What would you do if you met a kindred spirit but had a barrier to communicating with them? On today's episode we speak with two friends who managed to bridge the gap between the Deaf and hearing worlds. We talk about what communication means, what allyship means, and what is unique and special about Deaf culture. Please also check out the full video episode with ASL interpretation on YouTube!

David Naert

Born and raised in Illinois, David has spent the past decade planting roots in Des Moines, Iowa, where his passion for language and lifelong learning continues to grow. A native English speaker who later learned Spanish, he began studying American Sign Language three years ago and found a deep appreciation for Deaf culture and the people who welcomed him into their world. Now an aspiring trilingual interpreter, he’s motivated by connection, committed to fostering access, and inspired by the relationships that keep him learning.

John Isaacson

Born profoundly Deaf, John’s first language has always been American Sign Language. Growing up in both the Deaf and hearing worlds, he learned early how to balance and move between them. After being mainstreamed from kindergarten through his freshman year, he transitioned to a Deaf residential school for the remainder of high school—an experience that strengthened his identity and deepened his sense of community.

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How do we evaluate and create family rituals? How do we meet our family members where they’re at? How can we move into a space of doing instead of saying? In today’s episode, Michelle and Kelly sit down with the hilarious and insightful Terry Kottman, PhD, to discuss all this and more. Terry is the developer of Adlerian play therapy, the founder of the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists and an author of many books on play therapy. Terry shares heartfelt wisdom from both her decades-long career as a play therapist as well as her 49-year marriage and raising her son, Jacob.

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Resources from today’s episode:

League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists

https://leapt.arlo.co/w/

About Dr. Kottman

https://www.encouragementzone.com/page10.html

Books

https://www.encouragementzone.com/page11.html

Terry Kottman developed Adlerian play therapy, an approach to working with children, families, and adults that combines the ideas and techniques of Individual Psychology and play therapy. She founded the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists and created a certification program for Adlerian play therapy. Terry is a fun and engaging presenter and author who regularly teaches classes and writes about play therapy. She is co-author (with Kristin Meany-Walen) of Doing Play Therapy: From Building the Relationship to Facilitating Change and Partners in Play: An Adlerian Approach to Play Therapy, and the author of Play Therapy: Basics and Beyond and several other books. In 2014, she was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Play Therapy; in 2017, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Iowa Association for Play Therapy; and in 2020, she received a third Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology. (She seems to be collecting them.) In 2024, Terry received the Innovation in Counseling: Practice and Clinical Service Award from the National Board of Certified Counselors. She has been married to her husband Rick for 49 years and has a delightful adult son, Jacob.

On today’s episode, we sit down with Hāweatea Holly Bryson, Indigenous Psychotherapist and founder of Nature Knows. We discuss her expertise in Māori healing, rites of passage, and how profoundly we are impacted by the natural world. Through Hāweatea’s unique perspective, we explore the concept of rituals as powerful tools for personal transformation.

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Follow us: @ritualsisterspod on instagram

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ritualsisterspodcast

Resources from today’s episode:

Nature Knows
www.natureknows.co