When Bearing Witness®: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Storyteller
The When Bearing Witness® podcast is an invitation to explore trauma-informed storytelling, a safe and healthy process of gathering and telling painful stories. Join my conversations with trauma-informed experts and fellow social-good storytellers as we help shape the intersection of trauma-informed care and the storytelling process.
Stories are sacred, and we can create a safe space to tell and share them.
When Bearing Witness®: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Storyteller
Lessons Learned in Trauma-Informed Storytelling: Reflections for 2025
In this reflective solo episode kicking off season two of When Bearing Witness, Maria Bryan shares valuable insights gained from a transformative year of conversations about trauma-informed storytelling.
Join us as we reflect on lessons from the past year and tackle big questions: How do we move beyond surface-level discussions to foster deeper action? What role does empathy play in overcoming resistance to new approaches? How can we navigate the guilt that accompanies unlearning harmful practices?
Whether you're new to trauma-informed storytelling or a seasoned practitioner, this episode provides both validation and actionable insights for moving forward imperfectly but intentionally in this important work.
About Host Maria Bryan
Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place.
Connect with Maria
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Happy New Year! Welcome to season two of When Bearing Witness. I wanted to kick things off with my first solo episode by reflecting on some lessons I learned in 2024 through the amazing conversations I’ve had on this podcast and within the storytelling circle and trainings.
Before diving in, I want to celebrate a few things with you. Before transitioning from nonprofit marketing to trauma-informed storytelling in my consultancy, trusted coaches and colleagues advised me against it, saying it was too niche and that I shouldn’t throw away all I’d worked on for the past five years. But you showed up in such a huge way—listening to the podcast, engaging with my trainings and resources—and gave me the courage to focus and invest in trauma-informed storytelling.
So thank you.
In 2024, we published 25 episodes of this podcast, and I’m still pinching myself that I had the joy, privilege, and honor of having these conversations. We also launched the When Bearing Witness Trauma-Informed Storytelling Certification Program. I didn’t know how it would be received, but 50 amazing changemakers went through it. If you were one of them, thank you for trusting me.
In addition to the program, I trained over 2,000 people on trauma-informed and ethical storytelling, both virtually and through opportunities to travel across the country. The more folks I train, the more I feel this is not just an interesting topic—it’s a movement. I hope we can continue together toward a nonprofit space where trauma-informed storytelling becomes the norm.
Also, if you haven’t joined the Storytelling Circle, it’s the place to go. It’s a free monthly call, not recorded, and a space to tackle the most challenging parts of trauma-informed storytelling. When I started it in the summer, I thought a couple of folks might show up. Over 430 people signed up over the course of the year.
Thank you for listening, for joining the circles, and for attending the trainings. I’m so excited for 2025 to have more conversations and dig into the nuances of trauma-informed storytelling.
As promised, I want to share a few things that have been heavy on my heart—things that were unexpected.
One came up during an episode with Tiffany Yu, called Becoming an Anti-Ableist Storyteller. I asked her about language because language choices are powerful.
Tiffany shared that her book is written in three parts: the “me” (her story), the “we” (what it means for readers), and the “us” (activism and ripple effects). She challenged me to consider whether we sometimes get so hung up on language choices that it distracts us from digging deeper into trauma-informed work. This made me reflect on how often, in my trainings, we get stuck on words instead of focusing on meaningful action.
It’s not that language doesn’t matter, but we need to balance it with action. Are we spending too much time in silos debating terminology rather than inviting those we work with to share their perspectives? For example, ask, “Do you consider yourself a person with disabilities or someone who is disabled?” These conversations have a deep impact, and it’s worth inviting more people into them.
The second thing that has come up frequently, especially in the When Bearing Witness program, is the challenge of implementing trauma-informed storytelling without leadership buy-in. Many participants tell me they believe in these practices but face resistance from leadership, boards, or donors. This is especially true for consultants and agencies whose clients aren’t ready to embrace trauma-informed practices.
In my conversation with Joseph Cope, The Empathy Guy, we discussed dealing with leadership that’s not ready to support trauma-informed storytelling. He suggested starting with values alignment—taking the time to understand the values of those causing friction and beginning slow, intentional conversations with empathy and curiosity.
For those struggling with limited autonomy, I suggest starting small. Focus on what you can control: updating consent forms, refining interview questions, or inviting story owners to review their stories. Some aspects, like retraction policies or composite storytelling, may require more buy-in and time to implement. It’s about starting where you are and building from there.
Finally, many people new to trauma-informed storytelling experience shame and guilt during the unlearning process. This can be paralyzing, making them hesitant to tell stories for fear of causing harm. But I believe deeply in the power of storytelling to change lives and minds. We can move forward imperfectly.
Shulamit Ber Levtov, The Entrepreneurs’ Therapist, shared a helpful exercise to release guilt. Clench your fists as tightly as possible, hold the tension, and then release it with a deep breath. Acknowledge the harm you’ve done, but also let go of the shame. This is a journey, not a destination. It’s bumpy, but I believe we can navigate it together.
Thank you for being here, for learning, and for being part of this movement. Let’s keep moving forward, one step at a time.
