I’m, first and foremost, a trauma survivor who has overcome my own battles in order to better serve those I work with. I believe that the most important aspect of being a helping professional is doing our inner work first. I feel we cannot truly empower those we serve without facing our own trauma responses, biases, and beliefs that may impact the people we work with. I grew up in a highly traumatizing environment. As a result go my mother’s extreme trauma, I experienced emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, abandonment and neglect. I became a victim of a broken system as I witnessed my mother being misdiagnosed and over medicated. It wasn’t until I was twelve years old that my mother received a trauma-informed diagnosis- and everything began to chat for the both of us. 

During these pivotal developmental years, I struggled with a serious stimulant addiction. By thirteen years old I was using prescription and street drugs to avoid confronting what had happened to me. This continued for several years until my mother discovered what was going on and placed me in treatment. Although this didn’t end my addiction, it was the first step towards me realizing I was worth more than the life I had been living. I continued to drink and use drugs for the next seven years but I knew deep down I would have to eventually stop. There was something within me that felt a connection to a higher purpose. 

As I became an adult, I recognized that my upbringing had impacted me in many ways, and it would take sustained effort to make the changes necessary to function. I had survived addiction, domestic violence and self-harm. At the age of twenty one, I nearly died from a drug overdose, which ignited a spiritual awakening. That awakening marked the next step in my total transformation. 

I moved away from the town that had enabled my addictions and tried to start fresh. I left the service industry and began my trauma education. Determined to understand human behavior, I became a Trauma Response Syndrome Model Specialist. I also took a part-time job at a metaphysical store, which opened my eyes to alternative healing methods beyond therapy and trauma education. Once I realized the importance of whole body healing-mind, body, and spirit- I became a Reiki Master and an Ashtanga Yoga Teacher. 

A significant part of my healing journey was shaped by my husband, Kurtis. He was chronically ill and failed by the conventional medical system. He suffered from neurological Lyme disease and black mold exposure leading to extreme physiological symptoms that no doctor fully understood. My primary role as a child had been that of a caretaker. I had sen my mother in and out of psychiatric hospitals due to suicidal ideation and attempts. Because of this, I had learned from a young age how to handle crises and keep someone alive while being extremely ill. Though incredibly challenging, these experiences equipped her to support Kurtis through his battle with complex, misunderstood illnesses. She did everything she could to understand how diet and nutrition deeply affect physical, mental and spiritual health. I worked with countless professionals to find out why Kurtis was so sick. It wasn’t  until the last few days of his life that they met a Naturopathic Doctor who finally understood his condition. Unfortunately, it was too late. 

Savannah believes that Kurtis’s death was due to a lack of informed consent regarding the medication prescribed just weeks before his tragic and abrupt passing, and to the lack of trauma-informed care at the hospital he was admitted to during a medication-induced psychosis. After eight years of advocating for Kurtis within a broken system, Savannah experienced the worst betrayal imaginable- losing her husband to malpractice. This reinforced her views on the flaws in the biomedical model and the professionals who are supposed to support those it serves. One of my main goals in life is to empower those who feel betrayed by the system and are seeking an alternative perspective on health and overall wellbeing. I am passionate about educating others on informed consent, informed diagnosis, and patient advocacy. 

Over the years, I have made it her top priority to become the best version of herself in order to better serve her family and those impacted by trauma. I have attended wellness and yoga retreats and engaged in trauma therapy, Brainspotting, somatic experiencing, and talk therapy. I radically changed my  lifestyle and studied the importance of healing the nervous system through yoga, breath work and meditation. I  now proudly use my education and lived experience to serve those impacted by trauma. I provide one-on-one Trauma Response Syndrome Model direct care, trauma-informed coaching, and education on how trauma impacts behavior and physiology.  I co-founded One Planet Healing as a way to seek justice for my mother, Kurtis, my children and all those impacted by trauma- to help them feel empowered in a broken system. I created the Badge of Honor Program to education institutions on trauma- informed and trauma specific care. Through my catering company, Enlighten Catering, I offer trauma- informed dietary education and meals geared towards healing the nervous system. Alongside my mother, Kimberly Rezarch-co-founder of One Planet Healing I also develop and facilitate Retreat Within, all- inclusive wellness intensives.