YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE: CAROLYN SOPHIA SKOWRON ON RESILIENCE, MENTAL HEALTH & FINDING YOUR VOICE

YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE: CAROLYN SOPHIA SKOWRON ON RESILIENCE, MENTAL HEALTH & FINDING YOUR VOICE What if the hardest moments of your life could become the foundation for helping someone else survive theirs? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Carolyn Sophia Skowron, author, speaker, mental health advocate, and creator of Unbreakable. Carolyn grew up feeling different, isolated, and misunderstood. At 16, she was diagnosed with Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD), helping explain challenges with executive functioning, spatial awareness, conceptual skills, and overthinking. Her journey went much deeper. Carolyn shares openly about anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, therapy, a life-threatening car accident, and the moments that helped her realize her story had a purpose. In this episode, you will discover: • What Nonverbal Learning Disability is and why awareness matters • Why support and understanding from others can change everything • How Carolyn moved from feeling alone to using her voice publicly • Why her 2020 car accident became a turning point • How therapy, mindfulness, gratitude, movement, and community supported her • Why asking for help is an act of strength • How social media and comparison can deepen negative spirals • Why self-awareness helps interrupt rumination • How music, exercise, faith, creativity, and connection can become anchors • How pain can eventually become purpose FROM SURVIVING TO UNBREAKABLE Carolyn says her book Unbreakable came from years of struggle, but the catalyst was a 2020 car accident that could have ended her life. Seconds before impact, she grabbed her seatbelt. Surviving changed the way she looked at life. Years earlier, during college, Carolyn had also experienced suicidal thoughts and came frighteningly close to losing her life. A phone call from her best friend arrived at exactly the moment she needed it. Those experiences helped Carolyn understand why sharing her story mattered: You are not alone. BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION Mental wellness, Carolyn says, is often built through small, repeatable actions. Drink water. Move your body. Go outside. Listen to music. Practice gratitude. Find community. Talk honestly with people you trust. And when professional help is needed, find someone you genuinely connect with. Therapy requires participation. Carolyn explains that her progress came when she became honest, engaged in the process, and used what she learned outside the session. STOP THE SPIRAL Carolyn has learned to recognize when her thoughts begin moving down what she calls the “rabbit hole.” Today she works to interrupt the pattern: Pause. Breathe. Ask what you can control right now. Step away from comparison. Use the tools and people that bring you back to center. Progress does not mean life stops being difficult. It means you become better equipped to meet difficulty without letting it erase everything you have built. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Carolyn’s seed is: Don’t wait to get help. A painful season does not have to become your permanent reality. Use your voice. Reach out. Find your people. Grow through what you are going through. And remember: You are unbreakable. If you are in the U.S. and experiencing a suicidal or mental health crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. CONNECT WITH CAROLYN SOPHIA SKOWRON Website: https://carolynsophia.com/ Book: Unbreakable: Breaking the Silence, Finding My Voice, Sharing My Story #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #CarolynSophiaSkowron #Unbreakable #MentalHealth #Resilience #SuicidePrevention #NVLD #SelfAwareness #MentalWellness #YouAreNotAlone To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547