Why This Story Matters: Reflections on Mary Vicario’s Interview with Women of Cincy

Mary Vicario as the Hope Dealer

Sometimes, an interview doesn’t just tell a story—it reminds you why you started in the first place.

On a quiet November afternoon inside Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, Mary sat down with Cathryn Schehr from Women of Cincy to share her journey. What began as a conversation quickly unfolded into something much more meaningful. We see ourselves in these stories—not just the facts and the frameworks, but the heart behind the work.

If you haven’t read it yet, we hope you will: Read the full interview here. And if you have, allow us to share what it means to us—and why we’re passing it on.

This Work Has Always Been Personal

At Finding Hope Consulting, our mission has always centered around one thing: creating safe spaces where healing can begin.

Mary’s story is the root of that mission. Her father’s belief in the power of teachers, her early years in Montessori classrooms, her passion for turning neuroscience into something anyone can understand—it’s all there. These are not abstract ideas. They’re lived truths.

When Mary talks about the children who shaped her work or the mentors who challenged her to think deeper, she’s reminding all of us that healing doesn’t come from clinical distance. It comes from connection. From remembering that every person in the room has a story that makes sense, and we all have the power to listen carefully enough to hear it.

Our Tools Are Rooted in Relationship

In the interview, you’ll read about things like the Fear Cascade model, trauma-informed timelines, and the idea of “safe flocks.” These tools didn’t come from textbooks—they came from real life.

We watched systems fail the very people they were built to serve. We saw how “compliance” was mistaken for healing. And we decided to do something different.

Mary’s biographical timelines, for instance, began as a way to shift the conversation. To move beyond case files and diagnoses and see the whole human. Above the line: strength. Below the line: struggle. And running through it all, the emotional truth that often goes unspoken.

These aren’t just exercises. They’re invitations—to empathy, to deeper thinking, to change.

We Believe Science Should Feel Like Hope

Mary often jokes that she teaches “the Disney version of neuroscience”—but the truth is, she teaches it in a way that people actually remember.

You don’t need a degree to understand what your brain is doing when you’re stressed, or why your body reacts the way it does. You just need someone to explain it in plain language, with care and humility.

That’s what we try to do at Finding Hope. Whether it’s a child in play therapy, a teacher trying to reach a student, or a first responder working to stay fresh on the frontlines — everyone deserves access to tools that help them heal. And that access should come without shame, without pretense, and without gatekeeping.

The Work Is Bigger Than Any One Person

One of the greatest joys in this journey has been seeing how others have adapted and extended the work. From tribal nations using the Fear Cascade to help preschoolers, to service providers using trauma timelines to support survivors of trafficking—this is what we mean when we talk about resilience.

When people take an idea and make it their own, it tells us we’re on the right path. It tells us this isn’t just Mary’s story. It’s all of ours.

Looking Ahead, With Open Hands

Mary keeps a running list on her phone of things she still wants to do. (If you know her, this won’t surprise you.)

At the top is a vision for expanding trauma-responsive care training to more audiences—parents, educators, court workers, community leaders. And not just teaching the science but translating it into tools people can actually use.

That’s why we’re so grateful for this interview. It’s a snapshot of what drives us. A window into the why.

And it’s also a reminder: our strength is in our stories. The ones we’ve lived. The ones we’re still writing. And the ones we dare to share, even when it’s hard.

An Invitation to Join Us

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to be trauma-informed—or if you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit the mold of traditional care—we hope you’ll read Mary’s interview. We think you’ll see yourself in it.

And we hope you’ll stay with us. There’s more work to do. But we’re not doing it alone.

👉 Read the full interview with Mary Vicario on Women of Cincy

— With care, The Finding Hope Team