Hope for Healing
Finding a New Voice: Art Can Express What Words Cannot
“Art can express what words cannot.” On this latest episode of Building on the Light, guest, Nika Wood, talks about how art plays an important role in emotional healing by calming intense feelings, providing a healthy outlet for release, and supporting clearer thinking. She has found that by engaging both the creative and analytical parts of the brain, it can also build resilience and help people focus on hope and healing.
“Brokenness is not the end. It can be mended and even made stronger. My brokenness led me to a new life.” During this process, the goal is not to become “normal” again, but to grow into something new. Nika is the founder of SoulArt to Heal, a program that empowers trauma survivors to transform and thrive through art.
Survivor Shift: The Power of Voice
Amber Washington shares her shift from victim of childhood sexual abuse to living a full and purpose-driven life. “When you show up as yourself, you find your people.” Amber is the founder of Whole Heals, a healing-centered company dedicated to helping individuals and organizations understand the connection between lived experience, behavior, and leadership. Amber is…
Embracing Womanhood: Healing Mother’s Day Heartache
Mother’s Day can be a dagger-filled time for many. Healing our Mother’s Day heartache and learning to embrace our womanhood can seem impossible. Some women who long for children wonder why their hopes are unfulfilled. For others, the joy of having children is haunted by guilt for not measuring up to a mythical standard. And for some, never knowing their own mother’s love leaves a hole that is hard to fill. I have found comfort in the truth that motherhood is really about womanhood. It’s not about bearing children so much as it is about nurturing and lifting others while being true to ourselves and to God. It’s about tapping into and living up to the divine potential within us. Embracing the beauty of our womanhood can heal the broken places in our hearts. Our lives can be filled with the light, love, and joy we crave. May we all embrace our worth and find joy in celebrating the light of womanhood.
Survivor Shift: Trust Yourself; You are Stronger Than You Think
Genet Orme shares her profoundly transformative experience of losing both her son and her husband in a span of just a few years. This is a journey in learning to trust yourself in the face of unimaginable adversity and a powerful testament to the hidden strength within.
Survivor Shift: “Go Deep Into Your Faith”
Carrie Hill shares the importance of going “deep into your faith” when facing trials. “There are signs and miracles everywhere” that will help strengthen you in your darkest moments.
The Miracles Continue
Whether you are a survivor seeking solace, an advocate for healing, or simply a reader captivated by stories of the indomitable human spirit, this book invites you to reflect and be inspired. Miracles in the Dark is not just a story—it is a call to action to believe in the possibility of transformation and triumph. A must-read for those who believe in the resilience of the human heart and the miracles that guide us back to the light.
Strength Through Connection
Sharon from “Surviving Together” shares how reaching out can be a vital tool on our healing journey. Even when we are not talking about our trauma, we all need someone who “sees” us and helps us see the value in ourselves. Sharon also shares tools for building healthy connections.
Learning to Trust Again After Sexual Trauma
Building trust—or relearning to trust—after sexual trauma starts with understanding and respecting your own boundaries. It’s important to recognize what you are comfortable with and where you need to draw lines to protect yourself. The act of trusting others involves being selective about whom you allow close to you. You have the power to choose your team—those people who respect your boundaries and provide support.
Did God Abandon Me?
Did God abandon me? In the early phases of my healing journey, all forward progress stopped until the question could be answered.
Believe In You Anyway
Believe in you anyway. Lately I’ve had a dip in energy and enthusiasm for the goals and ideas that inspired me at the beginning of 2026. As January draws to a close, it’s common to feel a little deflated. The spark of New Year’s ideas flickers as everyday demands, unexpected illness, and the long stretch…
A New Life Vision: You Are Not Shame; You Are Strength
Trauma of any kind limits our vision of life. It skews the vision of who we really are. Our body, mind, and even spirit are forced into survival mode. We can only see what is immediately around us. The moments that our power is taken away blind us to the bigger picture. The soul-ripping pain we are left with causes long-term blindness to life beyond the trauma. It can blind us to our own value—to the light and strength within us.
Survivor Shift: Permission to Count Yourself a Survivor
Sharon Swietek shares openly about the effects of childhood sexual trauma and the critical shifts that helped her not only survive but thrive on her healing journey. Her first shift came in giving herself permission to count herself a survivor of sexual abuse. She offers validation and encouragement to all of us who struggle to find our way forward after abuse. Please be aware that this interview contains sensitive content, which is marked with a trigger warning in the relevant sections.
Eyes to See the Beauty; A Heart Open to Joy
So how do we embrace this new year? Maybe it’s more about seeing the beauty on the journey than arriving. Seeking to have eyes to see the beauty woven in our life experiences opens us to strength to face our trials with courage. It gives us a heart open to joy.
A Christmas Miracle: Jesus, Santa, and Believing
Does Santa Claus distract from the Christmas spirit, or add to it? From Santa, I learned the importance of believing in the power of kindness and love. It opened my heart to the gifts of love and kindness offered by our Savior Jesus Christ. Believing in His love brings healing to broken hearts. Believing helps us hold on to the life-giving hope so desperately needed in this world.
Jesus, Santa Claus, and Believing
From Santa, I learned the importance of believing in the power of kindness and love. It opened my heart to the gifts of love and kindness offered by our Savior Jesus Christ. Believing in His love brings healing to broken hearts. Believing helps us hold on to the life-giving hope so desperately needed in this world.
What Kinds of Gifts Are We Giving?
There is no better gift than the opportunity to share a little bit of ourselves. That is where the holes in our self-worth can be repaired. That is where we find the fire to live.
Giving It Forward: What Kind of Gifts Are You Giving?
Giving It Forward is not a fundraiser, it’s an awareness-raiser. It is about the life-giving value of connection, reaching out, and believing in each other. This year, the focus is on the question, What kind of gifts are you giving? Do they have value that lasts beyond a fleeting moment? Do they lift and encourage the receiver?
Let Your Light Shine!
Jodi Orgill Brown shares the power of claiming and sharing your light and ways to “Let your light shine”. She explores the concept of anti-fragility, where challenges and stressors can lead to personal growth. Jodi shared her personal experiences and practical strategies, including creating a list of positive activities and connections that can be accessed during challenging moments. There is value in exploring new ways to find peace and strength, whether through existing hobbies or discovering new interests, to create a more resilient and fulfilling life.
You Are NOT Your Struggles
Eric Aroca’s overcoming dyslexia is proof that “you are NOT your struggles.” Our struggles our only part of our experience, not our identity. In this episode of Building on the Light, he shares the importance of self-care in developing your capacity to “live the life you always dreamed imagined.”
Survivor Shift: You Can Create Your Own Transformation
Jodi Brown is a brain tumor survivor and works to help others build relationships that thrive. In this interview she shares how accepting God’s will in her life has led her to learn and share ways to transform life after trauma. “You CAN create your own transformation”.
Survivor Shift: Speak Up! Learning Self-Advocacy
After an earth-shattering diagnosis of schizophrenia, Sally Littlefield is rebuilding her life by learning better self-care and advocacy.