Giving What We Didn’t Get: Reimagining Father & Son Relationships, with Luke Sniewski & Warren McCaig
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Kevin Young and J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. The Men in the World series began by asking, “What happened to men?” It concludes by offering some honest perspectives on what becomes possible when men find their way back to themselves. Kevin, Warren and Luke are men who have done the work, are still doing the work, and have built their lives around supporting others to do the same. With J’aime holding space, the three men explore: - The affirmation economy: What happens when a man builds his entire life on other people's approval - Why it’s important...
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This World Was Not Built for Us: Unburdening & Building Brotherhood, with HawaH Kasat & Reggie Hubbard
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Kevin Young & J'aime Rothbard. Produced by J’aime Rothbard. In addition to the personal weight of masculinity that all men carry, brown and black skinned men are burdened by additional collective weights that must be carried while navigating a world not built for them, in bodies that are policed, feared, criminalized and often murdered. In this episode, co-hosts Kevin and J'aime are joined by two remarkable men: HawaH Kasat and Reggie Hubbard. Together they explore the experiences of BIPOC men, and address: - The male loneliness epidemic - The alchemy that can occur...
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It’s Time to Step Up: An Ongoing Invitation, with Tony Coffey & Stephen Brown
The Gifts of Trauma
It’s Time to Step Up: An Ongoing Invitation, with Tony Coffey & Stephen Brown Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J’aime Rothbard. In this episode, Kevin is joined by two friends and Compassionate Inquiry® colleagues for a full spectrum conversation that moves from desolation and helplessness, to grief, hope and laughter. They begin in grim terrain shaped by intergenerational trauma, measured by dismal statistics and broadcast through news stories and images of violence that shock us precisely because the perpetrators are so young. Then somehow, their focus shifts to...
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Nothing's Wrong with Boys & Men: An Appreciative Inquiry, with Susan Morgan
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J’aime Rothbard Researchers have studied it, governments have funded it, and schools have intervened. But 30 years later, boys are still falling behind in education. Why is this problem so ‘stubborn?’ Why has so little changed? In this episode, Susan talks about her work in the Taking Boys Seriously research project, Appreciative Inquiry, what actually works for boys, why it matters for the men they’ll become, and to society overall. She explains: - The "bricks in the backpack;" a compounded weight that can hold boys back - Why asking ‘what...
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The Boys We Were Never Allowed To Be, with Bret Hunt and Joe Baldock
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J’aime Rothbard. Three men walk into a podcast. One tells a knock knock joke, then, somehow, all three end up delving into the disappearance of male genetic diversity, what it feels like to carry traumatized masculinity in the body, and whether compassion—rather than condemnation—might be the only thing that actually changes anything. In this first episode of the new Men in the World series, Kevin sits down with two grounded, conscious, refreshingly honest men; CI practitioners who are doing the work, asking the questions, and refusing to look...
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Griefs We're Denied: Nature, Climate, Land Loss… with Steffi Bednarek
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by: Rosemary Davies-Janes & Kevin Young What happens when grief isn't personal, when it belongs to the land, the climate, and the fractured relationship between humans and the living world? Join us as climate psychologist, systems thinker and trauma therapist, Steffi Bednarek moves this conversation from the personal to the planetary, and from the clinical to the deeply, wildly human. She suggests that our epidemic of depression, anxiety, and disconnection may not be a malfunction, but an unanswered call to an unnamed grief so large, Western psychology barely has the language for...
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When Survival Usurps Grief: Showing Up When the World Is on Fire, with James Gordon, MD & Diana Gharib
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Kevin Young. Produced by J’aime Rothbard. In this episode, Kevin is joined by James Gordon, MD, founder of the Center for Mind Body Medicine, whose teams have worked in Gaza, Kosovo, Syria, Bosnia, Northern Ireland and beyond, and Diana Garib, a clinical psychologist on the front-line in Beirut, recording live as conflict surrounds her. Together they explore: - What it looks like to show up for others when your own world is on fire - How humanizing the other can become the first act of healing - Why finding common ground—from shared grief to shared hummus—may be where peace...
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When Grief Is Stolen: Invasion, Colonization & Griefology, with Rosemary Wanganeen
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes & Kevin Young. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. If grief is the energy generated by loss, what happens to a people whose grief has been stolen for generations, and what becomes possible when we grieve our way home? In this episode, Rosemary Wanganeen, a Kaurna, Wirungu, and Koogatha Aboriginal woman and Australia's only griefologist, presents one of the most provocative perspectives explored in this series. She traces the suppression of grief and the ensuing psychopathic violence of Australia’s colonizers/invaders to a declaration by Plato in 388 BC—the...
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When Grief Doesn't Get a Funeral, with Dr Kenneth Doka, Maria de los Angeles Estrada & Ellie Davis
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J'aime Rothbard. If you’ve ever grieved an unrecognized loss, please join us to explore Disenfranchised Grief, the term Dr Doka coined over 35 years ago to describe the grief that rises when a loss isn't openly recognized, publicly mourned, or socially supported, and why so many of us—unkowingly—carry this form of grief. Drawing on his 50 years in the field, Dr Doka, along with Maria and Ellie who share their lived experiences of disenfranchised grief, unpack: - How grief (the energy generated by a significant loss) can show up...
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What We Don't Know About Grief, with Pam Sommer & Manisha Billimoria
The Gifts of Trauma
Hosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J’aime Rothbard. This gentle conversation launches a new series exploring death, loss and grief—experiences we all face yet are rarely taught to navigate. Our guests debunk grief ‘myths’, as it doesn't follow “5 Stages,” we can't “pre-grieve” and being told to "be brave" can trap grief in our body for decades. They also offer practical suggestions for supporting those who are grieving, and explain: - How grief can manifest in physical, emotional and mental issues - Why talking about the deceased is essential for the living -...
info_outlineHosted by Rosemary Davies-Janes. Produced by J’aime Rothbard.
In this gentle, heart-felt conversation, Leila guides us through the emotional landscape of infertility debunking common myths and misconceptions. She also shares her personal story, from 11 rounds of IVF to complete emotional collapse, which led her to agency, freedom, a new beginning and a baby.
Leila also addresses:
- How Infertility, as a trauma in its own right can unearth feelings of shame and worthlessness
- Why trauma-informed support can ease the emotional toll of infertility medical interventions cannot.
- The roles that self-compassion, truth and compassion play in our healing process
- Why acknowledging difficult truths and fostering self-compassion are vital for emotional well-being
Leila emphasizes that while the infertility journey is one of profound uncertainty and unraveling, if we surrender to the collapse, rather than allowing ourselves to be hijacked by the struggle, we can access freedom, agency and discover new paths forward. She shares how by learning to sit with our painful personal truths, cultivating self-compassion and community support, we can transform our experiences.
About Leila Bahri-Lucas
Counselor and Therapeutic Coach
Integrating Relational Life Therapy, Positive Psychology, Compassionate Inquiry and a Master’s in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London, Leila’s approach is trauma informed, emotionally precise, and grounded in real relational change, the kind that shows up in the way we live, love, argue, repair, and try again.
While infertility remains central to her work, her focus has grown into the wider landscape of family building and relational transitions. She supports individuals, couples, and groups navigating infertility or its aftermath, blended families, relationship breakdowns, identity shifts, grief, and the emotional patterns that shape connection.
Leila believes we each hold a reproductive story, whether or not we become parents. Her passion is helping people stay connected to themselves and each other during life chapters that often create silence, shame, or distance.
Her own path included 11 IVF cycles, conceiving her daughter through egg donation, and becoming a mother nine months after her father died. That personal history continues to shape how she understands lineage, rupture, protection, and the courage it takes to relate with honesty.
Based in Dubai, Leila works internationally with people who want to understand what drives disconnection and how real connection becomes possible again.
Promotional Message:
If you're not a therapist or healer, but you've heard our guests describe the personal transformations they experienced during their Compassionate Inquiry® journeys, and wonder what that would be like for you... Circles is a 10-week small group experience offered to anyone who wants to experience the power of Gabor Maté’s approach to trauma healing. Use this link to find out if this program is for you.
Resources
Websites:
Leila’s CI Circle (Starts 1/14/26)
No matter what we’re going through, infertility, relationship strain, blended-family transitions, loss, or simply feeling disconnected, these experiences shape how we relate to ourselves and others. They can create isolation, silence or distance, even in relationships that matter deeply. Leila’s upcoming CI Circle on Relating is a supportive space for all who want to explore these relational layers in a supportive community with honesty and care.
Studies:
Fewer than half of IVF cycles are successful. These scientists are trying to change that
IVF research: What are the latest advances, and what obstacles stand in the way?
Articles:
What your doctor isn’t telling you about IVF — but should
Common Infertility Myths & Misperceptions.
Navigating the Emotional Landscape of Infertility
What surrender really means in spirituality and how it can bring peace in modern life
Books:
Conceivability
Intimate Conversations with the Divine
Podcasts:
15 Best Fertility Podcasts (2025)
Quotes:
“Infertility is uncertainty on a repeat. Infertility is uncertainty and so is life actually. It's the illusion of control that we have to let go of.” - Leila Bahri-Lucas
“The path is uncharted. It comes into existence moment by moment and at the same time drops away behind us. It's like riding on a train sitting backwards. We can't see where we're headed, only where we've been.” - Pema Chödrön. (When Things Fall Apart)
“Truth without compassion isn't healing and compassion without truth isn't enough. So work on that self compassion muscle in whichever way you can.” - Leila Bahri-Lucas
“Infertility is trauma in its own right, but it also unearths deeper wounds from early life. It leaves no stone unturned. For one in four to six couples, the inability to conceive cracks open layers of shame, isolation, rejection (for not being chosen) and grief that track back to childhood. Infertility has a particular set of stressors. It's a raw and complex journey for oneself and relationally.“ - Leila Bahri-Lucas
Social Media
@realwithleila