Podcast Host: Michelle Vandepas, Publisher
Guest: Emma Churchman
In this episode, Michelle Vandepas sits down with author, trauma chaplain, and trauma recovery expert Emma Churchman to discuss her remarkable journey of publishing three books in just 18 months. From documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to sharing her personal story of healing from generational abuse and exploring resilient leadership during times of crisis, Emma’s work offers powerful insights into trauma recovery, resilience, and leadership.
Together, they discuss the growing need for trauma-informed recovery practices, the challenges of writing memoir, and Emma’s mission to help individuals and organizations navigate crisis in healthier, more sustainable ways.
Key Topics Discussed
The Deep End of Hope
Emma shares how volunteering as a trauma chaplain in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene inspired her first book, The Deep End of Hope: In the Wake of Hurricane Helene. Through firsthand accounts and daily social media updates, she documented the realities of disaster recovery and the emotional impact on affected communities.
Unshattered: Transforming a Legacy of Abuse
The conversation explores Emma’s memoir, Unshattered: Surviving My Mother’s 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse. Emma reflects on confronting generational trauma, healing from childhood abuse, and the courage required to share deeply personal experiences with readers.
Navigating the Deep End
Emma discusses her upcoming book, Navigating the Deep End: Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World, which examines how leaders respond during times of crisis. Featuring case studies of women leaders from nonprofit, corporate, and disaster recovery sectors, the book offers practical lessons on leading through uncertainty while maintaining emotional and mental well-being.
Trauma Recovery in Real Time
A major theme throughout the episode is the importance of learning how to recover from trauma as it happens. Emma explains why traditional recovery approaches may not be sufficient in today’s fast-paced world, where crises often occur back-to-back, and highlights the need for accessible trauma recovery tools and standards.
The Chrysalis Alliance
Emma also shares details about her nonprofit organization, the Chrysalis Alliance, which trains frontline workers and disaster response professionals to recognize and recover from trauma in real time while supporting survivors through recovery.
Notable Quote
“Figure out how to recover your trauma in real time, y’all, because the time is now. We’ve got, as a humanity, we’ve got to figure out how to do this collectively.” — Emma Churchman
About Emma Churchman
Emma Churchman is a trauma recovery expert, trauma chaplain, speaker, author, and founder of the Chrysalis Alliance. Her work focuses on helping individuals, leaders, and organizations build resilience and recover from trauma in healthy, sustainable ways. Through her books, speaking engagements, and nonprofit initiatives, she continues to advocate for trauma-informed recovery practices across communities and industries.
Listen to the Episode
Discover how trauma recovery, resilience, and compassionate leadership intersect in this inspiring conversation with Emma Churchman, and learn why healing in real time may be one of the most important skills of our era.
Featured Books
- The Deep End of Hope: In the Wake of Hurricane Helene
- Unshattered: Surviving My Mother’s 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse
- Navigating the Deep End: Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World
Transcript
Michelle Vandepas:
Yay! Welcome to the show, Emma. It’s so great to have you here. You have your three books behind you. That is quite an accomplishment for anybody, right? To publish one book is an amazing feat, and you’ve published three, so welcome to the show.
Emma Churchman:
Thank you. I’m so grateful to you and to Grace Point Publishing because I think we got all three of these books out within 18 months.
Michelle Vandepas:
It was crazy. The first one was The Deep End of Hope: In the Wake of Hurricane Helene. We knew each other through Facebook and had crossed paths in the coaching space. I had been following your posts and thought, not only can this woman write, but she’s incredibly smart and right in the middle of the Hurricane Helene catastrophe.
So I reached out. How did it feel when I contacted you? Can you take us back to that moment?
Emma Churchman:
It was amazing. At the time, I had been volunteering as a trauma chaplain in my rural Appalachian community in Western North Carolina, which experienced some of the worst devastation from Hurricane Helene.
We didn’t have outside help arrive for four days. On day four, I bushwhacked three miles down our mountain to the fire station and asked the fire chief if I could help. He immediately handed me my first case.
Once we regained access to social media, since our phones weren’t working initially, I began sharing what was actually happening on the ground. What I was seeing was very different from what was being reported in the media. Those were the posts you were reading, Michelle, where I talked about the impact of trauma in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Michelle Vandepas:
We’re definitely going to talk more about that book. We got it published incredibly quickly, and it received great attention. Then I realized you had another book inside of you, one focused not just on trauma but on healing from it. Tell us about Unshattered.
Emma Churchman:
Absolutely. Unshattered: Surviving My Mother’s 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse was a difficult book to write because it required me to revisit the trauma that made me realize healing was necessary.
It’s my memoir. It explores a generational legacy of abuse within my family and the journey I took to heal and transform that legacy into something greater than survival.
Michelle Vandepas:
It’s an incredible book. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it yet. It’s available in libraries, bookstores, and online.
One thing that really touched me was seeing what you endured and how you survived. We have one book about surviving a natural disaster and another about surviving a traumatic childhood. Now let’s talk about your third book.
Emma Churchman:
Sure. The third book is Navigating the Deep End: Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World, and it’s being released in 2026.
Michelle Vandepas:
What’s fascinating is that this book ties everything together. You’re now recognized as a leader in trauma recovery. What’s the phrase you use?
Emma Churchman:
A subject matter expert in trauma recovery.
Michelle Vandepas:
That’s right. You speak at events, appear on podcasts, and have even founded a nonprofit. This new book leans more toward helping organizations and leaders support people through difficult situations.
Emma Churchman:
Exactly. The book features case studies of women leaders from corporations and nonprofit organizations who faced significant crises.
Some examples involve natural disasters. Others involve cancer diagnoses or businesses that had to completely pivot during COVID. The book examines how leaders show up during their hardest moments and what supports them in responding in healthy, sustainable ways rather than causing further harm to themselves emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
Michelle Vandepas:
That’s such an important point. During a crisis, everyone is affected. Leaders are triggered, employees are triggered, and communities are struggling. Learning how to navigate those moments is critical.
Your three books really outline your journey and show how you’ve become a respected voice in trauma recovery and leadership.
You’re speaking at several events this year. Can you share some of what’s coming up?
Emma Churchman:
Absolutely. We’ll be doing a book launch for Navigating the Deep End at an upcoming conference hosted by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
This organization certifies women-owned businesses in the United States, and around 5,000 women business owners attend the conference each year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce the book to women leaders.
I also recently attended a conference with disaster recovery leaders. There are approximately 130 major disaster recovery organizations in the United States, and one thing that’s become very clear is the lack of standards around trauma recovery.
We know how to rebuild homes, roads, and infrastructure after a disaster. But we don’t have a standardized approach for mental, emotional, and spiritual recovery. That’s something I’m passionate about helping create because natural disasters have increased dramatically over the last decade.
Michelle Vandepas:
And your work isn’t limited to natural disasters. It applies to any type of crisis situation.
Emma Churchman:
Exactly.
Michelle Vandepas:
I recently heard an interview about journalists who covered 9/11 and suffered serious health consequences afterward. We often think about first responders, but there are many people impacted by traumatic events who receive little support.
Emma Churchman:
Absolutely. Trauma affects a wide range of people. We need to learn how to recover in real time because we no longer have the luxury of putting life on hold while we process one crisis before another arrives.
Michelle Vandepas:
That’s something we discussed in The Deep End of Hope. You were processing your own trauma while simultaneously supporting others as a chaplain.
There is so much happening in the world that many people feel overwhelmed.
Let’s talk about writing. What was it like to write three books in just 18 months?
Emma Churchman:
It’s hundreds of thousands of words. People ask me that all the time.
For me, it wasn’t difficult because there were so many stories that needed to be told. Writing became part of my healing process. It allowed me to release those stories instead of continuing to carry them internally.
Michelle Vandepas:
As someone currently writing a memoir myself, I know how difficult it can be to decide how much family history to include.
You were incredibly brave in Unshattered. Have you received any backlash?
Emma Churchman:
Not much. My father and all three of my brothers have passed away, so most of my immediate family is gone.
What helped me most was deciding that this is my story and I have the right to interpret it through my own experience. I didn’t want the memoir to be about blame. Instead, I focused on sharing what happened and what I chose to do with those experiences.
Michelle Vandepas:
That’s really what memoir is about. It’s your perspective and your journey.
Emma Churchman:
One interesting thing is that some family members have refused to read the book. When I asked why, they told me it was too painful for them to confront what I experienced.
At first, that was difficult for me to understand, but I eventually came to respect it. Sometimes people care deeply, but the reality of what happened is emotionally overwhelming.
Michelle Vandepas:
I think many people can relate to that dynamic.
Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like to leave our audience with?
Emma Churchman:
Yes. Figure out how to recover your trauma in real time because the time is now. As a society, we need to learn how to do this collectively.
Michelle Vandepas:
And before we finish, tell us about your nonprofit.
Emma Churchman:
The nonprofit is called Chrysalis Alliance, and our website is traumarecoverycertification.org.
We train frontline workers, especially those in disaster response, to recover their own trauma in real time and to help survivors recover as well.
Michelle Vandepas:
Wonderful. And your website is EmmaChurchman.com?
Emma Churchman:
That’s correct.
Michelle Vandepas:
Thank you again, Emma. It’s been wonderful having you here, and I can’t wait to see if there’s a fourth book.
Emma Churchman:
Thank you for having me, Michelle. This was great.
