
Thus far, this podcast has entirely been a labor of love.
Recent Episodes
- Dr. Luc Schneider: Decision Fatigue! Can you relate?We, personally, don’t know anyone who is not buckling under the weight of Decision Fatigue and Cognitive Overload. Laura has the privilege of being in conversation with Dr. Luc Schneider this week. We learn that a good decision is not necessarily one that has a good outcome, but rather one that has been made through a good decision making process. Dr. Schneider explains what that entails and generously answers all of Laura’s questions as they relate to decision fatigue and how to balance being thorough with not obsessing or perseverating. We learn how overconfidence and underconfidence play into how we decide things and touch on the role of vulnerability and why it’s so important to not be isolated in our decision making. Given how ubiquitous this fatigue is, we are thrilled to be able to offer Dr. Schneider’s insights with the hope of lightening everyone’s load a bit.
- Celeste Coler: Cultivating & Maintaining Self-Respect in the Face of Societal HeadwindsCultivating and maintaining self-respect in the face of societal headwinds can be extremely difficult and feel like a real reach on any given day. That’s the subject of this week’s conversation between Laura and recent college graduate, and soon-to-be medical school student, Celeste Coler. They start by talking about the fraught process of being accepted into, or rejected from, schools and jobs. From there, Celeste shares beautifully about navigating recent loss and trauma in her life. Being mixed race there’s lots to talk about in terms of being a part of predominantly white institutions, and they end on an inspiring note with Celeste describing the incredibly important work she and her peers have done to promote a culture of consent and sex positivity in college. One can’t walk away from this conversation without feeling a lot better about today’s current landscape.
- Flynn Coleman: On the Urgency of Humanely Designed AI & Reimagining Our RealityWe continue our launch of Season Two talking with Flynn Coleman about the urgency of humanely designed artificial intelligence, what it means to work for social and environmental justice in a sustainable way, and why it’s critical to not neglect joy & beauty. Flynn is an international human rights attorney, author, and artificial intelligence expert. Having spent years at the forefront of conversations on the urgency of humanely designed AI, Flynn and Laura talk about how quickly the current landscape is changing and the larger implications of what it means to do work that will never be completed in one’s own lifetime. They explore the importance of being kind, flexible, and curious with oneself when making choices of how to spend one’s time and where to direct one’s attention. And with Flynn living in Florence, Italy, they affirm the importance of creating space for beauty, whether that is art, multilingualism, or connection with loved ones. We are delighted to learn from Flynn’s incredible life experience and while parts of their conversation are particularly relevant to the here and now, even more of it is timeless.
About the Show
We will have conversations about what to do in the face of our overwhelm and how to do it, and we will be guided by listeners’ questions.
Each week, Laura and a guest will discuss concrete strategies we can use to mitigate harm, cultivate our ability to bring our A-game to whatever we’re doing (or as close as we can get), and move beyond what can feel like permanent survival mode. Some weeks will be geared more towards adults, and others towards adolescents and anyone who loves, lives, or works with them. Together, we’ll focus on the merits of staying present, not missing out on today, and trying to avoid future tripping.
We hope that Future Tripping will offer listeners insight into what is currently overwhelming them and tactical skills for sustaining themselves and contributing, however much they’d like, to larger systemic and structural changes.
Show Merch

Pins by 6-year-old Casey
Every pin is unique and made by Casey! Casey came on to Future Tripping to help us explore being gender expansive!
All proceeds go to LGBTQ+ organizations in Texas and Florida.
Got a question for one of our guests?
Email info@traumastewardship.com or leave a message at 360-228-5804.
Guests Include
- Ed Yong
- Lily Cornell Silver
- Vance Vredenburg
- Connie Burk
- Beth Macy
- Flynn Resnick
- Michele Storms
- Jon Conte
- Matthew Reddam
- Welela Solomon
- Brother Pháp Hữu

About Laura
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute and author of Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others and The Age of Overwhelm. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of trauma exposure, she has worked locally, nationally, and internationally for more than three decades.