ReStory Podcast

What happens when a coaching session takes you somewhere you didn’t expect?Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson sit down with Karrie Garcia, founder of Freedom Movement, speaker, coach, author of Free and Fully Alive, and a practitioner with a master’s in neuroscience and trauma, to talk about what it really means to stay present when hard things surface in the room. Together, they explore trauma, shame, the nervous system, and why slowing down can create more lasting change than trying to rush a client toward an answer. Karrie shares what she watches for when a client reaches their edge, how coaches can recognize when their own story is entering the room, and why reconnecting with one small “dot” can matter more than covering a lot of ground. This is a conversation about the art of Storywork, the courage to stay, and learning to trust what is happening in the room instead of getting ahead of it.If you want to know more about Karrie Garcia, follow her on her socials:Instagram: @karriescottgarciaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/karrie.s.garciaWebsite: https://www.karriegarcia.com/Interested in growing your Storywork practice? Explore the Storywork Coaching Collective for ongoing training, connection, and support.https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveLearn more about ethical Storywork practice. Explore the Storywork Code of Ethics to better understand the principles that guide our work with clients.https://www.restorylabs.com/storywork-code-of-ethics-freeVisit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

A sermon can offer good advice, but a relationship is where people begin to experience real change. In this episode of the ReStory Podcast, Chris Bruno sits down with Hollis Hunt, pastor of Grace Place Church in Bertha, Colorado, to talk about bringing Storywork into ministry and how it has transformed the way he pastors, leads, and cares for people. Hollis shares how moving beyond programs and quick fixes toward awareness, curiosity, and kindness has changed the culture of his church, creating spaces where people can share their stories without being rushed to fix them. They also talk about the importance of engaging your own story as a ministry leader, knowing your limits, and building the trust and boundaries needed to care for people well. From small group tables to pastoral conversations, Hollis offers a grounded look at how Storywork can shape the way we lead, disciple, and walk alongside others.Interested in bringing Storywork into your ministry or deepening the way you care for others? ReStory Institute offers Levels 1, 2, and 3 training for those who want to engage stories with greater awareness, curiosity, and kindness. Applications are open for the February 2027 cohort. Explore the training at restory.life/restory-institute.Interested in growing your Storywork practice? Explore the Storywork Coaching Collective for ongoing training, connection, and support.https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveLearn more about ethical Storywork practice. Explore the Storywork Code of Ethics to better understand the principles that guide our work with clients.https://www.restorylabs.com/storywork-code-of-ethics-freeVisit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

What makes a first consult call feel welcoming, clear, and helpful for both the client and the coach? In this episode, Tracy Johnson talks with Storywork Coach Mallory Redmond about navigating the first conversation, explaining what Storywork coaching is and isn’t, and setting realistic expectations for the work ahead. They share practical questions to ask potential clients, how to recognize when someone may need a different kind of support, and why being clear about scope and boundaries matters. They also explore the importance of discussing session commitments, making the invitation to begin working together, and knowing when a referral is the more caring choice. It’s an honest conversation about building trust, practicing with integrity, and helping clients find the right support for their stories.Get to know Mallory Redmond and her work in Storywork here: https://www.restory.life/mallory-redmond-storyworkInterested in growing your Storywork practice? Explore the Storywork Coaching Collective for ongoing training, connection, and support.https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveLearn more about ethical Storywork practice. Explore the Storywork Code of Ethics to better understand the principles that guide our work with clients.https://www.restorylabs.com/storywork-code-of-ethics-freeVisit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

Sometimes the most important part of a conversation is happening before either person says a word. In this episode of the ReStory Podcast, Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson sit down with Adam Young, host of The Place We Find Ourselves podcast and author of Making Sense of Your Story, to explore attunement, attachment, trauma, and the right-brain-to-right-brain connection that happens through tone, facial expression, presence, and the body. Adam unpacks why attunement goes beyond empathy, why Storywork coaches and therapists need to stay present when difficult emotions surface, and how our own dysregulation can shape what happens in the room. The conversation ultimately brings the work back to self-awareness: before we can truly attune to someone else’s story, we have to become more aware of what is happening inside our own.Doing Storywork can take you into places that are hard to navigate on your own. The Storywork Coaching Collective brings coaches and practitioners together for ongoing conversation, reflection, and support as you grow in the work. Come be part of a community where you can ask questions, learn from others, and keep sharpening the way you show up for the stories entrusted to you. Learn more about the Storywork Coaching Collective at https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collective.Visit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

Good intentions don’t keep us from doing harm. In storywork, care can quietly become control, and a desire to help can take away the very agency we’re meant to protect. Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson explore the ethical responsibility of holding someone else’s story, from understanding the limits of our role to navigating power, consent, and the blurred lines between ministry and coaching. They also unpack what it means to recognize when someone needs a different kind of care, and why referring them out can be an act of faithfulness rather than abandonment. Because being trusted with someone’s story is not permission to direct it.If you’re a Storywork coach, ethics and formation are part of the work too, and our Code of Ethics certification is a foundational step toward practicing with greater awareness, humility, and care, while the Storywork Coaching Collective offers ongoing community, training, and support for practitioners who want to keep growing in this work: https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveVisit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

What happens when someone asks a Storywork coach, “Are you a therapist?” In this episode of the ReStory Podcast, Chris Bruno sits down with Lora Kelley, a trauma-informed Storywork and life coach, host of the Storied Living Podcast, and someone who has spent years thinking deeply about the line between coaching and therapy, narrative-focused trauma care, and what belongs within each scope. They talk about boundaries, referrals, and why being clear about what you do, and what you don’t do, is part of caring well for the people who trust you with their stories. Lora also introduces the idea of a “matrix of support,” reminding us that healing rarely happens through just one person or one kind of care, and that coaches and therapists can work together rather than compete for the same space.To get to know more about Lora Kelley, follow her on her socials:Instagram: @lora_kelley, @storied.livingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lora.kelleyAlso, check out her podcast, The Storied Living Podcast, available on all streaming platforms!If you’re a Storywork coach, ethics and formation are part of the work too, and our Code of Ethics certification is a foundational step toward practicing with greater awareness, humility, and care, while the Storywork Coaching Collective offers ongoing community, training, and support for practitioners who want to keep growing in this work: https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveVisit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

There’s a difference between knowing how to do Storywork and becoming the kind of person who can truly be present with someone else’s story. In this episode of the ReStory Podcast, Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson sit down with Cathy Loerzel, co-founder of the Allender Center, author, and Storywork coach, to talk about what a coach carries into the room before a single question is asked: their presence, self-awareness, humility, and unfinished story. Together, they unpack the power differential between coach and client, why expertise can become something we hide behind, and how learning to be comfortable as a beginner can actually create more space for genuine connection and healing. Cathy also shares how slowing down, becoming more rooted, and learning to be present in her own life changed the way she shows up for others, offering a deeper look at what it means to move from simply knowing Storywork to being formed as a Storywork coach. If you’re a Storywork coach, ethics and formation are part of the work too, and our Code of Ethics certification is a foundational step toward practicing with greater awareness, humility, and care, while the Storywork Coaching Collective offers ongoing community, training, and support for practitioners who want to keep growing in this work: https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveVisit www.restory.life for more info!Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

Doing meaningful work with people can be deeply rewarding, but it can also become surprisingly isolating. In this episode of the ReStory Podcast, Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson sit down with Storywork coach Jeremy Williamson to explore what changes when a practitioner chooses to do this work in community rather than inside their own silo. Jeremy shares how supervision, camaraderie, and being known by people who understand his story have helped him show up more fully for his clients, while the conversation also gets honest about shame, fear, perfectionism, and the temptation to believe we should have it all together. Together, they unpack why ethical Storywork coaching requires more than good skills, including community, reflection, shared wisdom, and the courage to let other people see where we are still growing. Jeremy also shares the story behind his upcoming book, That's Not My Name, a reflection on wounds, false names, rebellion, hope, and finding our way home to who we actually are, releasing November 5.Learn more about Jeremy Williamson’s That's Not My Name, releasing November 5, and connect with the Storywork Coaching Collective for community, training, supervision, and continued growth in Storywork coaching: https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveLearn more about ReStory at www.restory.life.Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

Storywork has been part of Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson’s work for years, long before there was a name for it. In this first episode of the relaunched ReStory Podcast, Chris and Tracy share the winding stories that brought them into this work and eventually brought them together at ReStory. They talk about the power of approaching the human heart through story, what happens when we sit deeply with another person’s story, and why our own stories are always part of the work too. They also explore why Storywork coaches need more than skills alone, including ongoing training, ethical guidance, community, and spaces where they can be known and supported. The conversation sets the foundation for a podcast created to encourage Storywork coaches and others who find themselves holding the stories of people around them.For those wanting to grow in Storywork coaching alongside others doing this work, the Storywork Coaching Collective is a space for continued learning, connection, and support: https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collectiveFollow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling

In this episode of ReStory Podcast, let's hear some insights from Sheila Wray Gregoire, an advocate for healthier evangelical teachings on sex and marriage. Gregoire discusses her journey from a mommy blogger to challenging evangelical teachings through her research with 7,000 evangelical women, showcased in her book 'She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up.' The conversation covers the impact of purity culture on women's sexual health, self-esteem, and the excessive responsibilities it places on them, advocating for a significant shift towards teachings that respect women's agency and value. Gregoire's work, including her website BareMarriage.com and related podcast, aims to change the evangelical conversation about marriage and sex.00:00 Introduction to Purity Culture and Its Impact00:32 Exploring the Voices Behind the Movement01:55 Sheila Wray Gregoire's Journey and Insights05:42 Unveiling the Harms of Purity Culture11:08 The Surprising Correlations: Periods, Talking, and Abuse17:46 Consent, Sexual Abuse, and the Purity Culture31:52 Addressing Modesty and Its ConsequencesLearn more about ReStory at www.restory.life.Listen to our webinar on Remnants of Purity Culture at www.restory.life/webinars.Learn more about Sheila at www.baremarriage.com.Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!Instagram: @storyrestoredFacebook: ReStory CounselingLinkedIn: ReStory CounselingYouTube: ReStory Counseling