In this episode of Girls with Grafts, Rachel and Amber sit down with Phil Tammaro, burn survivor, retired fire captain, and Burn Coordinator for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). 🚒

Phil shares how a burn injury at just two years old shaped his life, while his family’s long history in public safety ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in the fire service. He reflects on what it was like to serve as a firefighter while also carrying his own experience as a burn survivor, and how those two parts of his life have shaped his passion for fire safety, burn prevention, and supporting others.

Drawing on more than three decades in the fire service, Phil shares practical fire safety and prevention tips and talks about his work with the IAFF to strengthen burn awareness and peer support within the fire service community. ❤️

Phil also reflects on the power of connection in his own healing journey, including attending his first Phoenix World Burn Congress and returning nearly every year since. He shares how finding a community of people who understood his experience reinforced something he now carries into his own peer support work: no one should have to navigate recovery alone.

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories

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

Phil Tammaro serves as the Burn Coordinator for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), where he brings over 31 years of experience as a retired captain from the Billerica, MA Fire Department. He is a nationally recognized subject matter expert and speaker on fire safety, burn prevention, and peer support. From 2009 to 2024, he served as the IAFF 3rd District Burn Coordinator, during which he was awarded the 2016 American Burn Association Burn Prevention Award and the 2023 Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors Joe Hickey Fire Service Award.

His personal experience as a burn survivor, combined with his professional background, uniquely qualifies him to effectively address the impact of burn injuries within the fire service and in our communities.

Phil’s journey from burn survivor to fire fighter began when he was just a toddler. In 1971, at the age of two, he suffered 3rd degree burns over 35% of his body from an explosion in his home. Phil spent many years at the Burn Centers in Boston as a patient undergoing numerous skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries to maintain full use of his legs. His last surgery related to his burns was in 2024, 54 years after the fire.

• Learn more about Phoenix SOAR: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/phoenix-soar
• Learn more about Phoenix World Burn Congress: https://www.phoenix-society.org/phoenix-wbc
• Read “What to Expect: Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being:” https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/what-to-expect-mental-health

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.

In this episode of Girls with Grafts, Rachel sits down with burn survivor and Phoenix SOAR Peer Supporter Fahima Abbas for a heartfelt conversation about emotional healing, self-confidence, and finding your voice. 🩷

Fahima shares her burn survivor journey and how living with facial scars has shaped the way she sees herself and connects with others. She reflects on the challenges of rebuilding confidence and learning to love herself, as well as the powerful impact of finding an online community of burn survivors who understood her experience. ✨ That connection inspired Fahima to begin sharing her own story and eventually become a Phoenix SOAR Peer Supporter, so she could offer that same sense of understanding and hope to others.

Together, Rachel and Fahima talk about what it means to feel comfortable being seen, the freedom that can come from owning your story, and why our scars never determine our worth. Scars don’t change our value—and finding the confidence to believe that can be an important part of healing. 💪

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories

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

Fahima Abbas is a burn survivor living with facial scars from a life-changing experience. Her journey with facial burns has shaped so much of who she is today and continues to influence how she sees herself, connects with others, and supports the burn community.

• Learn more about Phoenix SOAR: https://resources.phoenix-society.org/phoenix-soar
• Follow Fahima on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fahimalove_
• Follow Fahima on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FahimaAbbasJourney/
• Follow Paige Lauren Billiot, aka Flawless Affect, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flawless_affect/?hl=en

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 this episode of Girls with Grafts, Rachel and Amber sit down with Tracy Smaldino, a burn survivor, trauma survivor, author, keynote speaker, podcast host, and founder of Trauma Rock Stars™. 🎸

Tracy shares her journey as the sole survivor of a fatal car accident that left her with severe burns as a child, and how she carried her trauma in silence for many years before beginning to lean into healing. Together, Rachel, Amber, and Tracy talk about the lasting impact of trauma, the challenges burn survivors can face with summer heat, and what it means to find your voice when you are finally ready to share your story.

Tracy also shares how meditation, music, and her years in the music industry shaped the creation of Trauma Rock Stars™—a platform that frames healing like a concert, from the sound check to the headliner moment. 🎵 Her message is a powerful reminder that trauma does not define us, and every survivor has a Rock Star inside them.

#BurnSurvivor #GirlsWithGrafts #Podcast #SurvivorPodcast #BurnSurvivorStories

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

Tracy Smaldino is a trauma survivor, author, keynote speaker, podcast host, and the founder of Trauma Rock Stars™ — a platform built on the belief that your trauma doesn’t define you, it refines you. Tracy’s story begins as the sole survivor of a fatal car accident that left her with severe burns as a child — and, years later, a survivor of sexual assault. For years she carried her trauma in silence. When she finally leaned into her healing journey, everything changed. She turned her pain into purpose and Trauma Rock Stars™ was born. As a burn survivor, Tracy brings a deeply personal understanding to her work — and an unshakeable belief that every person has a Rock Star inside them. Sometimes they just need someone to hand them the mic.

• Visit Tracy’s website: https://traumarockstars.com/
• Listen to Trauma Rock Stars: https://traumarockstars.com/#podcast
• Listen to TRAUMA ROCK STAR Songs that Saved Us: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mQfkVQtw1eB1eNSsD9ZQy
• Watch our episode “The Science of Staying Cool: Dr. Craig Crandall and the Burn Survivor Heat Risk Calculator:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eB-KLHqD4o
• Share your story with our Virtual Open Mic: https://www.phoenix-society.org/open-mic-submission

Today’s podcast is powered by Buses by the Beach! Buses by the Beach is a community of VW bus enthusiasts based in West Michigan. They come together to camp, host amazing events, and raise funds to support Phoenix Society. And mark your calendars for the Bus Boo 2026, happening October 2nd - 4th in Dorr, Michigan.

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