What happens when the behaviors that once helped you survive begin hurting you- and the people around you?

In this deeply honest conversation, Brian sits down with author Adriene Caldwell to talk about the parts of trauma recovery that are often cleaned up for public consumption. Adriene doesn’t position herself only as the person who was hurt. She also confronts the choices she made, the people she hurt, and the difficult work of taking responsibility without denying what happened to her.

Together, Brian and ithe and Adriene explore survival mode, shame, forgiveness, attachment, and what it means to reclaim your voice after spending years believing you were unwanted.

In this episode, they discuss:

• The hidden cost of living in survival mode

• Why radical honesty requires more than telling the story of what happened to you

• Taking responsibility without dismissing your own trauma

• Whether forgiveness is necessary for healing

• Learning to accept love when you’ve never felt safe

• Why healing isn’t a single breakthrough or a perfectly finished story

• What it takes to stop letting your damage define you

Adriene’s story is raw, complicated, and ultimately filled with hope—not because everything magically became easy, but because she continued making choices that moved her toward a different life.

Connect with Adriene:

Read Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines, available on Amazon.

Find Unbroken Caldwell on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or visit her website by searching for Unbroken Caldwell. Adriene invites listeners to contact her through the website and says she personally responds.

Content note: This episode includes discussions of childhood abuse, foster-care abuse, addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Living with chronic illness can change far more than your body.

It can disrupt your plans, challenge your identity, and leave you grieving a life you thought you would have.

In this episode, Brian talks with Dr. Jeffrey Bone, a longtime clinician whose perspective changed dramatically after his own experience with black mold exposure, repeated misdiagnoses, chronic pain, and immune illness.

Together, they have an honest conversation about what happens when the professionals don’t have answers, the future no longer looks the way you expected, and “getting back to normal” may not be possible.

They explore:

• The emotional impact of being dismissed or misunderstood by medical professionals

• Why self-compassion can be especially difficult—and necessary—when your body changes

• The grief that accompanies chronic illness

• How curiosity can help you discover possibilities within a life you didn’t plan

• What it means to advocate for yourself without expecting one doctor to have every answer

• Why asking for help can be an act of agency rather than weakness

• How to create meaning without denying the pain or pretending everything is fine

Can your life still expand when your body creates new limitations? Dr. Bone offers a perspective rooted in both professional experience and the realities of living with chronic illness himself.

Connect with Dr. Jeffrey Bone:

Website: https://drbone.live
Instagram and Threads: @pod.tothebone

Why do we keep repeating patterns we already understand?

In this episode, Brian sits down with Ben Oofana, whose lifelong search for healing has taken him far beyond conventional approaches. Ben shares how childhood adversity led him to study psychology, train with a traditional Native American doctor, practice internal martial arts, and explore meditative and healing traditions around the world.

Together, Brian and Ben discuss the difference between intellectually understanding our pain and fully processing the experiences and emotions we continue to carry. Ben explains why he believes unresolved experiences consume our internal resources, affect our ability to remain present, and keep us repeating familiar emotional patterns.

They also explore:

• How Ben’s difficult childhood inspired his search for a different way of living

• What he learned through Native American healing traditions, vision quests, and internal martial arts

• Why insight alone may not be enough to change deeply rooted patterns

• How avoiding, suppressing, or distracting ourselves from difficult emotions can keep us stuck

• The relationship between emotional healing, the body, and resilience

• How constant digital stimulation can interfere with our ability to process our own experiences

• Why healing may require the courage to remain present with uncomfortable emotions

• How exposure to other cultures and ways of living can expand our understanding of ourselves and the world

Connect with Ben:

Website: https://benufana.com
Meditation resources: https://teachmetomeditate.com

You can also find Ben Oofana on Instagram and YouTube.

The experiences and perspectives shared in this episode are those of the guest and are intended for educational purposes. This conversation is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or mental health treatment.