What if the thing that saves us isn’t rebuilding a house, but rebuilding our story? In this deeply human episode of LA Rising, host Kim Marshall sits down with Kathleen Katims, founder of Saved by a Story, a nonprofit offering free writing workshops to wildfire survivors, foster youth, seniors, and others navigating life’s hardest seasons. After losing her own Pacific Palisades home in the 2025 fires, Kathleen began guiding fellow survivors to write their way through grief, humor, shock, and resilience—often in just ten minutes. You’ll hear unforgettable stories from the workshops, including “My House is a Poem,” a love letter from a burned-down home to its owner, and a surprisingly hilarious treasure unearthed from the ashes. If you believe storytelling heals, this episode will show you why. Share it with someone who needs connection—and consider attending a workshop or supporting LA Rising’s mission to preserve these living histories of hope.

Resources:

• Saved by a Story

• SBAS Wildfire Survivor Workshops

• Wende Museum

Donate to help support #L.A. Rising

Produced by NOVA

We go live for this episode to literally the first address on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu – and one of a handful of oceanfront structures still standing post-fire along a seven-mile stretch of coastline – to commemorate the first anniversary of the 2025 L.A. Fires. Host and fire evacuee, Kim Marshall, moderates a panel of creatives – filmmakers, photographers, storytellers, a high school coach, and even a student activist – who share the unique ways they are helping their communities heal, post-fire.

The Wellness Lift Segment goes East to New York’s Hudson Valley to the historic Mohonk Mountain House resort, where the Director of Mindfulness Programming, Nina Smiley, shares practical and positive tips to squelch anxiety, depression, and anger post-trauma.

Resources:

• www.creativevisions.org

• Big Rock Burning | PBS

• Ashes To Films

• Learn more about treeams

• Mindfulness Spa Offerings | Mohonk

Donate to help support #L.A. Rising

Produced by NOVA

As a multi-peril podcast looking for rays of hope, it is fitting that we focus on the Caribbean island of Jamaica and how their advance resiliency planning is helping speed their recovery after being hit by the monster, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa in late October. Hear first hand strategies implemented before and after the storm on the island from international resilience expert, Edmund Bartlett, the Tourism Minister of Jamaica. We’ll also speak to a hospitality industry leader, Tonya Vassal – Spa Director at Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay – who uses her wellness background to help neighbors, employees and their children cope with this trauma.

For the Wellness Lift, we’ll go behind-the-scenes during float prep for the Rose Parade in Pasadena and hear from Cielo Castro from the California Community Foundation as she describes the non-profit’s gorgeous, 2026 New Year’s Day phoenix-inspired float tribute to fire victims called “Rising Together.”

Resources:

• https://www.visitjamaica.com/

• https://www.halfmoon.com/

• www.calfund.org

Donate to help support #L.A. Rising

Produced by NOVA