EP 53: Surviving Assault and Finding Strength Through Science

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I sat down with David Schneer, a man whose story redefines what it means to have a backbone—literally and figuratively.On Christmas Eve 2015, David was attacked by a relative in an alcohol-fueled rage, leaving him with a cracked spine and five surgeries ahead of him. For the next eight years, his life became a battleground between pain and perseverance. But instead of letting it destroy him, David found purpose.Through faith, forgiveness, and an iron will, he turned his recovery into a roadmap for resilience. Drawing on his background in theology and over 40 years in qualitative research, David wrote Backbone—a book that fuses human emotion, behavioral science, and the courage to rebuild after chaos. His groundbreaking work combines AI and nonverbal intelligence to study how people communicate through emotion, microexpressions, and truth beneath the surface.In this conversation, David and I dive deep into the art of healing—body, mind, and spirit. We talk about karma, grace, and why forgiveness isn’t weakness—it’s freedom. David shares how every scar became a signal to move forward and how he found strength not in revenge, but in surrender.If you’ve ever felt broken, overlooked, or underestimated, this episode will remind you—your pain doesn’t define you. Your comeback does.Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneer1merrillresearch/