This week on Girls with Grafts, Rachel talks with Mikki Rothbauer, a psychotherapist who has spent over twenty years helping burn survivors and their families at Regions Hospital Burn Center.

Mikki talks about what she has learned from years of supporting burn survivors, from the first days after injury to long-term healing. 💛 She leads burn support groups and coordinates a hospital-based Phoenix SOAR program. Mikki often reminds patients, “support group needs you.” In this episode, she explains why letting survivors choose to join peer support can be an important part of recovery.

Rachel and Mikki discuss the emotional impacts of burn injuries, how to know when it may be time to get professional mental health help, and how resilience and confidence support healing. 💪 We also talk openly about topics that are often overlooked, like body image, sexuality, and intimacy after a burn injury, sharing both survivor and caregiver perspectives with honesty and care.

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories

⭐️ Enjoyed the show? Tell us by leaving a 5-star review and sharing on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors!

Mikki Rothbauer, MSW, LICSW, is a pediatric and adult burn and trauma psychotherapist who has worked with burn survivors and their families in a Level 1 trauma center for more than 21 years. She is deeply passionate about supporting survivors of burn and trauma injuries and considers it a privilege to be part of each patient’s healing journey.

Recognizing that burn and trauma injuries impact the entire family, Mikki works closely with patients and their support systems from the onset of injury through the months and years that follow. She emphasizes cognitive behavioral strategies to help address acute stress and PTSD symptoms, and her clinical focus also includes grief and loss, cosmetic differences, hidden burns and injuries, survivor’s guilt, and work-related injuries.

Mikki enjoys working with patients of all ages and uses a collaborative, patient-centered approach to support individuals as they return to living full and meaningful lives. She facilitates burn support groups, coordinates her center’s SOAR peer support program, and has a special interest in addressing body image and sexuality concerns during recovery.

In addition to her clinical work, Mikki has contributed to the field through published articles and book chapters related to trauma and burn recovery. She considers it a true honor to walk alongside patients and their loved ones as they navigate recovery after traumatic injury.

• Learn more about Phoenix SOAR: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/phoenix-soar
• Request a peer support visit through Phoenix Society: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/peer-support-request
• Read “Understanding Intimacy and Sexuality After Burn Injury:” https://phoenix-society.org/resources/understanding-intimacy-and-sexuality-after-burn-injury

Today’s podcast is powered by the Bert Martin Foundation! The Bert Martin Foundation was established to assist those who help others and provide financial support for nonprofit organizations. We’re honored to have the Bert Martin Foundation as a long-standing Phoenix Society Partner.

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org.

In honor of National Burn Awareness Week, Rachel and Amber sit down with burn survivor Shaun Free to talk about survival, healing, and the powerful growth that can come after trauma. Shaun shares the story of the propane explosion that changed his life, his long road through recovery, and how he reframed PTSD into what he calls post-traumatic growth. 💪

From building a propane forge and crafting knives as part of his healing, to returning to teach motorcycle safety classes just weeks after leaving the hospital, Shaun opens up about finding purpose again through creativity, service, and community. He also reflects on the mental side of recovery, his experience as a counselor at Camp Eyabsut, and what it was like to tattoo over grafted skin.

With honesty, humor, and heart, Shaun’s story is a reminder that recovery isn’t just about surviving—it’s about discovering who you can become on the other side. 💛

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories #NBAW #Ameriburn

⭐️ Enjoyed the show? Tell us by leaving a 5-star review and sharing on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors!

On March 13, 2018, Shaun Free survived a devastating industrial propane explosion. The 3,000-gallon delivery truck he was working beneath leaked 300 gallons of liquid propane, forming a thick, knee-high cloud that blanketed the ground. As Shaun tried to shut the main valve, something ignited the pool of gas he was lying in. In a blinding flash, his life changed forever. He crawled out from under the truck while on fire and saw widespread destruction—along with a life-saving snowbank Shaun ran to, using it to extinguish the flames.

He was airlifted from Montana to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Shaun sustained burns over 46% of his body, required multiple surgeries, coded, and experienced a near-death event. He remained intubated for 10 days while battling double pneumonia, MRSA in a burn graft on his left leg, and numerous other complications that kept him in the Burn ICU for weeks.

This experience revealed who he was and what he was capable of overcoming. Shaun learned how to make the most of a terrible situation, how to look beyond the chaos, and how to focus on anything that could help improve his circumstances. He now shares his journey—along with the experiences, successes, and failures that shaped his recovery—in the hope of guiding and inspiring others.

• Follow Shaun on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @Manonfiremoto
• Learn more about Camp Eyabsut: https://www.campeyabsut.org
• Watch our Girls with Grafts episode with Grace Flott: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQfyUTqTZ-k
• Learn more about National Burn Awareness Week: https://www.ameriburn.org/prevention/national-burn-awareness-week
• Learn more about Jocko Willink: https://jocko.com/
• Listen to “Turtles All the Way Down” by Sturgill Simpson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWx6csgGkg4
• Visit Dan Plexman’s website: https://www.danplexman.com/

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org.

Season 8 of Girls with Grafts opens with a powerful and timely conversation following the recent Crans-Montana bar fire tragedy. In this special episode, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors CEO Amy Acton steps into the moderator’s seat, guiding a discussion that centers both the human impact of fire and the need for prevention.

Amy is joined by Lorraine Carli, Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy at National Fire Protection Association, along with Rob Feeney and Gina Russo, both survivors of The Station Nightclub Fire. Together, they reflect on the parallels between past and present tragedies, examine gaps in fire safety systems and accountability, and explore how complacency, policy decisions, and community action can mean the difference between life and loss. 💛

This episode goes beyond headlines—It’s a sobering but hopeful start to season 8, reminding us that prevention is possible, and that change begins when we choose to act. 🙏

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories

⭐️ Enjoyed the show? Tell us by leaving a 5-star review and sharing on social media using hashtag #GirlswithGrafts and tagging Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors!

Lorraine Carli joined NFPA in 2006 and serves as Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy, overseeing media, public affairs, government affairs, advocacy, wildfire initiatives, and public education. She also leads NFPA’s U.S. and Canada regional operations and NFPA Journal®. Lorraine holds degrees from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts and serves in leadership roles with the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation, the Electric Safety Foundation International, and The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.

Rob Feeney is a survivor of The Station Nightclub Fire and a dedicated fire safety advocate. He is a trained Phoenix SOAR Peer Supporter and Phoenix Advocate and received the Phoenix Society Advocacy Award in 2013 for his work on fire sprinkler legislation. Rob also serves as a firefighter and assistant fire prevention officer with the Onset Fire Department in Massachusetts and writes for the NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative.

Gina Russo is a survivor of The Station Nightclub Fire and a Phoenix SOAR Peer Supporter. After sustaining severe burns and losing her fiancé in the fire, she turned to storytelling and advocacy as part of her healing journey. Gina is the author of From the Ashes and is passionate about supporting new survivors as they navigate recovery and rebuild their lives.

• Learn more about NFPA’s “Safety Doesn’t Happen by Chance” campaign: https://www.dontchancesafety.org
• Read NFPA’s press release on the Switzerland bar fire: https://www.nfpa.org/news-blogs-and-articles/blogs/2026/01/02/new-years-day-fire-in-the-swiss-alps

Today’s podcast is powered by the National Fire Protection Association! NFPA is a nonprofit that seeks to save lives and reduce loss with information, knowledge, & passion. Learn more about fire safety and explore their educational resources by visiting www.nfpa.org.

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Email us at info@phoenix-society.org.