the ACE Case

On episode 7 of the ACE Case Meryl Picard stopped by for an honest conversation about her experiences living, working, and raising children in the Bishop Paiute Tribal community. We cover a smorgasbord of topics from leaving and returning to the reservation, the importance of language and culture in addressing hardship, her personal fitness and health journey, building resilience, accepting criticism, the mental health impacts of the pandemic, her experiences in higher education, evolutionary biology and ACEs, fight, flight, and freeze response systems, to the importance of understanding dopamine in setting and achieving goals. Several times during our conversation Meryl relayed how she feels a responsibility to help others from her community realize what they are capable of. Meryl's leadership and drive make for an inspiring listen for anyone searching for motivation. We hope you enjoy this dialogue with Meryl Picard. Please remember to share this podcast with friends and relatives. Thank you for listening to the ACE Case and happy healing!

On Episode 6 of the ACE Case Donald Powell stopped by the shop to share his perspective on issues related to ACEs. Donald is a Adult Education instructor for the Tuniwa Nobi Family Literacy Program. We covered a range of topics from his experiences as an Indigenous person in higher education trying to explain his identity to his peers, to his return home to help people in his community pursue their own education. Donald shares themes related to ACEs he has witnessed in his work and his thoughts on how the education system could better serve Indigenous students. Donald speaks to disproportionate suspension and dropout rates for local youth as well as how students often get labeled as troublemakers at a young age. Listen in as these two fellow book nerds dive into Dr. Kishan Lara Cooper's book Ka'm-t'em. Much of our conversation centers around the concept of narrative justice. We consistently return to the idea of celebrating resilience as a counter-narrative to the deficit oriented portrayal of Indigenous people we often see today. We hope you enjoy Episode 6 of the ACE Case. Thanks for listening and happy healing!

In this episode Earl Lent came by the studio discuss the relationship between trauma and addiction. Earl is powerhouse in local recovery community; facilitating the Inyo County Tribal Opioid Coalition, Wellbriety groups at Toiyabe Family Services, and working to provide Narcan trainings in the community. Earl shares his views on how we might change the way we look at recovery and addiction by utilizing modern science integrated with traditional values. Earl also gives his take on addiction and mental health trends during the pandemic, colonization, and a whole lot more.   

In this episode Mother-Daughter team Carrie Brown and Leticia Gonzales stopped by to discuss ACEs, activism, youth programs, the importance of culture and education, what changes they have witnessed in the valley and a whole lot more. We drank horchata and had a few laughs along the way. Both Carrie and Leticia are highly active in the community and work hard to create opportunities for local youth. During our discussion they both share their personal stories growing up on the Bishop Reservation and reflect on their own remarkable paths to healing. Please enjoy episode 4 and remember to share with friends and relatives. Happy Healing!

Dr. Ricci is passionate pediatric provider working for Northern Inyo Hospital. Dr. Ricci stopped by the studio to share some knowledge about children and the ways trauma can impact their development. We covered a host of topics, from ACEs, to amygdala hijacking, to epigenetics, the importance of routines, memory storage and processing, and a whole lot more. 

Esther Hampton came by to drink iced tea and discuss early childhood development, family life during the pandemic, and being raised by her grandparents in a rural Indigenous community. Esther unpacks how ACE science and trauma informed care might change the way we look at parenting, education, and addiction. We also discussed applications of trauma informed care and how to navigate wearing multiple hats in a small town.

Thanks for listening and happy healing! 

Topah stopped by the studio for some coffee and conversation. We covered a lot of ground including family, education, growing up in a rural community, parenting, culture, Indigenous brilliance, PTSD, and a whole lot more. As always your feedback and questions are appreciated. I can be reached at lwilson@ovcdc.com  

Edited by Billy Barlow

Music from Grayson Goerss (goers music)

Hosted by Luke Wilson

Powered by ACEs Aware and OVCDC

In this episode we review some of the fundamental science behind ACEs and Toxic Stress in this short clip known as "the shpeal." Our guests on this podcast are played the shpeal and asked for their reaction to the ACE study and related scientific findings.  Participants on the show are invited on for their unique perspective on this subject and work in a field related to ACEs such as medicine, addictions counseling, law enforcement, youth services, and social work. Many of our guests share their personal experiences surrounding trauma and healing in the hopes that it might help others dealing with their own struggles. This podcast focuses on the experiences and perspectives of people living in Payahuunadü (now known as Inyo County, California) with a particular focus on resilience and healing in rural Indigenous communities. This work wound not be possible without the support of ACEs Aware and Owens Valley Career Development Center. Special thanks to Billy Barlow for editing and Grayson Goerss for the original music.