Breaking the Cycle: Overcoming Adversity & Paving the Kindred Way for Helpers and Healers.

In this moving episode of The Flipside of Adversity, join Kayla "Bird" Kressler—clinician, educator, and founder of Kindred Way Wellness Collective—as she reveals a side of her journey that few know: the personal and systemic struggles that transformed her from a caregiver into an advocate for those who help others. Having dedicated nearly two decades to supporting individuals through crisis and trauma, Bird found herself facing an unexpected crisis of her own, a time when reaching for help exposed immense financial, social, and emotional barriers that deeply impacted her life and career.

Bird’s story sheds light on the challenges of navigating mental health and trauma recovery from within the helping professions, where the reality of moral injury and burnout is often hidden beneath a professional veneer. In a powerful conversation about resilience, trauma-focused care, and the urgent need for compassionate peer support in high-stakes careers, Bird discusses the founding of Kindred Way and her mission to change how we care for caregivers. Please tune in to explore how systemic reform, trauma-informed practices, and the voices of those delivering essential services can shape a future of support and healing for those who help us all.