Hope & Truth
Our world has changed in ways large and small since the COVID-19 pandemic. In Hope & Truth we delve into the ways people coped with loss, change, and moved toward hope through personal stories. It wasn’t supposed to be this way — but we are ever resilient.
Season 1, Episode 3: The Educators
In this episode, Debra talks to STEM teacher Cari Kelm, of Pennsylvania, and Denise Tirimacco, a kindergarten teacher in Minnesota. They like other teachers transformed — nearly overnight — how they connected with their students, during COVID shutdowns. How could they create a nurturing, engaging connection from a distance? Cari and Denise talk about the fears, frustrations, and the joys at the start of a new school year.
Meet the Host

Host Debra Whittam, licensed therapist, takes us through journeys of grief and overcoming in this podcast.
During more than 15 years treating clients, her diverse experience includes addiction rehabilitation therapy in both inpatient and and outpatient settings, trauma, abuse, grief, anxiety, OCD, and depression. Debra believes in the importance of authenticity in connecting with clients, their loved ones, and unveiling impacts of the family dynamic on psychosomatic conditions and the healing process.
In her book, “Am I Going To Be Okay? Weathering the Storms of Mental Illness, Addiction and Grief” (2016) and her most recent publication, “Everything That’s Been Waiting” she speaks from a position of personal experience with abuse, anxiety and addiction.