What Didn’t Break Me

Sekani
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  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Daily

Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, What Didn’t Break Me is a podcast about resilience, healing, and the strength found after life’s hardest moments. Through honest conversations, guests share the experiences that shaped them—not to dwell on the pain, but to celebrate the courage that carried them through. Because every scar tells a story, and every story has the power to heal.

  1. 2d ago

    Bradley Gabbert: Hit by a Car at 2, People-Pleasing & Healing Decades Later

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Bradley L. Gabbert — author of The Agreeable Child: A Yogic Journey from Tragedy to Triumph. His memoir explores childhood trauma, lifelong people-pleasing, finding your voice, and the discovery that healing can begin decades after the original wound. At two years old, Bradley was struck by a car and spent two weeks in a coma. He survived, relearned how to walk and speak, and went on to build what looked like a normal life — preschool teacher, industrial engineer, and later a professional actor. Physically he recovered. Emotionally, it would take more than sixty years to understand that survival and healing are not the same thing. He became the “agreeable child” — quiet, passive, conflict-avoidant, always saying yes even when his body said no. That survival strategy was praised and reinforced for decades. Only later, through therapy, the 4-7-8 breathing practice, yoga, and meditation, did the door finally open to the grief and patterns he had carried since childhood. In this conversation Bradley shares: • The accident at two and the long physical recovery • How early trauma shaped a lifetime of people-pleasing • The difference between surviving and truly healing • How a simple breathing practice cracked open decades of silence • Finding his voice through yoga, breathwork, and self-reflection • What it means to stop giving your choices away If you have ever felt that being “easygoing” cost you parts of yourself, this episode shows that it is never too late to reclaim your voice. If this story resonates with you, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode of What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story. #BradleyGabbert #TheAgreeableChild #WhatDidntBreakMe #PeoplePleasing #ChildhoodTrauma #Healing #Breathwork Connect with Bradley Gabbert Website:https://www.bradleylgabbert.com/ If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – Hit by a car at two and two weeks in a coma 3:30 – Relearning to walk and speak — physical recovery 5:00 – Becoming the “agreeable child” 7:00 – Decades of people-pleasing and giving choices away 9:00 – Therapy, the 4-7-8 breath, and the door that finally opened 11:00+ – Yoga, voice, and the difference between surviving and healing

  2. 2d ago

    Dean Graves: Meditation at 50, Identity & Learning to Sit Still

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Dean Graves — meditation teacher, mental health counselor, and spiritual guide with more than 25 years of experience helping people explore healing, mindfulness, self-awareness, and spiritual growth. His own deeper journey did not begin until around age 50. The first half of his life looked like a fairly ordinary American success story — yet none of it was making him happier. Meditation opened the door to questions and insights that completely reshaped how he understood himself, his experiences, and the work he would go on to share. Dean explains that we create an identity (ego) from the beliefs and experiences we absorb, often without realizing it. That identity acts like a magnet, attracting the very experiences we need in order to awaken. Experiences themselves are neutral; we assign the emotional value based on how we are in the moment. By becoming quiet enough to notice, we can begin to surrender limiting beliefs and change the nature of what we attract. In this conversation Dean shares: • Why conventional success still left him unhappy • How meditation at 50 changed everything • The identity we build and how it shapes our experiences • Why we attract both what we like and what we don’t • How awareness and surrender transform what comes next • Learning to sit still long enough to hear what is underneath If you have ever felt that the life you built is not the life that actually brings you peace, this episode offers a different way of looking at the path forward. If this story resonates with you, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode of What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story. #DeanGraves #Meditation #WhatDidntBreakMe #SpiritualGrowth #Mindfulness #Identity #Healing Connect with Dean Graves Website:https://www.ddeangraves.org/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-graves-985390239/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/simpleenlightenment/ If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – An ordinary American life that still left him unhappy 3:00 – Beginning to meditate around age 50 4:00 – The identity we create and why we create it 6:00 – Attracting experiences according to how we are 8:00 – Experiences are neutral — we assign the emotion 10:00+ – Becoming aware, surrendering beliefs, and changing the magnet

  3. 2d ago

    Robert O. Bowers: Night Fishing, Mona of the Plains & Unexplained Stories

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Robert O. Bowers — storyteller, outdoorsman, and self-published author. After a 43-year career, he turned fully to writing, creating four volumes of Campfire Tales from Uncle Rob and expanding into fiction with Red Eyes and the Black Mesa and the Have Dog Will Travel series. His work draws from decades of hunting, fishing, and time outdoors, with a particular fascination for cryptids and the unexplained. His philosophy is simple: stay curious, pay attention, and you’ll never run out of stories. One night in his 20s, while night-fishing on a sandbar with his friend Dale, something large dive-bombed them — big enough that they felt the air from its wings and saw a massive shadow. Dale insisted it was a pterodactyl. They left. On the remote dirt road home, they saw a woman standing at the edge of the road, dressed entirely in white, long dark hair covering her face. No houses or vehicles nearby. When Robert stopped to check on her, she vanished. The sheriff’s office confirmed they were not the first to report her. Locals call her Mona of the Plains — a ghost many people (and their families) have seen for years. In this conversation Robert shares: • Decades outdoors and the experiences that still defy explanation • The night-fishing encounter that started it all • Meeting Mona of the Plains on a lonely country road • How the story spread and how many others have seen her • Turning real-life strangeness into campfire tales and fiction • Why curiosity keeps the stories coming If the unexplained has ever stayed with you long after the moment passed, this episode is for you. If this story resonates with you, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode of What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story. #RobertOBowers #UncleRob #CampfireTales #WhatDidntBreakMe #MonaOfThePlains #Cryptids #Storytelling Connect with Robert Bowers Website:https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-O-Bowers/author/B0BTCBBJWR?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1785180777&sr=1-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=8fb18f2d-d27c-4441-8a44-9bd1c5199394 If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – A lifetime outdoors and the call to write 3:00 – Night fishing and the thing that dive-bombed them 5:00 – The woman in white on the lonely country road 7:00 – She vanished — and the sheriff already knew her 8:30 – Mona of the Plains and how many others have seen her 10:00+ – Turning the unexplained into stories that last

  4. 2d ago

    Sonia Cuoto: Immigration, Divorce, Cancer & Learning to Start Over

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Sonia Cuoto — technology founder, operator, keynote speaker, author, and podcast host with more than 20 years of experience building B2B software companies. She helps founders turn ideas into real products and hosts Tenacity with Sonia C, candid conversations about what it actually takes to build and grow. Her philosophy is simple and hard-earned: starting over isn’t failure — it’s a skill. Sonia immigrated to Canada as a child without speaking English. She entered technology without a degree or technical background. She married at 20 and, after 10.5 years, walked away from the marriage with no friends, little family nearby, zero money in the bank, and the need to rebuild her entire life in her 30s. She has failed in business and started again. And while leading three technology companies, she faced a breast-cancer diagnosis with no family history. Every restart began with the same fear: What if this goes horribly wrong? She is a creature of habit who loves structure, and that structure became the coping mechanism that carried her through each new beginning. In this conversation Sonia shares: • Immigrating as a child and entering tech without a traditional path • The divorce that forced her to start from absolute zero • Rebuilding friendships and identity in her 30s • Facing breast cancer while running three companies • Why starting over is a skill you can get better at • How structure helps her survive the chaos of reinvention If life has asked you to begin again more times than you wanted, this episode shows that starting over can become one of your greatest strengths. If this story resonates with you, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode of What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story. #Sonia #TenacityWithSoniaC #WhatDidntBreakMe #StartingOver #Resilience #Founder #BreastCancer Connect with Sonia Cuoto Website:https://soniacouto.com/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniacouto/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/soniactech If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – Immigration, technology without a degree, and early restarts 3:00 – The divorce that forced a complete restart from zero 5:00 – Rebuilding friendships, home, and identity in her 30s 6:00 – The fear that starts every new beginning 8:00 – Structure as a coping mechanism for someone who hates chaos 9:30 – Breast cancer while leading three companies 11:00+ – What every previous restart prepared her for

  5. 2d ago

    Glen Alex: Boundaries, Total Health & the Vow Never to Cause Harm

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Glen Alex — LCSW, author, mental health educator, speaker, and host of the Glen Alex Show. Her work centers on total health (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) and helping people become more joyful, connected, confident, and complete. She calls this “wealth” — health plus the other forms of richness that make a life meaningful. Glen is the author of the award-winning Living in Total Health and Living Boundaries. She has been recognized as a Marquis Who’s Who inductee and named Mental Health Educator of the Year 2025. As the youngest of ten in a highly social family, Glen noticed early how people affected one another — a touch that made someone cringe, a frown that appeared mid-conversation. She saw invisible lines of interaction and made a childhood vow: she would never be the person who unnecessarily and intentionally caused harm. That vow became the foundation of her life and work. She draws a clear line between that commitment and people-pleasing. People-pleasing comes from lack and the need for external approval. Her approach is authenticity, presence, and accepting that she cannot control how others interpret her. In this conversation Glen shares: • Growing up as the youngest of ten and noticing subtle harm • The childhood vow that shaped her identity • Why not causing harm is different from people-pleasing • What “wealth” (total health) really means • Why balance is dynamic, not a fixed percentage • How boundaries protect both self and others If you have ever struggled to set boundaries without feeling like the bad guy, this episode offers clarity, warmth, and practical wisdom. If this story resonates with you, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode of What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story. #GlenAlex #LivingBoundaries #WhatDidntBreakMe #TotalHealth #MentalHealth #Boundaries #Wealth Connect with Glen Alex Website:https://glenalex.com/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenalex/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/glen_alex/ If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – Youngest of ten and noticing how people affect each other 3:00 – The childhood vow never to cause unnecessary harm 4:30 – Boundaries vs. people-pleasing 6:00 – What “wealth” (total health) really means 8:00 – Why balance is dynamic, not 25% of each area 10:00+ – Living boundaries in everyday life

  6. 2d ago

    Darren Richardson: Crushed Foot at 13, Two Amputations & Rising Again

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Darren Richardson — mindset and mental performance coach, motivational speaker, and founder of Ashes to Ascent Coaching. A former firefighter and paramedic, he now works with first responders, veterans, and amputees on resilient identity, mindset, and rebuilding after adversity. Darren grew up in a dysfunctional home with an alcoholic father who was largely absent. As the oldest of three, he had to grow up fast. At 13, while hiking, a boulder the size of a car crushed his foot. After a long rescue and the real possibility of losing his leg, surgeons saved most of it — he lost only a couple of toes after multiple operations and skin grafts. He chose not to become a victim. He needed to heal and keep showing up for his younger brothers. That mindset carried him into emergency services. Roughly 18 months ago, complications from the original injury led to a second amputation (half his foot). He used the blueprint from the 13-year-old version of himself and recovered even better the second time. In this conversation Darren shares: • Growing up with an alcoholic father and becoming the family anchor • The hiking accident that nearly cost him his leg • Choosing not to be a victim and building a new identity • Becoming a firefighter and paramedic • Facing a second amputation and using the first as a template • How to tell the difference between a real limitation and a limiting belief If life has forced you to rewrite who you are, this episode shows what it looks like to rise from the ashes — twice. #DarrenRichardson #AshesToAscent #WhatDidntBreakMe #Amputee #Firefighter #Resilience #MindsetCoach Connect with Darren Richardson Website:https://www.ashestoascent.com/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-richardson-95532241b/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ashes_ascent_coaching/ If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – Dysfunctional family and growing up fast 3:00 – The boulder that crushed his foot at 13 5:00 – Nearly losing the leg and keeping most of his foot 6:00 – Choosing not to be a victim 7:00 – Carrying that mindset into firefighting 8:00 – Distinguishing real limits from limiting beliefs 9:30 – The second amputation 18 months ago 11:00+ – Using the first injury as a blueprint to rise again

  7. 2d ago

    Solange Schwalbe: From Hollywood to the Pit at Ground Zero

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Solange Schwalbe — Emmy Award-winning motion picture sound editor with more than three decades and 175 film credits, including The Goonies, Gremlins, Die Hard, Pirates of the Caribbean, Black Hawk Down, Moneyball, and HBO’s John Adams. She is the author of I’m Not Supposed to Know This: An Unlikely Account of Ground Zero After the 9/11 Attacks. After the towers fell, Solange went to New York for Christmas, visited the site, and began volunteering with the Salvation Army. Within two weeks she was hired as a safety monitor and spent four months working inside the Pit — one of only four women among more than 1,500 responders. Known as “Hollywood,” she faced bodies, body parts, and unimaginable conditions every day. The experience was both terrifying and empowering. One moment — watching a body recovered from the pile — broke her completely. She still went back the next day. Twenty-five years later, the person who walked into that Pit no longer exists, and the state of mind she acquired remains with her for life. In this conversation Solange shares: • Her Hollywood career and the comfort of life before 9/11 • Why she went to New York that Christmas and how volunteering led to the Pit • The daily reality of bodies, fear, and unexpected empowerment • The recovery that broke her — and why she returned the next day • Living with the lasting impact 25 years later If you have ever faced something that permanently divided life into before and after, this episode offers a rare, honest look inside one of the hardest places on earth. #SolangeSchwalbe #GroundZero #911 #WhatDidntBreakMe #ImNotSupposedToKnowThis #Hollywood #Resilience Connect with Solange Schwalbe Website:https://imnotsupposedtoknowthis.com/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/imnotsupposedtoknowthis/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/imnotsupposedtoknowthis/ If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – Life before 9/11 and the yearly World Trade Center visits 3:00 – Going to New York that Christmas and visiting the site 4:00 – Volunteering with the Salvation Army and getting hired 5:00 – Four months in the Pit: fear, bodies, and unexpected power 7:00 – The recovery that broke her — and going back the next day 9:00 – How the person she was no longer existed 10:00 – Living with the lasting impact 25 years later

  8. 2d ago

    Peg O’Connor: Addiction, Shame & Rebuilding Self-Respect Through Philosophy

    In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Peg O’Connor — professor of philosophy, author of four books on addiction and recovery, and creator of the Ready to Recover quiz. Her work makes philosophy practical: a way to examine the choices we make and the people we are becoming. She also brings lived experience. Peg started drinking at 14, drank through high school and college as a blackout drinker, and lived in constant shame — hiding both her drinking and the fact that she had been sexually abused by two boys. By 16 she knew she was an alcoholic. She nearly drank herself to death and felt completely worthless, with no self-respect and no clear sense of who she was. A serious car accident in 1987 became the accidental start of sobriety. In the hospital she declined strong pain medication, realizing it could restart the cycle, and decided to see how long she could go without drinking. The deeper work was rebuilding self-respect — the ability to say “I matter” full stop — and repairing a self that had been fragmented by abuse, alcoholism, and shame, one small step at a time. Philosophy became her companion in that process. In this conversation Peg shares: • Starting to drink at 14 and living as a blackout drinker • Sexual abuse, constant shame, and the loss of self • Knowing she was an alcoholic at 16 • The car accident that began her sobriety • Rebuilding self-respect after it was completely flattened • How philosophy helped her repair and recreate herself If you have ever felt that shame erased any sense of worth, this episode offers honest insight and a clear path toward reclaiming a life you can respect. #PegOConnor #AddictionRecovery #WhatDidntBreakMe #PhilosophyOfRecovery #SelfRespect #ReadyToRecover Connect with Peg O Connor Website:https://pegoconnorauthor.com/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesoberphilosopher/ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/peg-o-connor-4b343436/ If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world. Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme Chapters 0:00 – Introduction & Welcome 2:00 – Starting to drink at 14 and blackout drinking 3:00 – Shame, sexual abuse, and hiding everything 4:00 – Knowing she was an alcoholic at 16 5:00 – Fatalism, worthlessness, and the loss of self 6:00 – Philosophy and the decision not to stay the same person 7:00 – The car accident and accidental sobriety (1987) 8:00 – Rebuilding self-respect after shame destroyed it 9:30 – “I matter” full stop — equality and meeting your own standards 10:30 – Repairing a fragmented self in small steps

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Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, What Didn’t Break Me is a podcast about resilience, healing, and the strength found after life’s hardest moments. Through honest conversations, guests share the experiences that shaped them—not to dwell on the pain, but to celebrate the courage that carried them through. Because every scar tells a story, and every story has the power to heal.

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