Resilience as Continuity: Healing Through Community Recovery
Release Date: 01/29/2026
What Else Is True? The Strength in the Whole Story
Resiliency Within
In this episode of Resiliency Within, Elaine Miller-Karas sits down with Edith Boyle, LCSW—President & CEO of LifeBridge Community Services—for a meaningful conversation about the power of balancing the narrative and why the stories we tell about our communities shape their future. Bridgeport, Connecticut is often described through statistics of hardship—high poverty rates, community violence, limited access to mental health care, and chronic school absenteeism. These realities are significant and deserve attention. But when a place is defined only by its struggles,...
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Resilience as Continuity: Healing Through Community Recovery
Resiliency Within
In this conversation, Maryam Zar reflects on resilience as an act of continuity—how individuals and communities carry memory, identity, and care forward after profound disruption. Drawing from her leadership in post-wildfire recovery and her partnership in Art for Healing and the Legacy Family project among other initiatives, Maryam explores how healing is supported when survivors are seen as keepers of story, connection, and meaning. She shares insights on the emotional toll of displacement, the importance of community-led recovery models, and the role of creative and practical structures...
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Resilience, Health, and Hope: Advancing the Beloved Community Across the Life Span
Resiliency Within
Dr. Rebecca Shasanmi Ellis joins Resiliency Within to explore how we can mobilize models of care that strengthen resilience, promote health equity, and advance Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of The Beloved Community across the life span. Drawing on her expertise as a community mental health nurse and a Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® Teacher, Dr. Ellis brings a grounded, systems-level perspective on how social and structural determinants of health shape individual and community well-being. She has taught nurses and other clinical, public health, and...
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Keeping Love Alive Amidst The Asteroids: Rebuilding Your Marriage After The Loss of a Child
Resiliency Within
The chronic illness of a child does not arrive gently. It comes like an asteroid—sudden and life-altering. In this episode, I am honored to be joined by Kelly Cervantes, author of The Luckiest, and her husband Miguel Cervantes, the acclaimed Broadway star of Hamilton, as they share their extraordinary journey through unimaginable loss—and enduring love. Kelly and Miguel open their hearts as they reflect on the life and death of their daughter, Adelaide, who lived with epilepsy and a rare neurodegenerative brain condition. As Adelaide’s terminal diagnosis unfolded,...
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Rebuilding your life—and finding yourself again—after losing a child.
Resiliency Within
After moving from a conservative Midwestern suburb to New York City to pursue an acting career, Kelly Cervantes never could have imagined what life had in store for her—or how much she would fundamentally change along the way. Now, in her memoir The Luckiest, Kelly shares the experiences that shaped who she is today—the pain of unrealized dreams, navigating her husband Miguel’s Broadway spotlight, fighting for their child’s life, finding purpose after loss, and rebuilding her life and marriage. Throughout her wildly unpredictable journey, she has reflected on the role luck...
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New Ground Offers Hope in a World Deeply Divided
Resiliency Within
As we begin 2026, Elaine Miller-Karas, the host of Resiliency Within, airs an encore podcast with Aziza Hasan, Executive Director, and Andrea Hodos, Associate Director of New Ground, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging divides and convening constructive conversations around challenging social issues. New Ground envisions what is possible in a world deeply divided which is as pertinent today as it was when first aired. They will share their wisdom on how New Ground envisions an America where Muslims and Jews are empowered to create lasting partnerships and engage in authentic communication and...
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Peace and Reconciliation During Challenging Times
Resiliency Within
On this Christmas Day, Resiliency Within will bring back the episode first aired in 2023 with Rev. Lesley Carroll. We can remember, "what else is true?" as we end 2025, which has been a year that has brought many challenges to our world community. Dr. Carroll is the former Prison Ombudsman of Northern Ireland and the current Assistant Commissioner for Investigations for the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. She has dedicated her life to the pursuit of peace and reconciliation. To her, this mission is a lifelong calling. Her efforts...
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The Church's Call During a Disaster: Steadfast Love During Unsteady Times
Resiliency Within
Carla Cavlcanti and Kim Aasland will share how they help their respective churches live beyond their walls. They both believe in being a compassionate presence woven into the daily life of the neighborhoods they serve. There is the belief that "A truly missional church steps outside its sanctuary and into the streets, homes, and gathering places where people live, work, and struggle." They are called not only to preach love but to embody it—through presence, partnership, and practical support. During a disaster, this calling becomes even more urgent. Churches are often among the first to...
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Between Two Worlds
Resiliency Within
For four decades, Ellen Bassuk has navigated the worlds of psychiatry, advocacy, and motherhood—shaped by her son Daniel Schoonover’s lifelong struggle with mental illness, especially schizophrenia. Between Two Worlds is their deeply personal memoir, chronicling Daniel’s journey through a broken health care system, an ill-equipped educational system, and the parenting challenges that came with it. Ellen Bassuk and Daniel Schoonover, mother and son, will share their journey together. From early childhood, Daniel’s developmental milestones were atypical, leading to hospitalizations,...
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Larry Ward: A True Great Sound—Poetry as Spiritual Practice
Resiliency Within
Dr. Peggy Ward and Sister Peace join Resiliency Within to share the wisdom and poems of Dr. Larry Ward. In this conversation, Dr. Peggy Rowe-Ward reflects on the life and legacy of Dr. Larry Ward and his first poetry collection, Morning Night. She explores how Larry understood poetry—reading it, writing it, and living it—as a powerful form of spiritual practice. As a true great sound and one of the few Black Dharma teachers in his tradition, Larry was a trailblazer who bridged Buddhist and Christian lineages and broke through cultural and spiritual barriers with depth, humor, and clarity....
info_outlineIn this conversation, Maryam Zar reflects on resilience as an act of continuity—how individuals and communities carry memory, identity, and care forward after profound disruption. Drawing from her leadership in post-wildfire recovery and her partnership in Art for Healing and the Legacy Family project among other initiatives, Maryam explores how healing is supported when survivors are seen as keepers of story, connection, and meaning.
She shares insights on the emotional toll of displacement, the importance of community-led recovery models, and the role of creative and practical structures in helping people feel grounded. The discussion highlights how resilience is often quiet and relational—rooted in showing up, creating safe spaces, and allowing grief and hope to exist side by side. Maryam offers a perspective on recovery that is focused on rebuilding structures and recovering community with a focus on meeting people where they are - even as that evolves.
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About Our Guest:
Maryam Zar is a longtime community leader, civic convener, and recovery advocate based in Pacific Palisades. She is a founder of the Palisades Recovery Coalition and plays a central role in guiding community-centered recovery efforts following wildfire-related displacement and loss. Her work focuses on restoring not only physical infrastructure, but also trust, continuity, and belonging—particularly for families navigating prolonged disruption.
Maryam’s leadership emphasizes collaboration across residents, local institutions, mental health practitioners, designers, and policymakers, with a strong belief that recovery is both a logistical and emotional process. Through initiatives such as the Legacy Family project, Community Recovery Labs, and healing-centered convenings, she has helped create spaces where grief, resilience, and forward momentum can coexist. Her approach is grounded, inclusive, and informed by lived experience, with a commitment to ensuring that recovery efforts honor memory while supporting long-term well-being.