Nervous System Resilience with Jen Schneeman

How do you define resilience? In American culture, resilience is often equated with “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”. But in reality, it is all about. nervous system capacity.  In this episode of A Trauma-Informed Future podcast, host Katie Kurtz is joined by Jen Schneeman for a rich, trauma-informed conversation that challenges the idea that people should simply “bounce back.” Together, they explore the difference between resilience and malleability, drawing on neuroscience, somatic wisdom, and lived experience to unpack how stress, trauma, and healing live not just in the mind, but in the body.Learn more about Jen:Jen Schneeman is a soul-driven scientist, holistic mental health coach and trauma-informed nervous system specialist who helps individuals and communities reclaim personal energy, prevent burnout and live in their bodies with ease. With a deep understanding of the nervous system, trauma recovery, and human energy patterns, Jen bridges science + spirit to guide people toward resilience, self-trust, and inner freedom.Jen began her career as a science + tech advisor with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office, and later as a Deputy at the Air Force Research Lab, Human Performance Wing. There she managed a collaborative research portfolio focused on how nutrition, disease, brain injury and stressors uniquely affect human susceptibility, resilience and future determinants of health.Her lived experience of toxic stress-related burnout in a post-9/11 environment catalyzed her personal and professional transformation. Jen committed to the applied science of therapeutic mindbody connection programs to support sustainable healing and energy restoration. She knows firsthand that no amount of bootstrapping can truly reignite a system shut down by chronic stress, concussion, addiction, trauma, or pain — but that regenerative nervous system care can.Jen brings this knowledge to life through her Self-Care and Resilience (SCAR) program, a multi-tiered nervous system restoration framework tailored to reduce stress, improve coping, and restore vitality. Her signature offering, Everyday Resilience, empowers people to stay present in joy and grounded in struggle using the ABCs of Presence that makes recovery and regulation tangible, practical, and embodied.She has brought trauma-informed, nervous system-based programming to three VA Medical Centers, PTSD and TBI residential programs, addiction treatment centers, treatment courts, support groups, and beyond. She has also launched mindbody connection programs within two NFL teams, three military branches, four addiction treatment centers, dozens of corporations, hundreds of veterans and thousands of medical, mental health, and caregiving professionals.Today, Jen facilitates resilience-based programs for medical professionals, caregivers and survivors of sexual assault, addiction, PTSD and brain injury. Since COVID she expanded programming to real humans just like us.Jen is a sought-after public speaker, coach, facilitator of retreats and workforce wellness trainings, bringing humor, depth, and practical wisdom to her audiences. Her work is featured across local and national platforms, with data outcomes presented at major behavioral health conferences. Her passion lies in making mental health education trauma-informed, accessible, and regenerative. She’s also deeply committed to the power of peer support, serving as the resilience coach in Hey I’m Here Ohio, a youth-led movement growing resilience in Ohio’s young people.She is also a mother, spouse, nature lover and an adventurer who values autonomy, awe, connection to spirit and walking barefoot. Her personal healing journey informs her work and fuels her mission to build a world where trauma-informed nervous system literacy is the norm, not the exception.Connect with Jen:<Say ‘hello’ on Instagram or LinkedInCatch up on podcast episodesFREE Guide: Talking Through Turbulent TimesBook a 90 minute Strategy Session with Katie Get certified + create a sustainable practice with TRUST™ Works Interested in a keynote or consulting? Connect with Katie!