Creatures of Change Episode #5: Melanie Reese on Expanding Perspectives with Religion, Healing Chronic Illness, and More

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By Valerie Martin

You never know when an old acquaintance will chance to cross your path again.

In this case, Melanie Reese— a therapist I worked down the hall from for over a year— saw the news about this podcast and reached out about being a guest. In this ~40 minute conversation, we connected on a deeper level than we ever did during that whole year.

It was a joy to hear Melanie share some of the growth and healing she’s experienced personally throughout the pandemic, and how that continued evolution has allowed her to support her clients in new and deeper ways.

In this episode, Melanie and I talk about the the huge business leap she took just prior to the pandemic (spoiler alert, it involved OFFICE SPACE 💀😂) and what she learned weathering that challenge, the process of shedding her Christian identity (and the difficulties that arose in some family relationships), and how her own experience of living with chronic pain and illnesses has continued to evolve along with her spirituality, impacting the way she approaches her client work as well.

🎧 To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or visit this link to find the episode in your favorite podcast player. There will not be additional new episodes of Creatures of Change, but the existing episodes will live on in Valerie’s main podcast feed (which is now Bad B*tch Therapist podcast).

About Melanie

Melanie Reese is a board-certified, psychotherapist and owner of Trauma Therapy of Nashville, LLC, a private practice specializing in holistic trauma healing. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and Certified Brainspotting Practitioner. Melanie and her team of therapists specialize in the treatment of trauma, women’s issues, relationships and chronic pain & illness. Melanie’s education and professional background in both the mind and body gives her a unique and effective approach to therapy with clients. She works heavily from a neuroexperiential perspective, using modalities such as Brainspotting, EMDR, mindfulness, somatics and body movement. As an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Melanie also helps guide clinicians in their development as skilled therapists and individuals.

Additional Links + Resources

Did you love this episode? Please leave a review, tell a friend, and subscribe to Creatures of Change for a new episode every 2 weeks!

✨ Creatures of Change episode archives and show notes

✨ Watch the video version of the podcast on my YouTube channel (click subscribe! 💜)

✨ Want to be a guest or know someone who should be? If you or someone you know has an interesting and inspiring story about change, or want to be considered for coaching with Val on a future episode, reach out to creaturesofchangepodcast@gmail.com, or direct potential guests to our submission form at bit.ly/creaturesofchangeguest.

✨ Sister podcast Bodyful

✨ In Tennessee and looking for therapy? Check out The Gaia Center.

✨ Get the monthly Gaia Center newsletter with exclusive content & tips from our therapists

✨ Learn about coaching, speaking, and other stuff Val is up to


Click Here for More About Creatures of Change

Bodyful Episode #23: Cleveland Hughes on Trauma-Informed Boxing to Heal and Find Your Power

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By Valerie Martin

As a person who’s never been into sports, the thought of walking into a boxing ring is more than a little intimidating— but that’s exactly what I did yesterday with the support of trauma-informed boxing coach Cleveland Hughes.

Not 10 minutes prior, I called it a “boxing rink” 🤡 😂 — so suffice to say, I don’t know much about boxing. But even with just a few minutes of instruction, it was so clear to me how useful these skills could be, not only to develop physical strength, but also sharp mental awareness, bodyfulness, and perseverance.

In this conversation, Cleveland and I talk about his journey to boxing, and his decision to gain further education to become one of the world’s first trauma-informed boxing instructors through his signature program, Healing Mitts. We also commiserated about some of the ways the fitness industry can be inherently harmful, especially for trauma survivors, when leaders do NOT have a fundamental awareness of trauma.

🎧 To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or visit this link to find the episode in your favorite podcast player. There will not be additional new episodes of Bodyful, but the existing episodes will live on in Valerie’s main podcast feed (which is now Bad B*tch Therapist podcast).=

About Cleveland Hughes (he/his)

Cleveland Hughes is a boxing coach and the developer of the Healing Mitts Intentional Boxing Training System. In 2009, a therapist suggested to Cleveland that he try boxing to help him cope with my anxiety and depression. He noticed the life lessons he was learning in therapy also applied to boxing. Through deep inner work, he gained the skills necessary to fight back against his mental health issues and trauma. He knew that he wanted to help people heal through the sport of boxing.

With 15 years of experience coaching boxing, and additional education on trauma-informed best practices, Cleveland developed Healing Mitts to help empower people struggling with mental health issues. He is proud to be a trauma-informed boxing coach and a mental health advocate.He currently offers group and private coaching in-person in Miami and Nashville (soon fully relocating to Nashville), as well as coaching online.

You can learn more about Healing Mitts at healingmittsboxing.com (a work in progress, more coming there soon!) and book a virtual or in-person session with Cleveland at the website or through DM on Instagram @clevelandh.boxing, where he shares tips and resources on boxing and mental health.

Stuff Mentioned + Additional Resources:

Bodyful Episode #21 (Solo): What does Trauma-Informed & Culturally Humble Yoga Look Like?

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By Valerie Martin

I recently had a student in a yoga class ask me “what exactly is trauma-informed yoga?” For the long answer, see the research paper I wrote back in 2016— but for a shorter answer, I created this solo episode that’s relevant for students and teachers alike.

Also, the subject of cultural humility (vs cultural appropriation) in yoga has become so intertwined for me with trauma-informed principles, because they’re both about HONORING: honoring the autonomy of each student, and honoring the wider purpose of yoga and its lineage. So we’re talking both subjects in this episode.

As per usual in my solo episodes, I’m talking off the cuff while walking outside, so this lil 30-minute episode is far from comprehensive. But if you have questions, feel free to leave a comment here, send me a DM, or email me— I’d love to hear what resonates, what your experience with these subjects is, and as always, anything else you’d like to hear me talk about on the pod. And hopefully some of the resources below will be helpful to dig in further!

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Resources for Trauma-Informed + Culturally Humble Yoga


Additional Links + Resources

Did you love this episode? Please leave a review, tell a friend, and subscribe to Bodyful for a new episode every 2 weeks!

✨ Bodyful episode archives and show notes

✨ Sister podcast Creatures of Change

✨ In Tennessee and looking for therapy? Check out The Gaia Center.

✨ Get the monthly Gaia Center newsletter with exclusive content & tips from our therapists

✨ Learn about coaching, speaking, and other stuff Val is up to

Bodyful Episode #02: Deirdre Fay on Becoming Safely Embodied

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Deirdre Fay Bodyful Podcast

I could start with listing Deirdre Fay’s accomplishments (which, believe me, are MANY)— but that would miss the most impactful element of my interaction with her.

Deirdre is that magical and rare combination of kind, warm, smart, and powerful as hell. She’s the one with decades of experience working alongside some of the top leaders in mental health and yoga (uh, she is one of them), but when I was talking with her, she made ME feel important.

Damn, y’all.

Since having this converastion a couple weeks ago, her phrase “unshakeable core” has come up in many of my client sessions, and I know it (among others) will be a concept I return to again and again with my clients and with myself.

I know you’re going to love this conversation with Deirdre Fay— and make sure to check out her bio and links below.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

About Deirdre Fay

Deirdre Fay, MSW has decades of experience exploring the intersection of trauma, attachment, yoga and meditation, and teaches “a radically positive approach to healing trauma.” Deirdre founded the Becoming Safely Embodied skills, the basis for this book, a manual of the same name, and is the author of Attachment-Based Yoga & Meditation for Trauma Recovery and co-author of Attachment Disturbances for Adults, as well as the co-author of chapters in Neurobiological Treatments of Traumatic Dissociation.

Links + Additional Resources: