Defiance of Silence - A Sacred Witness

Defiance of Silence — A Sacred Witness is a space for human stories.

Hosted by Valerie — a U.S. Army veteran, nurse, survivor, and trauma-informed witness — this podcast explores the quiet things people carry and what happens when they finally have a place to tell the truth about them.

Through honest conversations with survivors, veterans, caregivers, healthcare workers, healers, advocates, and everyday people, we explore trauma, grief, moral injury, recovery, identity, caregiving, resilience, and the many ways human beings learn to keep going after life changes them.

Some stories center on trauma. Others explore healing, service, loss, faith, purpose, or the unseen weight carried by those who witness suffering every day.

Here, we don’t rush stories.
We don’t fix people.
We witness them.

This is not therapy.
This is not performance.
This is a space where truth can land without spectacle.

A field of human stories.
A place to feel less alone.

Take what steadies you. Leave what doesn’t.

New episodes every other week.

Podcasting since 2025 • 30 episodes

Defiance of Silence - A Sacred Witness

Latest Episodes

Jason -The One Time I Couldn't Save Him

A father can memorize medication schedules, spot a respiratory decline before a monitor catches it, and still face the moment when love and skill cannot stop loss.Valerie sits down with Jason Tuttle, a stay-at-home dad who spent 15 years...

September 16, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 7 • 57:12

Forensic Nurses - We Believe You

You may have heard the term forensic nurse on TV and assumed it's all about swabs, paperwork, and courtrooms. The truth is quieter—and far more human. In this special panel episode, Val is joined by Dr. Nancy Downing, forensic nurse re...

August 26, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 6 • 56:09

Candice - Healing & The Pace of Grace

When Candice Reyes first sensed God calling her to create a place where survivors could heal, she had no idea where that path would lead. As she walked through her own healing journey—combining trauma-informed counseling with a deepening relati...

August 12, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 5 • 55:55

Operation Equine - The WARRIOR Pack Trip

A barn isn’t a studio, and that’s the point.This episode of Defiance of Silence was recorded in the middle of Operation Equine’s WARRIOR Pack Trip in the Colorado mountains—with wind in the rafters, horses nearby, and life movin...

August 11, 2026 • Season 3 • 1:09:21

Brenda - Detangling Faith

When faith has been tied to fear, performance, or control, even the word “God” can hit your nervous system like a threat.In this deeply personal episode, I sit down with therapist and former church leader Brenda Cochran for a grounded, h...

July 29, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 4 • 1:14:53