Media as Medicine - #L.A. Rising – Stories of Healing, Help & Hope

When veteran wellness podcaster, Kim Marshall, was forced to flee on foot with two dogs and a suitcase in early January from Pacific Palisades during an unprecedented “fire hurricane," she didn’t expect to launch a podcast just weeks later. What began as a cathartic act of storytelling has evolved into a critical resource for fire victims across Southern California and a showcase for stories of resilience that can inspire other communities around the world impacted by extreme weather events.

“This isn’t just disaster reporting—it’s a living archive, a wellness toolkit, and a community healing platform,” says Marshall, who has contributed wellness segments to Spectrum News 1 since 2022 and hosted the Global Wellness Conversations podcast for the Global Wellness Summit for five years.

Psychological research confirms that narrative sharing is essential after trauma. By giving victims a voice and making room for reflection, stories can reduce isolation, increase agency, and even seed hope. For younger survivors—many of whom already endured the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic—the compounding trauma is especially acute. The build back of a community in SoCal alone will take at least five years. #L.A. Rising can be a beacon of light helping guide the way and an inspiration to other parts of the globe coping with the devastation caused by natural disasters.

Each episode of this one-of-a-kind podcast features a “Wellness Lift,” segment highlighting evidence-based, self-care tools from physicians, grief counselors, and resilience coaches. Experts in the nine initial episodes have included a Providence St. John’s Health Center grief specialist, a breathwork guide for managing anxiety and a balneologist explaining contrast bathing for lungs exposed to wildfire smoke.

“We designed this as a public square,” says Marshall. “There are so many fire-related scholarships, grants, and aid programs—but people don’t always know how to find them. Our podcast can help bridge that gap. It’s also a hopeful, healing alternative to the stressful global and local news that bombards us each day.”