Happy New Year! We're kicking off 2026 with something special.
This week, we sit down with Dr. Susanna (Sanna) Calvert, a woman who turned a lifetime of trauma into a mission to teach the world how to bounce back better. The daughter of two refugees, Sanna grew up surrounded by trauma and spent decades learning, the hard way, how to build resilience. And then, after a spiritual awakening, she did something wild: she quit her dream job at the University of Georgia and poured her life savings into creating two nonprofits dedicated to teaching people the skills they need to thrive.
Because here's the thing Sanna knows that so many of us forget: resilience isn't something you're born with. It's a skill. And it can be learned.
This conversation is about hope, healing, getting out of your own way, and why teaching emotional resilience to kids and adults could change everything.
π This episode drops Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 3 AM ET βHow to Build Emotional Resilience: Susanna Calvert on Healing Trauma and Mental Health
π What's Up with G-Rex & Dirty Skittles
Hey fam β G-Rex here. Happy New Year! I can feel it in my bones that 2026 is going to be something special.
I've been doing a lot of quiet planning for my company, and I'm realizing it's not just about making money (though that would be nice, hello universe π). It's about being intentional with my time and actually doing things that light me up. I picked up a pro bono client who also happens to be a career coach, so we're basically keeping each other accountable and unlocking potential together. It's been amazing.
Dirty Skittles and I are also being super intentional about our guest lineup for 2026. We've got some incredible conversations coming, and we might have a few surprises up our sleeves in the next couple of months. π
My New Year's Eve was exactly what I needed β quiet, cozy, just me and my wife. Living in the country means no fireworks keeping you up until 3 AM, which honestly feels like a win. I didn't work at all for the last couple of weeks, and I spent that time just being present and grateful for everything we've built, especially this podcast.
Dirty Skittles also had a low-key holiday, and she just finished her office setup. I'm secretly super jealous because it looks like the perfect reading nook, and I would live in there if I could.
We're kicking off recordings on January 17th, and the 2026 lineup is chef's kiss. Speaking of which β are there any guests you'd LOVE for us to have on the podcast? Hit reply and let us know.
Oh, and heads up: we're moving the newsletter from Kit.com to Substack in the next couple of months. Don't panic! It'll still be free, and we'll give you tons of notice before the switch. We're doing it to create more of a community vibe where we can spotlight our guests and really connect with all of you.
πΈ Grab Your Free $20 Wellness Credit from Maavee
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π₯ Special Shout-Out to Women Supporting Women
π Meet Krista Dykes
She Laughs Media is a boutique podcast booking and publicity agency dedicated to amplifying the voices of mission-driven entrepreneurs, artists, authors, and experts. With media contacts spanning top-tier national outlets and local press, we specialize in creating strategic, faith-rooted storytelling campaigns that connect clients with their ideal audiences. Founded on Proverbs 31:25 β "She laughs at the time to come" β we combine integrity, creativity, white glove service, and world-class media savvy to help clients build lasting visibility and meaningful impact. Learn more at shelaughsmedia.com.
Use this worksheet to explore what might be in your way, how to develop resilience as a skill, and where hope shows up in your healing journey.
π€ Episode Spotlight: Sanna's Story
Some people spend their whole lives trying to outrun their trauma. Sanna decided to turn around and study it instead.
The daughter of two refugees, Dr. Susanna (Sanna) Calvert grew up in a home filled with unhealed pain. At 14, she had a moment of clarity: This is not right. I can decide for myself what's right. And from that moment on, she began the long, hard work of learning how to be resilient, not because someone taught her, but because survival demanded it.
She went on to build a career as an educator, eventually landing her dream job at the University of Georgia, where she supported faculty success and well-being. She was living the life she'd worked so hard to create. And then, after a series of personal tragedies and a spiritual awakening, she received what she calls divine inspiration: quit your dream job and use your life savings to start a nonprofit that teaches people how to build resilience.
So she did.
In 2018, Sanna founded the Foundation for Family and Community Healing, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching kids and adults the emotional resilience skills that schools and workplaces don't. Because resilience isn't something you're born with. It's a skill. And it can be learned.
Sanna also created a second nonprofit, Sanctuary of Earth, focused on spiritual skill development. Together, these organizations offer a comprehensive approach to healing that spans the spectrum from fragility to flourishing. The idea is simple but powerful: we all exist somewhere on that continuum, and we can all benefit from moving toward the resilient end.
In this conversation, Sanna opens up about growing up with trauma, the moment at 14 when she decided she could choose differently, and why she believes the hardest lesson she's still learning is how to get out of her own way. She talks about the shift from being a "Type A control freak hot mess" to experiencing deep inner peace, and how that peace has allowed poetry and hope to rise up from a place she didn't even know existed.
Sanna also shares her vision for a future where communities heal together, not in generational silos. She believes we're approaching a critical mass, a moment where enough people will decide, We're doing this. We're making this change. And that collective shift will create an upward spiral, just like the downward one we've been in, but this time toward healing, connection, and resilience.
This episode is about hope. It's about the power of getting out of your own way. It's about transforming trauma into purpose. And it's about believing that no matter how shitty things seem, it's all part of the path, and one day it will make sense.
At the heart of this conversation is a truth Sanna has spent her life proving: resilience is not a trait you're born with. It's a skill you develop, piece by piece, failure by failure, lesson by lesson.
Sanna grew up watching her parents carry the weight of being refugees, and she absorbed their trauma in ways she didn't fully understand until much later. At 14, she realized she could decide for herself what was right, and that realization became the foundation of everything that followed.
But here's what makes Sanna's story so powerful: she didn't just heal herself and move on. She turned her healing into a mission. She spent decades studying the science of well-being, coaching, and resilience, and then she created a platform where anyone, anywhere in the world, can learn the same skills she had to fight to develop.
And she's not just talking about individual healing. Sanna believes we're on the verge of a collective upward spiral, a moment where enough people will wake up and say, We're not doing this anymore. We're choosing differently. And that shift will create momentum, just like the downward spiral has, but this time toward hope, healing, and connection.
π« A quote that stuck with us
"The hardest lesson is to get out of my way. I am in my way in so many shapes and sizes. I'm very creative at getting in my way." β Dr. Susanna Calvert
ποΈ Real Talk from Us
"When Sanna talked about being 14 and deciding she could choose for herself what was right, I felt that. That's the moment everything changes. That's when you stop accepting what you've been told and start trusting yourself. And the fact that she's spent her whole life building on that one moment? That's the work." β G-Rex
"What got me was when she said her favorite word is hope. Not because hope is easy, but because she's choosing it. She's writing poems about it. She's building organizations around it. That's what resilience looks like, not avoiding the pain, but transforming it into something that helps other people." β Dirty Skittles
π Reflection Prompts to Sit With
What would you tell your 14-year-old self if you could go back?
Where in your life are you getting in your own way?
What does resilience look like for you right now, in this season?
If hope is a skill, how can you practice it this week?
π± Gentle Reminder
You don't have to be born resilient to become resilient.
Healing is not a destination. It's a practice. It's getting out of your own way, over and over again, even when you're really creative at blocking yourself. It's choosing hope, not because everything is fine, but because hope is a skill you can develop.
And you don't have to do it alone.
π€ Meet Our Guest β Dr. Susanna (Sanna) Calvert
Following a 26-year career in higher education, Dr. Susanna (Sanna) Wu-Pong Calvert, MAPP, PhD is the Founder and Head of Strategy for two 501(c)(3) nonprofits: the Foundation for Family and Community Healing (www.HealingEdu.org), dedicated to fostering resilience and well-being through skill development, and Sanctuary of Earth (www.SanctuaryOfEarth.org), focused on actualizing human spiritual potential. She is also Community Director of MentalHealth.com.
Dr. Calvert has authored nearly 100 journal articles, books, book chapters, and abstracts, and has written hundreds of blogs, including for Psychology Today.
She is a former radio host on WRWK 93.9 FM, host of Tarot for Starseed on Ethereal TV, and a consultant, Reiki Master/energy healer, and intuitive coach (www.SusannaCalvert.com).
Resilience is a learned skill, not a personality trait
Getting out of your own way is a lifelong practice
Trauma can be transformed into purpose and service
Hope is not just a feeling, it's something you cultivate
Healing doesn't happen in isolation, we need community
Schools and workplaces don't teach emotional resilience, but we can learn it anyway
πͺ Actionable Steps
1οΈβ£ Visit HealingEdu.org and explore the resilience courses available (subscriptions start at $25/month for access to all 25+ courses)
2οΈβ£ Reflect on one way you might be getting in your own way this week, and choose one small step to shift it
3οΈβ£ Practice hope as a skill: write down three things you're hopeful about, even if they feel small
4οΈβ£ Think about one resilience skill you want to develop (emotional regulation, boundary-setting, self-compassion) and commit to learning more about it
5οΈβ£ Share this episode with someone who needs to hear that resilience can be learned
6οΈβ£ If you work in education, nonprofits, or government, reach out to Sanna at susanna@healingedu.org to explore bringing resilience training to your community
π¬ Listener Engagement
What's one way you've been getting in your own way? What does resilience look like for you right now?
Reply to this email or tag us on Instagram @grex_and_dirtyskittles with your reflections. We read every message, always.
β Subscribe, Rate & Review
If Sanna's story reminded you that resilience is a skill you can learn, please subscribe, rate, and review on Apple or Spotify.
Your words help others find the stories that might change their lives.
β€οΈ Closing Remarks
If you've ever felt like resilience is something other people have and you don't, this episode is for you.
If you've ever wondered if healing is actually possible, this episode is for you.
If you've ever been in your own way and didn't know how to get out of it, this episode is for you.
Sanna's story is a reminder that resilience isn't a gift you're born with. It's a skill you build, brick by brick, lesson by lesson, failure by failure. And the beautiful thing? You can start building it today.
You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be willing to keep showing up, to keep learning, and to keep getting out of your own way.
We're so glad you're here. Happy New Year. Let's make 2026 the year we choose resilience, hope, and healing, together.
With so much love, βG-Rex & Dirty Skittlesβ βChanging the way we talk about mental health, one real convo at a time.
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G-Rex & Dirty Skittles
It's ok to be not ok, just make sure you're talking to someone
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