It’s the holiday episode, and this is one of my favorites. It gives me an opportunity to reflect on all the episodes of this year. It’s so much fun spending time looking at where this journey has taken me this year.

2025 has been a transformative year marked by profound growth, unexpected connections, and powerful stories from hammers out there crushing it in veteran and first responder mental health. I had some remarkable guests: from TBI pioneer Dr. Mark Gordon and psychedelic therapy advocate Jeremy Hudec to music healer Jon Foti and childhood trauma survivor Lauren Burns each sharing innovative approaches like plant medicine, art therapy, jiu-jitsu, and faith-based resilience. The season highlighted cutting-edge treatments, systemic change, and personal redemption, while reinforcing community, purpose, and hope. Fueled by listener support and lifelong friendships, the podcast continues to break stigma and inspire healing, setting the stage for an even bolder 2026.

I've had another incredible year of learning, blessed with opportunities to connect with amazing people doing impactful work for veterans and first responders. Every year brings experiences I never thought possible, and it’s freakin awesome. I still hear from old friends who are absolutely crushing it. I appreciate all of you and the new friends reaching out and staying connected. I love hosting this podcast. It’s truly an honor to share the stories of these badass hammers.

I’m deeply grateful for my support unit and for all the uplifting, positive feedback from everyone listening. Without you all it would feel like I am talking to myself in a mirror and that would be uncomfortable. You are all greatly appreciated. Here’s to an even more impactful year in 2026!

Resources Mentioned:

• Millennium Health (Dr. Mark Gordon)
• VET S.O.S. Podcast (Shawn Welsh)
• Operation Song (Jon Foti)
• Wounded Warrior Project (Jon Foti)
• The Kinetic Man Mastermind (Stuart Grazier)
• The Ageless Call to Serve (Dr. Lanny Snodgrass)
• Free Arts for Abused Children (Matt Sandoval)
• SAMHSA (Matt Sandoval)
• Achilles in Vietnam (Matt Sandoval)
• Project Life Spark (Jeremy Hudec)
• University of Regina RCMP Mental Health Studies (Jeremy Hudec)
• Mission Within (Jay Kopelman)
• Redeemed Podcast (Lauren Burns)
• Master Resilience Training (Shawn Welsh)
• EMDR Therapy (Dr. Lanny Snodgrass; implied in broader episodes)
• Music Therapy (Dr. Lanny Snodgrass; Jon Foti)
• Jiu-Jitsu/Breathwork (Sonny Gerber)
• Peer Support & Faith-Based Initiatives (Sonny Gerber; Stuart Grazier; Lauren Burns)

We’re incredibly grateful for the support of this community and would love your help in growing our reach. A like and share on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter would mean the world to us. I’m always looking to connect with veterans and first responders with PTSD who have found ways to improve their quality of life—your story could help shorten that journey for others. If you support, provide services for these groups, or have extensive knowledge of available benefits, I’d love to chat and share your insights with the community. Let’s work together to make a difference.

If this podcast has impacted you, a friend, or a loved one, and you want to help us support those struggling with PTSD, please consider making a donation today at www.normalizeptsd.com. 100% of all donations go to sponsor veterans, first responders, and organizations supporting them.

Monica Robbins, LMSW, is a social worker and spiritual coach who guides clients in healing from trauma, anxiety, depression, and addiction, using spirituality, mindfulness, and EMDR to help them connect to their true nature and overcome limiting narratives.

Monica Robbins, LMSW, began healing from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) through a spiritual awakening at age 16. This transformative experience sparked her interest in the intersection of spirituality and healing, inspiring her to explore how to live from an awakened perspective. Through this journey, Monica successfully healed from C-PTSD and no longer meets the diagnostic criteria for the condition.

Monica is dedicated to guiding others toward healing and awakening by helping them consciously connect with their true nature and overcome the limiting narratives that keep them stuck. As a licensed social worker, she integrates spirituality, mindfulness, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to support clients struggling with trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, and addiction recovery. For non-clinical clients, Monica offers coaching and mentoring to those seeking to awaken to their true nature or navigate the stories that hinder their self-realization. She also provides support for individuals who have experienced a spiritual awakening but need guidance to remain present through challenging narratives and experiences.

I had an awesome conversation with Monica Robbins, a licensed social worker who's turned her own journey through complex PTSD and a profound spiritual awakening at 16 into a passion for helping others heal. We dove into how spirituality intersects with mental health, exploring her path from chaos and abuse to finding inner peace. Monica shared practical tools like mindfulness, EMDR, breathing techniques, and self-compassion practices that she uses with clients dealing with trauma, anxiety, and addiction.

It was inspiring to hear about her favorite teachers like Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti and how true healing comes from letting go of limiting stories and embracing the present moment. She's excited about guiding more people toward awakening and deep recovery, blending clinical work with spiritual coaching. What a uplifting episode!

Resources Mentioned:

• Spiritual Awakening and Exploration
• Therapy
• Mindfulness Practices
• Meditation and Guided Mindfulness
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• Inquiry Practices
• "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
• Books by Adyashanti
• Hindu Teacher Texts (e.g., "I Am Not The Body")
• YouTube Spiritual Teachers (Adyashanti, Alan Watts, Ram Dass)
• RAIN Technique
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) Informed Work
• Somatic Work and Body-Based Therapies
• Shamanic Work and Ayahuasca Ceremonies
• Psilocybin Microdosing
• Lion’s Breath
• Sighing Out
• Parasympathetic

We’re incredibly grateful for the support of this community and would love your help in growing our reach. A like and share on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter would mean the world to us. I’m always looking to connect with veterans and first responders with PTSD who have found ways to improve their quality of life—your story could help shorten that journey for others. If you support, provide services for these groups, or have extensive knowledge of available benefits, I’d love to chat and share your insights with the community. Let’s work together to make a difference.

If this podcast has impacted you, a friend, or a loved one, and you want to help us support those struggling with PTSD, please consider making a donation today at www.normalizeptsd.com. 100% of all donations go to sponsor veterans, first responders, and organizations supporting them.

Lauren Burns, host of the Redeemed Podcast, survived a childhood kidnapping by her Jordanian father, a story dramatized in the 1993 TV movie Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story. She now shares her journey of healing through faith, inspiring others to overcome trauma on her podcast and through public speaking.

Social Media:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/laurenbredeemed

Lauren Burns endured a harrowing experience at age seven when her Jordanian father abducted her and took her to Jordan, prompting her mother, Cathy Hopkins, to orchestrate a daring rescue with ex-military help, crossing a militarized border into Israel. This dramatic chapter of her life, later portrayed in the 1993 TV movie Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story, shaped her perspective on resilience and faith. Today, Lauren channels her story into the Redeemed Podcast, where she explores her healing journey, emphasizing how her mother’s unwavering faith in God and proactive efforts saved her. Motivated by what she perceives as divine intervention, she now uses her platform to inspire others facing mental health challenges, blending her past adversity with a message of hope and redemption.

Lauren Burns shares her wild experience of being kidnapped at age seven by her Jordanian father in 1987, who tricked her into a trip to Jordan instead of Halloween trick or treating, leading to months of isolation and cultural shock amid family tensions. The episode's impact lies in her transformation of pain into purpose reconnecting with rescuers after 37 years via her Redeemed Podcast, inspiring others to overcome adversity through redemption stories, and emphasizing that faith plus proactive steps can restore broken lives, as she prepares a book to encourage resilience in facing challenges.

Resources Mentioned:

• Church small group meetings: Attending these as a teenager served as a turning point, providing community support, accountability, and a space to process anger, depression, and trauma through shared faith and discussions.
• Faith in God combined with action: Emphasized through prayer, obedience to divine callings (like starting her podcast and book), and Biblical references like "pick up your mat and walk," which encouraged proactive steps toward healing rather than passive faith alone.
• Community of friends: Supportive friends who "circled around" her during rebellious teenage years, offering love, guidance, and help to redirect her path away from destructive behaviors.
• Redeemed Podcast: Hosting and producing it allowed her to share her story, reconnect with rescuers after 37 years, interview others with redemption stories, and receive positive feedback that affirmed her purpose and reduced self-doubt.
• Writing her book: The process of researching and writing helped her confront and process past trauma, including listeni

We’re incredibly grateful for the support of this community and would love your help in growing our reach. A like and share on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter would mean the world to us. I’m always looking to connect with veterans and first responders with PTSD who have found ways to improve their quality of life—your story could help shorten that journey for others. If you support, provide services for these groups, or have extensive knowledge of available benefits, I’d love to chat and share your insights with the community. Let’s work together to make a difference.

If this podcast has impacted you, a friend, or a loved one, and you want to help us support those struggling with PTSD, please consider making a donation today at www.normalizeptsd.com. 100% of all donations go to sponsor veterans, first responders, and organizations supporting them.