Resilient Butterfly

What does it look like to build a full, meaningful life when no one handed you a blueprint for it?

Dr. Sonya Friedman grew up in Brooklyn with little money and a father who wasn't present, and she turned every open door into something remarkable. She talked her way into a newspaper column she'd never written before, brought psychology into mainstream media decades before it was welcome there, worked alongside Barbara Walters, became...

Dr. Steven Klein came to addiction medicine through an unusual convergence of paths. A physician and scientist triple board certified in addiction medicine, pediatrics, and medical genetics, he also carries lived experience in recovery that shapes everything about how he shows up for his patients. He speaks openly about his own relationship with substances, with food, and with the kind of internal noise that most people in active a...

What does it look like when someone spends decades performing function while quietly falling apart on the inside?

Brad Walsh grew up in a small Illinois town where drinking was woven into every family occasion, and by sixth grade he was already the ringleader with a box of liquor and a habit of filling bottles back up with water. What followed was decades of being the life of every party and the loneliest person in the room. Ski wee...

What does it take to face stage four cancer twice and come out the other side not just surviving, but fully alive?

Pam Feinberg-Rivkin was re-diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2020, this time with a spot on her liver, and just a year after losing a brother to cancer. She had already done the chemotherapy, the radiation, the surgery. But she knew something else was needed, something the oncology appointments couldn't offer. That se...

In this episode of Resilient Butterfly, Pam Feinberg speaks with Dave Aronberg about the “Florida Shuffle”—a term used to describe fraudulent and predatory practices within the addiction treatment industry. This conversation explores addiction treatment fraud, regulatory oversight, and the urgent need for accountability to protect individuals and families seeking recovery.

The episode honors the legacy of Jamie Dan...

What happens when the thing that once felt like relief slowly becomes the thing that takes everything from you?

Brad Lamm shares the long arc of his story, from growing up in a Quaker household in Oregon to discovering alcohol at 15 and feeling, for the first time, a kind of emotional numbness that felt like safety. What started as a powerful escape eventually cost him relationships, trust, and a career he loved as a morning televis...

Some stories stay with you long after you hear them. This is one of those conversations. Pam sits with Jenni Frumer and Holocaust survivor Rose Rosenkrantz, whose life began in a Siberian labor camp during World War II. What unfolds is not just history, but a deeply human story of survival, loss, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going.

Rose shares how her parents endured unimaginable conditions, how she was born against all o...

What does survival really look like when the world you knew is gone?

Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits with Dr. Jenny Frumer and Carol Weinstein to honor the life of Carol’s father, Joe Rubenfeld, who survived eight concentration camps, including Auschwitz, after being separated from his family at just 11 years old. Carol shares the pieces of her father’s story that he was able to tell, the mysterious words he repeated every day ...

Trauma does not always come from one clear moment. Sometimes it lives in layers, in patterns that repeat, in reactions that feel bigger than the present moment. Host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits down with therapist Brian Gong to talk through what EMDR really is, how it works beyond talk therapy, and why insight alone is not always enough to create change.

Brian shares what drew him into therapy, how he found EMDR, and what he has seen o...

Candy Finnigan joins host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin for a deeply honest conversation about recovery, intervention, and the moments that quietly change everything. Candy shares the personal turning point that led her into sobriety, long before her life appeared to be falling apart on the outside, and reflects on how one family member’s refusal to look away altered the course of her marriage, motherhood, and future.

As the conversatio...

This conversation opens up the story behind a long-standing partnership built on advocacy, recovery, and a belief that healing is never one size fits all. Host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits down with her business partner and friend, Steve Feldman, to reflect on how their work grew from early consulting roots into a nationwide model grounded in care coordination, integrity, and resilience.

They talk honestly about long-term recovery, fami...

In this powerful episode of Resilient Butterfly, host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits down with Dr. Lori Leyden, PhD, to explore a deeply personal and transformative journey of healing trauma through compassion, presence, and grace. Dr. Leyden shares how her own childhood trauma, near death experience, and lifelong spiritual inquiry led her to develop a trauma healing approach now used around the world.

Together, they discuss her humanitar...

In this episode of Resilient Butterfly, we explore resilience, healing, and the many pathways available for trauma recovery. We believe there is more than one way to heal, and this conversation is about expanding possibility rather than endorsing any single approach.

Host Pam Feinberg Rivkin sits down with Dr. Chantel Thomas to discuss her personal journey into trauma, addiction, and recovery work. Dr. Thomas shares how her family b...

In this episode of Resilient Butterfly, we sit down with trauma therapist Ryan Soave to explore how trauma shows up in our lives, even when we do not recognize it. We talk about the difference between stress and trauma, why childhood patterns follow us into adulthood, and how recovery often begins with understanding rather than blame. Ryan shares how his own healing led him into this work and why emotional vulnerability matters, es...

Join Resilient Butterfly host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin as she sits down with licensed mental health counselor and author Tricia Youngs to explore what it truly takes to heal from complex trauma. Tricia shares the story behind her book Rescued, her early recovery journey, the turning points that shaped her resilience, and the deep emotional work that led her to help others heal. She explains the hidden roots of love addiction, the impact...

In this inspiring episode of Resilient Butterfly, host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits down with Dr. Kimberly Dunn, Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University and Executive Director of Champions Empowering Champions. Dr. Dunn shares her remarkable journey as a first-generation college student who briefly experienced foster care during a challenging time in her family, then went on to earn her Ph.D., build a fulfilling academic car...

In this deeply moving episode of Resilient Butterfly, host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin welcomes Erica Coulston, co-founder of Walk The Line Spinal Cord Injury Recovery. Erica shares her extraordinary 24-year journey following a life-changing accident—one defined by resilience, innovation, and unwavering determination. Together, they explore how Erica transformed personal tragedy into purpose, building a thriving recovery community an...

In this episode of Resilient Butterfly, host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits down with Jonathan Kemp, an author and mental health advocate from the U.K. whose remarkable story redefines resilience. Born into privilege and tradition as the future third Viscount Rockdale, Jonathan shares his deeply personal journey through dyslexia, bipolar disorder, and the generational pressures of aristocratic life. From working as a police officer to bu...

In this heartfelt conversation, host Pam Feinberg-Rivkin sits down with author and advocate Julie Barth to talk about resilience through life’s most difficult seasons. Julie shares her journey as a young caregiver to her daughter born with special needs, her husband Colin’s battle with pancreatic cancer, and her decade-long struggle in an abusive marriage. With raw honesty, she reflects on the loneliness of caregiving, ...