Sozo House NWA

04/02/2026

“I wonder where I’d be if I had a place like this 10 years ago when I needed it.”

We were getting ready to complete the build of Sozo House’s retreat home, and a friend wanted to refer a very well-known and affluential person to come see and hear about it.

I didn’t know this man, or any of his story, only that a lot of people know who he is- and that probably means not many people actually know him.

He showed up about half an hour late, as many important people might do, because everyone wants a piece of their time.

I knew that he was just coming out of courtesy of our mutual friend, but I was always glad to have the chance to tell our story.

As we walked through the house, he didn’t say much, or indicate what he was thinking, but every now and then I caught a nod of his approval.

 Like many leaders, he had learned to hold his cards close to his chest. He just listened as I told him our hopes of offering this place as a free gift to community leaders and helpers.

Then he finally asked, “What made you want to do this?”

Now we’re getting personal. At least it is for me.

I told him about the tragedy of seeing the effects of burnout on ministry leaders and their families, the fall from grace, or the endless- quiet suffering and isolation as the problems only grew.

And how they deserved better, and how better for them is also better for those they serve.

Right there in front of me, he began choking on tears that had been held back for… God knows how long. Then…

“I bet you didn’t know I used to be in ministry”. He searched my face for a reaction.

His long pause told me what he wanted to say next was really important.

“I wonder if I’d still be there today if I had a place like this when I really needed it.”

Grief poured out of this stoic, very important man, as he recalled the passion and hope he once held, that was lost to all he had endured all those years ago.

He grieved not being known, or having a place to land.

He grieved what unfolded after he left his ministry, and the shrapnel his family was hit with in the fallout.

Sozo House started with the same question:

What if leaders had a confidential space for support and restoration?

03/31/2026

Some of the people carrying the most responsibility
have the fewest places to receive care.

Leaders.
Non-Profits.
First Responders.
People others depend on.

They often need a level of support that goes beyond what traditional weekly models can provide— and they need it in a setting that offers both depth and confidentiality.

At Sozo House, we’re building toward something bigger than a single retreat space.

Our long-term vision is to create a model where people in these roles can access this level of care without financial barriers.

Because the people holding everything together
shouldn’t be the ones quietly burning out.

03/31/2026

We are so excited to partner with experts in the field of women’s health to offer this workshop as a chance to learn together, and have fun talking about the wisdom of a woman’s body- in every phase of life. We’ll see you there!

02/19/2026

If I'm honest, I've never loved creating content. It feels intimidating to get it all "right". But I've decided to show up here, my own authentic and messy way, because I want to share all the things decades of experience, training, and mistakes have taught me on being a better therapist, wife, mother, friend, and person of faith.

I'd love for you to join me and be part of the conversation!

Trauma and Relationship Therapist, Executive Director of Sozo House, here to share what I know... and what I don't. Click to read Brook Smith, a Substack publication. Launched an hour ago.

02/04/2026

🗣️🎙️

In 1993, I learned a lesson that took me 20 years to unlearn. I was one year old, watching two people I loved argue...

Same fight, same words, same volume, over and over. One would shout. The other would shut down. Nobody ever changed their mind.

The lesson I absorbed without realising it was ... if your right, just push hard enough and the other person will eventually come around... or get tired.

At 21, I found myself in the exact same pattern. Mid-argument with my girlfriend at 2am, armed with what I thought was bulletproof logic. I had the facts. I had the reasoning. I was calm, rational, correct.

But the more logical I became, the more she shut down. Like throwing petrol on a bonfire. I thought the problem was her. Took me years and a conversation with a neuroscientist to realise the problem was actually me.

Or more specifically, the order in which I was making my argument. Tali Sharot is a professor of cognitive neuroscience at UCL and MIT - I had the pleasure of interviewing her twice for about 6 hours

Her team put 42 people into brain scanners in pairs and asked them to estimate house prices. Each person could see the others answer and how confident they were.

When the pair agreed, their brains synced up. Open. Receptive. Encoding.

But the moment they disagreed, that tracking mechanism just... switched off. The brain stopped weighing the strength of the other persons conviction. It didn't matter how confident they were or how much evidence they had.

Once disagreement was detected, the opposing view got categorised as wrong and the brain moved on. They remembered what the other person said. They just stopped caring how certain the other person was when they said it.

Think about someone in your life who responds to everything with "I disagree" as the first words out their mouth. Maybe a colleague. Maybe a family member?

You know the feeling. Before they've even finished their sentence, something in you has already closed off...

Sharot's answer is simple... don't lead with the disagreement. The moment you say "I disagree" or "your wrong," you've basically closed the door your trying to walk through.

Instead, lead with the thing you both already agree on. She points to a study on vaccine hesitancy. When researchers argued about safety data it didn't work.

But when they reframed around something both sides already believed, that parents want to protect their kids from deadly diseases, minds actually changed.

✅ In practice: instead of "I disagree, heres why" you would say "I think we both want the same outcome here. One thing I've noticed is..."

✅ Instead of "that won't work" you would say "I like this part of what your proposing. What if we built on it by..."

"If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend." - Abraham Lincoln, 1842

12/11/2025

12/02/2025

Have you ever looked at foster parents who are struggling and felt their pain, but didn’t know how to help? ❤️‍🩹Or wondered how first responders or the staff at a place like Hope Cancer do what they do everyday?

You may not be a therapist, lawyer or have time outside of your demanding schedule to be able to help.... but YOU ARE VITAL!

I’m grateful for the privelege of serving the helpers and healers of our community. We have big goals and needs! With a yearly need of $120k to provide our services at low to no cost, WE NEED YOU!

❄️We have foster/adoptive families waiting for scholarships for the chance to come and receive support as they navigate trauma and safe connection in their home.
❄️2 other nonprofit organizations are seeking scholarships so we can come provide secondary trauma care to their staff.

There are many amazing organizations to give to in NWA. Pick one, give BIG. You have no idea what a gift it is to nonprofit leaders when you give. Not only are you supporting the mission we are all so passionate about, you relieve us of the time and cost it requires to spend on fundraising and frees us to focus on the mission and people in front of us. They are the mission. So whoever or wherever you give this year, THANK YOU!

❤️We can’t do this work without the help of people like YOU! Go to the link in our bio or in the comments to give today.

10/07/2025

It is always so fun to be a guest on ’s podcast ! (I love you 5 times, Susan! ♥️) And man, we could have talked about this piece of scripture all day together discussing how Jesus has been the mana that sustains us through really hard times. Not only that, but treasuring those experiences with him- better than silver or gold, better than being preserved from hard stuff. Have you experienced this kind of mana? Tell us about it!

08/24/2025

This is so exciting! Rachel is an incredible artist and I had the opportunity to attend one of her workshops last year. Ever since, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to share what she’s doing with the community and my therapy colleagues.

I’m not at all artistic… or so I thought. I treasure the piece I created. This is for the artist in all of us!

Friday morning Sept 12 is curated for the experience of therapists, and the 2 times on Sept 19 are open to the community. We have Early Bird pricing until Aug 26. Spots are filling up quickly!

Practice owners, business owners and supervisors, this is a great opportunity for you to invest in and support the self-care of your team, and a great team experience. E-mail me directly to discuss sponsoring a workshop for your team ♥️

Go to www.sozohousenwa.com/events to purchase your tickets. Link in bio and comments.

08/05/2025

Raffle Update 👀

Our Weekend Stay at Sozo House Raffle is officially closed! Thank you to everyone who participated! Your generosity helped us put some finishing touches on the house, and we are now ready to host clients!

The announcement will happen tomorrow (8/6), so check back to see who the lucky winner is!

07/29/2025

At Sozo House, we believe that intensive counseling provides a unique opportunity to discover life-changing breakthroughs with highly trained therapists.

We offer Half-Day Sessions, 3 or 5-Day Intensives, and Group Counseling. Swipe through to learn more!

07/25/2025

Deeply connected = being fully yourself, fully known, and supported in being the “best you can be”. This is when we grow and thrive the most!