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Welcome to the PTSD and Beyond Podcast with Dr. Deb Lindh, where we give you insights into PTSD, trauma, healing, recovery, and beyond!
In each episode, we have a conversation with an inspiring guest who will stimulate your mind, touch your heart, connect with your spirit, and give you a greater understanding of yourself and others on this healing and recovery journey.
Hopefully, we’ll also provide insights into possibilities, meaning, purpose, and hope. Thanks for listening and enjoy the podcast!
Episodes
4 hours ago
4 hours ago
In this powerful episode of PTSD and Beyond, Dr. Deb welcomes firefighter and author Cody J. Mecham, whose story is one of resilience, courage, and rising from life’s most difficult moments.
Cody is the author of Burning It Down and Rise from the Ashes, two deeply personal books that explore pain, purpose, and the journey of rebuilding life after hardship.
In Burning It Down, Cody shares a raw and honest memoir about what it feels like to stand in the ashes of loss and struggle while searching for meaning and a way forward. The book is described as a conversation and a lifeline for anyone who has ever felt broken, exhausted, or uncertain about what comes next.
Through his experiences as a firefighter and through his personal journey, Cody speaks openly about mental health, trauma, resilience, and the strength it takes to rebuild after life’s hardest moments.
This conversation is about courage, healing, and the reminder that even when life feels like it has burned everything down, something new can still rise.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
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We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
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Books by Cody Mecham
• Burning It Down
• Rise from the Ashes
Available on Amazon.
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
STORE - PTSD and Beyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
7 days ago
7 days ago
In this powerful conversation, Dr. Deb sits down with Wendy B. Smith, a trauma expert, licensed clinical social worker, and former clinical professor of social work, to explore the lasting effects of childhood trauma and the pathways toward healing.
With more than three decades of psychotherapy experience working with survivors of childhood maltreatment, Dr. Smith brings deep insight into how early experiences shape development, relationships, and life trajectories.
Dr. Smith is also the author of Before Their Crimes: What We’re Misunderstanding About Childhood Trauma, Youth Crime, and the Path to Healing, a groundbreaking book that examines the connection between adverse childhood experiences and later behavior through interviews with individuals who committed crimes as teenagers.
Together, Dr. Deb and Dr. Smith explore how childhood trauma affects brain development, identity formation, and the ways people move through the world. They also discuss the powerful role of human connection, understanding, and compassion in the healing process.
This conversation is a reminder that behind many behaviors are stories of pain, survival, and resilience. When we begin to understand those stories, we open the door to healing.
In this episode we discuss:
• What childhood trauma actually does to the developing brain and nervous system
• The long term impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
• Why trauma in childhood can shape behavior later in life
• The role of connection, empathy, and accountability in healing
• Why understanding the story behind behavior matters
💖 If This Episode Resonated
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We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Dr. Wendy B. Smith:
Website - Dr. Wendy B. Smith
LinkedIn - Dr. Wendy B. Smith
Book - Before Their Crimes
Insta - Wendy B. Smith
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
STORE - PTSD and Beyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Thursday Feb 26, 2026
Thursday Feb 26, 2026
Why does someone who has led in extreme, high-pressure environments write a book about mindfulness and resilience?
In this episode, I sit down with Ash Alexander-Cooper, OBE - former elite military commander and author of Mindful Soldier, to talk about the lived experiences that shaped his leadership and the lessons earned along the way.
We explore why he wrote the book, what real-world leadership under pressure taught him about responsibility and resilience, and how he now works with leaders to build steadiness from the inside out.
Each chapter of Mindful Soldier includes practical tools and exercises, making this more than a story. It is a guide people can actively apply in their own lives and leadership.
We also discuss the individuals and organizations this work has already impacted.
Grounded. Practical. Reflective.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Ash Alexander-Cooper:
Website - Ash Alexander-Cooper
LinkedIn - Ash Alexander-Cooper
Book - Mindful Soldier
Insta - Ash Alexander-Cooper
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
STORE - PTSD and Beyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Thursday Feb 19, 2026
Thursday Feb 19, 2026
This conversation explores workplace bullying through a lens that goes far deeper than behavior. We examine the physiology of harm, the nervous system impact of chronic workplace stress, and how leadership either contributes to trauma or actively prevents it.
Liza Collins is a trauma preventative leadership coach, consultant, and number one best selling author of The Physiology of Bullying. With more than three decades of experience across healthcare systems in the UK and internationally, her work bridges lived experience, neuroscience, and relational leadership practice.
In this episode, we explore:
• What chronic workplace harm does to the nervous system
• How bullying reshapes identity, health, and self trust
• The difference between surviving a toxic system and restoring agency
• Why leadership responsibility extends beyond performance metrics
• What trauma preventative leadership actually looks like in practice
This conversation moves beyond surface level discussions about difficult personalities. It addresses power, safety, and the biological cost of sustained psychological threat.
For anyone navigating workplace harm, leading teams, or building cultures of psychological safety, this episode offers insight, clarity, and grounded perspective.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Liza Collins:
Website - Liza Collins
LinkedIn - Liza Collins
Book - The Physiology of Bullying
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Thursday Feb 12, 2026
Thursday Feb 12, 2026
In this episode, Dr. Deb talks with Amanda Anderson, speaker and resilience strategist, about what it really means to rebuild after trauma, burnout, and major life disruption. This conversation moves beyond surface motivation and explores practical mindset shifts, personal truth, and intentional growth after hardship.
Together, we explore surviving versus living with purpose, how adversity reshapes identity, and tools that support lasting inner change.
Listeners will walk away with grounded insight, real talk on resilience, and practical ways to move forward with clarity and strength.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Amanda Anderson:
Website - Amanda Anderson
LinkedIn - Amanda Anderson
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Saturday Feb 07, 2026
Saturday Feb 07, 2026
Understanding Trauma Across the Lifespan with Dr. Frank Putnam
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of trauma, child maltreatment, and dissociation; please listen at your own pace and care for your wellbeing while engaging.
In this episode, Dr. Deb Lindh sits down with Dr. Frank Putnam, a renowned psychiatrist, researcher, and national leader in the study of trauma, child maltreatment, and its lifelong effects. With a career spanning decades of clinical work and groundbreaking research, Dr. Putnam has been instrumental in advancing the field of traumatic stress studies and mentoring generations of trauma scientists.
Dr. Putnam’s work began early in his career at the National Institute of Mental Health, where he first encountered the profound effects of child abuse on psychological and biological development. This experience shaped his lifelong focus on understanding trauma’s impact from childhood into adulthood and highlighted the importance of early research to inform healing-informed practice.
His pioneering research on dissociation and dissociative disorders helped transform the field from case-based observations into evidence-based science, including influential publications and the co-authorship of tools widely used in trauma research.
Today, Dr. Putnam continues to research and advocate for trauma-informed approaches that acknowledge the complex ways early adversity shapes health outcomes across the lifespan. He is also recognized for his decades of mentorship and service, including the establishment of the Frank W. Putnam Trauma Research Scholars Program, which supports emerging trauma researchers whose work has great potential to contribute meaningfully to the field.
In this conversation we explore:
• What we currently understand about how trauma affects development from childhood through adulthood
• How early research in child maltreatment and dissociation reshaped scientific thinking about trauma
• The importance of rigorous trauma research and mentorship in broadening the field
• What trauma professionals and survivors alike can take from decades of evidence-based work
Whether you’re new to the trauma conversation or deeply embedded in healing work, this episode offers clarity, context, and hope grounded in decades of research and human experience.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Dr. Frank Putnam:
Website - Dr. Frank Putnam
Book - Old Before Their Time, and others
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Thursday Jan 29, 2026
Thursday Jan 29, 2026
In this episode, Dr. Deb is joined by Anne Karber, author of The Life Hack Playbook, for a practical conversation about simplifying life, reducing overwhelm, and building peace through intentional daily choices.
Anne shares grounded insights on clarity, boundaries, habit change, and creating a life that supports wellbeing rather than burnout. This conversation centers on realistic tools, sustainable growth, and how small shifts can create meaningful long term change.
This episode is for anyone feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or disconnected from what matters most, and looking for grounded ways to create more peace, purpose, and stability in everyday life.
If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24/7 and free and confidential.
Follow, subscribe, and leave a review to support PTSD and Beyond. Join us on Ko-Fi to help keep these conversations going.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
Join our community where we remind one another:
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Anne Karber:
Website - AnneKarber
Book - The Life Hack Playbook
Podcast - Let's Get Naked Podcast
Facebook - Let's Get Naked Podcast
Instagram - Let's Get Naked Podcast
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Wednesday Jan 28, 2026
Wednesday Jan 28, 2026
Moral injury is what happens when our values, beliefs, and sense of right and wrong are fractured by experiences we never chose, systems we did not control, and situations that forced impossible decisions.
In this episode, Dr. Deb explores moral injury as a deeply human experience that impacts identity, meaning, trust, and connection. This conversation moves beyond fear based trauma and into the space of shame, guilt, grief, anger, betrayal, and disillusionment, offering a grounded, trauma informed understanding of how moral injury forms and how healing becomes possible.
In this episode:
• What moral injury is and how it differs from fear based trauma
• How values conflicts impact identity and meaning
• Why shame, guilt, grief, and betrayal are common
• How moral injury shows up in the nervous system
• The role of connection, agency, and meaning in healing
Reflection:
-
Where have your values and experiences felt misaligned?
-
What parts of you adapted to survive morally challenging environments?
-
What does integrity feel like in your body?
If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24/7 and free and confidential.
Follow, subscribe, and leave a review to support PTSD and Beyond. Join us on Ko-Fi to help keep these conversations going.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
Join our community where we remind one another:
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Sunday Jan 18, 2026
Sunday Jan 18, 2026
In times of uncertainty, stress, and ongoing change, hope can feel fragile, distant, or even unavailable. This episode of PTSD and Beyond explores how hope functions during turbulent times, how hope can become hopeless, how hope can return, and how mindfulness and connection support that process.
This conversation is grounded in trauma informed psychology, lived experience, and nervous system awareness. Rather than forcing positivity or offering quick fixes, this episode invites a compassionate, human exploration of hope as a capacity that ebbs and flows depending on safety, connection, and meaning.
In this episode, we explore
• What hope really means and what it is not
• How hope shifts into hopelessness and why that happens
• How hopelessness can be a protective response rather than a failure
• Where we go and what we do when hope feels distant
• How hope returns through safety, connection, and agency
• The role of community in sustaining hope
• How mindfulness supports nervous system regulation and restores possibility
• Why self compassion matters when navigating uncertainty
This episode includes a brief, optional mindfulness practice and reflective questions designed to support awareness, integration, and self trust.
If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24/7 and free and confidential.
If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who may need permission to slow down and offer themselves grace.
Follow, subscribe, and leave a review to support PTSD and Beyond. Join us on Ko-Fi to help keep these conversations going.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
Join our community where we remind one another:
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh
Saturday Jan 10, 2026
Saturday Jan 10, 2026
This milestone 550th episode of PTSD and Beyond features a meaningful conversation between Dr. Deb and basketball coach and mentor Jerel Seamon, marking ten years since they first met.
This episode centers the power of vulnerability, lived experience, and storytelling. Jerel reflects on how sharing his story, giving himself grace, and staying connected to purpose have shaped his life and leadership. Together, the conversation explores how openness and honesty create connection, hope, and the ability to support others in meaningful ways.
Basketball has been a consistent source of hope in Jerel’s life. The episode includes a shout out to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, highlighting how the game continues to represent resilience, belief, and possibility.
Rather than focusing on performance or perfection, this conversation reflects on what it means to live with intention, to honor lived experience, and to use what we have been through to help others move forward.
In this episode, we explore
• Vulnerability as strength
• The role of lived experience and storytelling
• Giving ourselves grace while continuing to grow
• Living with purpose and helping others
• Basketball as a source of hope and consistency
• The impact of shared moments and long standing connections
This episode reflects the heart of PTSD and Beyond where lived experience is honored, stories matter, and healing and growth are possible through connection.
If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who may need permission to slow down and offer themselves grace.
Follow, subscribe, and leave a review to support PTSD and Beyond. Join us on Ko-Fi to help keep these conversations going.
💖 If This Episode Resonated
Listen, subscribe, and share PTSD and Beyond® with someone who might need this message today.
Join our community where we remind one another:
We’re better together. We’re stronger together. Take what resonates and go beyond.
In Love and Healing,
Dr. Deb
Listen, Subscribe, & Share:
✨ Remember to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!
💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who needs to hear this message today.
🌟 Leave a review! It helps us reach more people on their healing journey.
💌 Connect with Coach Jerel Seamon:
Instagram - @JSeamon24
LinkedIn - Jerel Seamon
Email - JerelSeamon@hotmail.com
💌 Connect with us:
Website - Dr. Deb Lindh
Website - PTSDandBeyond
Ko-Fi Store - Buy a Cuppa Coffee
Insta - @DrDebraLindh
Insta - @PTSDandBeyond
X (formerly known as Twitter) - @DebraLindh