trauma head-on.  We explore how trauma therapy can become too reductive, focusing on pieces without enough time or space for integration. Rochelle shares why resourcing matters, how “state becomes trait” can turn adaptive survival responses into identity, and why shifting the conditions around a person can be just as important as what happens inside them. We also dig into how language shapes healing, how clients and therapists can get stuck making trauma feel too big, and how building capacity through smaller steps can restore movement and hope.  One of my favorite parts is Rochelle’s use of nature metaphors: the self as a landscape, emotions as weather, and learning to surf internal waves instead of becoming the tsunami that wipes everything out. We end with a grounded conversation about contentment, authenticity, and the kinds of relationships and daily moments that quietly rebuild a life after trauma. If you’re looking for trauma-informed, body-based insights on complex PTSD, dissociation, somatic healing, and resilience, this one is for you.  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. What’s one idea from this conversation you want to try this week? Support the show
Borderline Dynamics Through a Trauma & Dissociation-Informed Lens with Dr. Janina Fisher
2026/03/11
This episode is sponsored by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is an international, non-profit, professional association organized to develop and promote comprehensive, clinically effective and empirically based resources and responses to trauma and dissociation and to address its relevance to other theoretical constructs. To learn more and become a member, visit: https://www.isst-d.org/ Visit https://cfas.isst-d.org/ to access educational offerings for both professionals and non-professionals ----- What if the most misunderstood diagnosis in mental health is actually a trauma story told in code? We sit down with Janina Fisher to unpack why many “borderline” symptoms are survival adaptations and how Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) helps people find steady ground without getting lost in overwhelm. This is a conversation about dignity, clarity, and the profound relief that comes when symptoms are seen as protective parts doing their best to keep us safe. Janina walks us through the core moves of TIST: recognizing structural dissociation, naming parts linked to fight, flight, freeze, submit, or attach, and using mindful awareness to “notice the part, then notice you noticing.” That simple shift creates a compassionate observing self that calms intensity and restores choice. We talk about reframing suicidality as a mercy offer from a protector, and understanding the inner critic as a rule-enforcer shaped by dangerous homes rather than a permanent enemy. Along the way, Janina shares how stabilization grows when curiosity replaces control, and why skills only work when tied to what is actually happening in the room. We also get practical. You’ll hear how to spot feeling memories when the past feels painfully present, how to ground in ways that are responsive rather than prescriptive, and how therapists can avoid old traps like trying to “make” clients connect with emotions. For those seeking help, Janina offers questions to ask when vetting clinicians and points to training pathways and her new workbook, Embracing Our Fragmented Selves, designed for survivors and therapists alike. If you’re ready to see borderline dynamics through a trauma lens, this episode offers a map filled with compassion and usable steps. Subscribe, share with a colleague or friend who needs this reframe, and leave a review to tell us which insight shifted your practice or your healing journey. Learn more about Dr. Fisher here: https://janinafisher.com/about/ Support the show
Context Matters: Immigration, Racism & Resilience with Dr. Usha Tummala-Narra
2026/03/04
This episode is sponsored by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is an international, non-profit, professional association organized to develop and promote comprehensive, clinically effective and empirically based resources and responses to trauma and dissociation and to address its relevance to other theoretical constructs. To learn more and become a member, visit: https://www.isst-d.org/ Visit https://cfas.isst-d.org/ to access educational offerings for both professionals and non-professionals ----- What if healing trauma started with a wider lens—one that includes history, culture, policy, and the daily negotiations of belonging? We sit down with clinical psychologist and researcher Usha Timolinarra to examine how immigration, racism, and collective memory shape individual symptoms, family dynamics, and community resilience. The conversation moves from the shift in care from “what’s wrong” to “what happened, to the include social, economic and political contexts, among others. Context matters, across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Usha unpacks dissociation as more than detachment, describing a dual sense of self that many immigrants and their children develop to survive competing expectations. We explore the costs and strengths of compartmentalization, the normalization of silence around sexual violence among Indian American and Mexican American families, and why breaking that silence can threaten belonging even as it opens space to heal. Listeners hear how survivors bridge Western psychotherapy with community-rooted and indigenous practices, building bicultural healing that honors both science and tradition. For therapists, we dive into staying steady in a volatile sociopolitical climate: tending to our own stress, practicing lifelong cultural learning, and inviting specificity around shame, guilt, and identity. Usha illustrates how psychoanalytic concepts—defense, transference, countertransference—become more powerful when joined with a social lens that recognizes racism, colorism, and policy as active forces in the room. We track practical routes from therapy to impact: mentoring students, briefings on the Hill during the DREAM Act era, and using media to translate data with empathy and urgency. We also tackle the debate on racial trauma as a diagnosis, the lived effects of chronic racism, and Usha’s current research on early-career psychologists of color and the intergenerational legacy of colorism. The throughline is hope with a backbone: speak truth, remember history, and keep widening the range of possible futures for our clients, our communities, and ourselves. If this resonates, follow the show, share with a colleague, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations. ----- Learn more about Dr. Tummala-Narra here:  https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/faculty-research/faculty-directory/Usha-Tummala-Narra.html Support the show
Voice As Medicine: Molly Mahoney On Hope And Healing Through Song
2026/02/25
When the world feels heavy and full of noise, how do we make space for breath, truth, and light? We invited mezzo soprano Molly Mahoney to share how singing— anything from opera to jazz to cabaret—became both her art and her way of meeting hard days with honest hope. Molly’s new recording of Over the Rainbow with Grammy-winning pianist John Wilson anchors our conversation: not as a sugar-coated escape, but as a grounded arc from jumble and rain to a place beyond the rainbow. We talk about why this timeless song still resonates, how long exhales settle the body, and what happens when a melody lets you feel before you have to explain. Together, we unpack the somatic side of voice: simple alignment resets, shhhh exhales, and micro-moments against a wall or on the floor that open the ribs and low back. Molly shares stories from her voice studio, where adult beginners—many told to “just mouth the words”—discover that singing is learnable, gentle, and deeply human. With breath support, vowel shape, and kind feedback, pitch becomes a skill and expression feels safe again. We explore live performance as co-creation, the quiet magic of audience attunement, and the way small imperfections turn into fresh choices on stage. Parenting threads through our talk too: prenatal lullabies, toddlers who light up when a song returns, and the rituals that bind families and friends in kitchens and living rooms. Music becomes a practice for everyday resilience, a place to set burdens down without denying them. If you’ve ever thought “I can’t sing,” this is your invitation to try—one inhale, one long note, one truthful lyric at a time. Press play to learn breath tools you can use today, hear the story behind Over the Rainbow, and remember why your unique voice matters. If this conversation moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs some light, and leave a quick review so more people can find these tools and stories. Your voice matters, and it helps our healing community grow. --- Listen on Spotify and Apple Music: https://linktr.ee/mollymarymahoney Learn more about Molly: www.mollymarymahoney.com "Over the Rainbow" by Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg "Meadowlark" from The Baker's Wife by Stephen Schwartz Molly Mahoney, voice John Wilson, piano Cory Todd, recording engineer and mastering recorded December 2025 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on a Steinway piano Photo credit (sky with clouds): Veronique Kherian Support the show
Beauty After Bruises: Healing Complex Trauma Together with Lexi & Anne
2026/02/18
This episode is sponsored by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is an international, non-profit, professional association organized to develop and promote comprehensive, clinically effective and empirically based resources and responses to trauma and dissociation and to address its relevance to other theoretical constructs. To learn more and become a member, visit: https://www.isst-d.org/ Visit https://cfas.isst-d.org/ to access educational offerings for both professionals and non-professionals ----- What happens when compassion meets competence—and lived experience leads the way? We invited Anne Nicely and Lexi M., co-founders of Beauty After Bruises, to share how a homegrown effort to help one survivor of dissociative identity disorder expanded into a nationwide bridge for people living with complex trauma and dissociation. From funding care to educating clinicians, their mission is simple and urgent: make healing possible, practical, and grounded in research. We unpack the real differences between trauma informed and trauma competent care, why the best therapists’ rosters are often full, and how short trainings can’t substitute for years of learning with complex PTSD and DID. Lexi explains why she chooses anonymity for safety and modeling boundaries, while offering rich, accessible psychoeducation through articles, symptom management guides, and hope-centered resources. Together, we explore the daily practices that prevent burnout—tight boundaries, humor, brief news windows, playful resets, and a “hope folder” of wins—so survivors, families, and helpers can keep going. The conversation gets specific about consent and communication. Families often want to help but can overreach; meta-questions like “Would it help if I asked about this?” and “Is this helping or hurting?” return agency to survivors and protect pacing. We highlight practical stabilization: check basics first (sleep, food, water, movement), ask “What do I need right now?” and, if stuck, reverse engineer by testing a few supports. Anne and Lexi also share what scale could look like with serious funding: year-long therapy grants and more robust therapy boxes for those without local clinicians, ensuring continuity and real foundations for healing. If you care about complex trauma, dissociation, and the path from buzzwords to better care, this episode offers clarity, candor, and grounded hope. Listen, share with a colleague or loved one, and tell us your biggest takeaway. If it resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it along to someone who needs honest encouragement today. Support the show
Anti-Oppressive Trauma Care & Collective Healing with David Archer
2026/02/12
This episode is sponsored by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is an international, non-profit, professional association organized to develop and promote comprehensive, clinically effective and empirically based resources and responses to trauma and dissociation and to address its relevance to other theoretical constructs. To learn more and become a member, visit: https://www.isst-d.org/ Visit https://cfas.isst-d.org/ to access educational offerings for both professionals and non-professionals --- What if therapy could feel creative, embodied, and joyful—and still deliver precise, measurable change? We sit down with David Archer—anti-racist psychotherapist, EMDRIA-approved trainer, and developer of Rhythm and Processing—to rethink how healing happens for complex PTSD, racial trauma, and dissociation. David lays out a clear, accessible path from predictive processing and memory reconsolidation to practical tools you can use right away: client-led actions, music and imagery, community rituals, and therapeutic “surprise” that helps the brain update old patterns without forcing catharsis. Across the conversation, we explore how EMDR grows stronger through an anti-oppressive lens that welcomes culture, faith, and art into the room. David shares real-world examples of using visualization, pets, numbers, and rhythm to create disconfirming experiences that soften hyper-vigilance and despair. We also talk frankly about therapist burnout and vicarious trauma, and why protecting helpers is non-negotiable if we want sustainable care. Boundaries and action alongside recovery and rest offer ways to organize both clinical work and daily life. We widen the lens to institutional betrayal, misdiagnosis tied to racial bias, and the urgent need for trauma-informed systems that value courage over comfort. Instead of fitting clients into rigid methods, David urges us to let clients generate the method—an approach that supports neurodiversity, scales to groups, and keeps humanity at the center of mental health. If you’re curious about predictive processing, memory reconsolidation, EMDR, or culturally responsive care, this is a grounded, hopeful roadmap for change. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague or friend, and leave a review on your favorite app. Your words help others find the tools—and the courage—to heal. --- Connect with David here! Meeting Groups: https://calendly.com/archertherapy/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rhythmandprocessing Anti-Ractist Psychotherpy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1777450438 Racial Trauma Recovery: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1777450470 Trainings: https://archertherapy.com/ Support the show
Generations of Resilience: Healing Beyond Individual Trauma with Lynette Danylchuk PhD
2026/02/04
Are you a therapist looking to organize your business? Try SimplePractice! Start with a seven-day free trial, then get 50% off your first three months.  Just go to https://www.simplepractice.com/ to claim the offer! --- Curiosity heals faster than control. That’s the thread we follow with Lynette Danylchuk, PhD—trailblazing psychologist, past ISSTD president, and coauthor of Treating Complex Trauma and Dissociation. We talk about why the field has exploded with research and lived-experience leadership, and how the best therapy now balances sturdy containers with deep listening. Tools matter, but timing, consent, and relationship matter more. When we lead with humility, the psyche reveals its own map. We get honest about clinician burnout and how to refill the well with beauty, community, and expressive arts. Long exhale singing, a moonlit walk, laughter with a trusted friend—these aren’t luxuries; they’re nervous system care. Lynette reframes dissociation as creativity under pressure, showing how fierce protectors once patterned after harm can be reclaimed in service of dignity. Integration becomes alignment: every self-state moving with the values the person chooses, not the rules of past abuse. We also zoom out to collective trauma. React or respond? That choice shapes movements and mental health alike. Using anger as fuel for care keeps the frontal cortex online and harm in check. We talk intergenerational resilience, asking about ancestors to find the strengths that carried families through. For those seeking help, we share practical routes—referrals, skill-building programs, and the persistence it takes to find a good fit. And for a culture that long blamed victims, we name the shift underway: more empathy, more protection for children, and more voices rising to end the silence. If this conversation gives you a spark—share it with someone who needs language for what they’re feeling, subscribe for more grounded healing talks, and leave a review so others can find us. Tell us: what practice helps you respond, not react, this week? Support the show
Disabled And Proud: Laszlo Jajczay’s Journey
2026/01/27
Are you a therapist looking to organize your business? Try SimplePractice! Start with a seven-day free trial, then get 50% off your first three months. Just go to https://www.simplepractice.com/ to claim the offer! --- What happens when accessibility stops being an afterthought and becomes the starting line? That question drives our conversation with journalist, podcast host, and disability rights advocate Laszlo Jacksai, whose work blends reporting, storytelling, and community care to challenge the subtle and not-so-subtle ways ableism shows up in daily life. We trace Laszlo’s path from launching Friends With Wheels to writing Disabled and Proud, and hear how authenticity—over algorithms—shaped his creative voice. He breaks down the difference between support and spectacle, explains why “you’re an inspiration” can land as a burden, and shares candid stories about accommodations that exist on paper but fail in practice. From IEPs and speech-to-text to seating at a crowded restaurant, he shows how small design choices add up to either friction or freedom. Laszlo also maps the power of community, highlighting the DO-IT Program at the University of Washington and the value of peer networks that turn isolation into belonging. We talk practical allyship—ask before helping, learn the language of disability justice, build feedback loops at school and work—and we look at simple tools that rebuild energy and confidence, like guided meditations and self-hypnosis apps. His view of resilience is refreshingly human: not a quick bounce-back, but a steady commitment to keep showing up, try new strategies, and trust yourself through the next curveball. If you care about disability advocacy, accessibility, inclusive education, and mental health, this conversation offers clear steps and real stories you can act on today. Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who’s designing a space, leading a classroom, or rethinking how they offer help. If the show resonates, follow, rate, and leave a review—then tell us: what’s one accessibility change you’ll champion this week? Listen to Friends with Wheels here! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/friends-with-wheels/id1623717823 Support the show
How Organized Child Sexual Abuse Persists and How We Can Disrupt It with Dr. Michael Salter
2026/01/21
Are you a therapist looking to organize your business? Try SimplePractice! Start with a seven-day free trial, then get 50% off your first three months.  Go to https://www.simplepractice.com/ to claim the offer! --- What happens when we stop treating child sexual abuse as isolated “bad apples” and start seeing it as organized crime shaped by networks, money flows, and technology? We sit down with Dr. Michael Salter—criminologist, author, and global leader in child protection—to map the hidden systems that enable abuse and the practical steps that can disrupt it without re‑traumatizing survivors. Michael shares how internet evidence shattered old myths and revealed collaborative, often sadistic offender networks operating on encrypted platforms. He explains why public awareness has surged while policy and policing lag behind, and how offender demographics—more educated, higher income, well‑networked—complicate investigations. We unpack the stark difference between high conviction rates for online offenses and the uphill battle of prosecuting intrafamilial abuse without corroborating evidence, then dive into how banks and payment rails have become crucial terrain for detection and disruption. From the therapy room to the courtroom, we explore what it takes to support survivors of organized and extreme abuse. Michael offers grounded guidance for clinicians on pacing, reality testing, and building strong supervision so we can hold hope instead of collapsing into vicarious despair. We examine DARVO, the self‑protective reflexes of institutions, and how to prepare clients for the realities of reporting. Most importantly, we highlight shame‑sensitive, dignity‑affirming design—small details that signal worth at every step—and learn from Australia’s Royal Commission, which turned logistics into healing by treating survivors like they truly matter. This conversation is candid, compassionate, and actionable. If you’re a therapist, advocate, policymaker, or concerned listener, you’ll leave with a clearer map of the problem and a blueprint for change: integrate therapy, law enforcement, finance, and tech; design for dignity; and keep public attention focused even when headlines shift. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help bring more light—and more accountability—to this work. Learn more about Michael's work at: https://www.organisedabuse.com/ Support the show
Get Ready for Season 7!
2026/01/20
Support the show
From Stem Cells To Strength: Dr. Helen Blau On Healing Muscles & the Future of Regenerative Medicine
2025/12/17
A quiet shift in one enzyme may be steering how we age—and how strong we stay. Dr. Helen Blau, trailblazing Stanford scientist and 2025 National Medal of Science honoree, joins us to unpack a breakthrough decades in the making: prostaglandin E2 is essential for muscle stem cell repair, yet a degrading enzyme creeps up with age, draining that signal and eroding strength. Her team calls it a “gerozyme,” and blocking it with a targeted small molecule restored muscle size, power, and endurance in aged mice. The first human safety trial is complete, and a Phase 2 study in sarcopenia is on deck. We dig into the practical takeaways for athletes and anyone over 50: why the inflammatory wave after training is needed for rebuilding, how common NSAIDs can blunt the very gains you’re chasing, and where a future therapy might help overcome anabolic resistance after illness, injury, or bedrest. Dr. Blau connects the dots across regenerative medicine—tissue‑specific stem cells, iPSCs, and organoids—to show how disease can be modeled in a dish and how patient‑matched cells are speeding smarter drug discovery. We also touch on her early work proving cellular plasticity, new insights on telomeres shortening in heart cells without division, and what “quality” muscle means for safe aging. Beyond the lab, we talk truth about unproven stem cell clinics, the progress and remaining gaps for women founders in biotech, and the urgent threat of research defunding that stalls clinical trials and drains the talent pipeline. There’s a clear throughline: if we want longer, stronger years—true health span—we need rigorous science, sustained support, and smart training habits that work with our biology, not against it. If this conversation sparked a shift in how you think about aging and recovery, tap follow, share with a friend who lifts or runs, and leave a review. Your support helps bring evidence‑based breakthroughs to more people—and speeds the path from lab bench to everyday life. --- This BONUS EPISODE is our holiday gift for you! If you're looking for somewhere to offer a holiday or year end gift, please consider directly supporting scientists like Dr. Blau & their labs. Donations keep projects alive while funding is disrupted. Dr. Blau: https://profiles.stanford.edu/helen-blau?tab=bio The Lab: https://med.stanford.edu/blau-lab.html The Book: https://www.amazon.com/Stem-Cells-Rescue-Helen-Blau/dp/1621825280 Support the show

Podcast reviews

Read How We Can Heal podcast reviews


5 out of 5
23 reviews
★★★★★
Runningdutchie 2026/01/11
Deep & life altering
Lisa always gets amazing guests on that share something special, and there’s always a takeaway for life, but the interview with Josh Pais really hit h...
★★★★★
Zchanmugam 2022/03/29
Inspired!
Thank you Lisa! I get inspired to do more when I listen to your talks! You have such interesting people on your podcast. I look forward listening to e...
★★★★★
Mdz82 2022/03/19
Lisa’s wisdom, sense of humor and care all carry over in her podcast.
The world is lucky to hear from Lisa. She balances empathy, academic research and personal experience to foster tender and beautiful conversations.
★★★★★
Tara Tonini 2022/03/15
Like a hug for my ears
What a treat to hear Lisa’s voice in a podcast format. The 1st episode with Gaby Bernstein left me feeling like I had just had a meaningful conversati...
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