Surviving the Storm: Faith, Mental Health and Finding Purpose After Trauma | Chaplain Sy Ali

In this episode of Journey to Purpose, Pippa is joined by Chaplain Sy Ali — decorated veteran, mentor, author, and spiritual protector. Sy spent decades as a protection agent for diplomats and dignitaries, a professional wrestler, and a corporate security executive. By every external measure, he was succeeding. Privately, he was planning his own death. A DUI in March 2020 cracked everything open — and what followed was a memoir, a chaplaincy, and a calling to make sure nobody else suffers in silence the way he did. Pippa and Sy explore:The night that changed everything — and why the people closest to him never saw it comingWhat true strength actually looks like when you've spent decades suppressing griefHow PTSD forms quietly behind a high-functioning exteriorFaith as a framework for people who aren't religious — and what it means to just be humanWorking in a veterans' homeless shelter and becoming chaplain by defaultWhy young people are more willing to talk about mental health than any previous generationThe kindergartner who lost his father and what happened when someone finally sat with himCommunity, connection, and what the Shetland Islands fire festivals taught Pippa about mental healthA conversation about what it costs to mask pain — and what it takes, finally, to stop. Connect with Chaplain Sy Ali: phitsquad.com | Search Chaplain Sy Ali on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn. His book The Lighthouse is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.Journey to Purpose is a personal transformation podcast featuring real conversations about mindset, trauma recovery, self-worth, spiritual awakening, resilience, and finding your life’s purpose. New episodes every week. 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Of0Na1qWovS8Aw2X2FU8M 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philippa.bagley/ 🌐 Website: https://philippabagley.com/ Subscribe and leave a review — it helps others find the show.About your hostPippa Bagley is a clinical hypnotherapist specialising in burnout and sleep, and the host of Journey to Purpose. Based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, she is passionate about helping people reconnect with what truly matters — and build lives and careers that feel genuinely sustainable. Pippa is also studying for an MSc in the Neuroscience and Psychology of Mental Health at King’s College London. Find out more at philippabagley.com