Warriors Unmasked

What happens when the thing you thought defined you is suddenly taken away?

For Athena Brownson, professional skiing was more than a career. It was her identity, her passion, and the center of her life. But after nine knee surgeries and two neck operations, she eventually had to confront a reality she never imagined: skiing could no longer be her future.

That transition forced Athena to figure out who she was beyond being an athlete. She began exploring new interests, returned to school, and eventually found her calling in real estate. But just as she was building a career she loved, another major challenge arrived. After her second neck surgery, Athena developed debilitating symptoms and was eventually diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. For more than eight years, she battled severe fatigue, pain, neurological and other symptoms while continuing to build her real estate career.

In this episode, Athena opens up about the mental side of injuries, the pressure to constantly perform, the dangers of pushing yourself beyond your limits, and the importance of purpose when you're going through adversity. She also shares how learning to ask for help, delegate, accept support, and take care of herself changed the way she approached both business and life.

Her story is a reminder that resilience doesn't mean pretending everything is okay. Sometimes resilience means showing up in whatever way you can that day—and recognizing that as a win.

Guest Bio

Athena Brownson is a former professional skier who endured nine knee surgeries and two neck operations before transitioning into a successful career in real estate.

Over the last decade, Athena has become one of Colorado's trusted and top-performing REALTORS®, combining market knowledge, negotiation skills, and a creative eye for design. Her own experience as an athlete taught her discipline, determination, and resilience—lessons she now brings to her work with clients and other professionals.

Athena's journey took another difficult turn when she was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. Despite debilitating symptoms that lasted for years, she continued building her business while learning new lessons about balance, asking for help, managing her energy, and caring for herself.

Today, Athena is passionate about real estate, mentoring others, and sharing the lessons she's learned about overcoming setbacks, finding purpose, and continuing to show up when life doesn't go according to plan.

• The mental and emotional toll of nine knee surgeries and two neck operations

• How Athena navigated the identity crisis that followed the end of her professional skiing career

• Her eight-plus-year battle with chronic Lyme disease and how purpose helped keep her moving forward

• Why learning to ask for help and delegate became essential to her recovery and business

• The resilience, perspective, and tools Athena uses to keep showing up through adversity

00:00 From Professional Skier to Real Estate Professional

04:30 The Mental Toll of Injury and the Importance of Purpose

08:30 Nine Knee Surgeries and Learning to Get Back Up

13:30 Finding Identity After Professional Sports

19:00 Discovering a New Path and Building a Career

23:30 The Addiction to Achievement and the Search for Balance

29:00 Burnout and Learning That More Isn't Always Better

35:00 The Onset of Chronic Illness

40:00 Fighting Chronic Lyme Disease While Building a Business

43:30 Learning to Ask for Help and Accept Support

47:00 Finding Joy and Turning the Corner

50:00 Athena's Message for Anyone Who Feels Like Giving Up

54:00 Chuck's Challenge

This week, Chuck is challenging himself—and all of us—to use resilience as a cornerstone to get up and show up every day, both for ourselves and for others.

It doesn't have to be a huge step.

As Athena explains, there may be days when simply getting from the bed to the couch is an accomplishment. The goal isn't to compare your progress to someone else's. It's to show up as the best version of yourself that you can be that day and recognize that as a win.

One small step. One intentional decision. One courageous action can change the direction of your life.

Connect with Athena Brownson

• Website: https://athenabrownsonrealtor.com/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athenabrownsonrealtor_/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/athenabrownsonrealtor/

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

What happens when you stop running from the things that hurt you and finally turn around to face them?

At just 20 years old, Lawrence C. Harris has already lived through severe bullying, childhood abuse, mental health challenges, and experiences that forced him to grow up much sooner than he should have. For years, the effects showed up in ways he didn't always recognize, from emotional distance and unhealthy relationships to spending hours behind a screen simply to avoid being alone with his thoughts.

In this episode, Lawrence joins Chuck to share how therapy, journaling, honest self-reflection, and learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions helped him begin working through his past instead of continuing to run from it. He opens up about setting boundaries with his father, learning to forgive without allowing someone back into his life, and recognizing the difference between who he used to be and who he is choosing to become.

Lawrence also challenges us to look at the ways we distract ourselves from what may be happening beneath the surface. His message is especially powerful for young people, but it applies at any age: you cannot change what happened to you, but you can decide what you do with your life from here.

Guest Bio

Lawrence C. Harris is a youth speaker who helps teens and young adults believe in themselves, think differently about their future, and make better choices.

Growing up, Lawrence faced serious challenges including mental health struggles, bullying, childhood abuse, and autism. Those experiences inspired him to begin speaking so other young people would know they are not alone and understand that their past does not have to determine where their life goes.

Today, Lawrence shares the lessons and tools that helped him move forward, encouraging young people to take ownership of their future, work through difficult emotions, and believe that their lives can get better.

• How bullying and childhood abuse affected Lawrence's mental health at a young age

• Why journaling and therapy became important parts of processing his past

• How distraction can keep us from recognizing what we are really trying to avoid

• Why forgiveness does not mean excusing someone's behavior or removing your boundaries

• How to separate who you used to be from the person you are choosing to become

00:00 Lawrence's Mission to Help Young People

02:30 Growing Up With Bullying and Abuse

05:15 Accepting What Happened and Taking Ownership of His Future

09:45 Therapy, Journaling, and Working Through Trauma

16:00 The Light at the End of the Tunnel

19:15 What Happens When We Keep Running From Our Pain

23:30 Are You Having Fun or Avoiding What You Feel?

28:45 The Moment Lawrence Knew Something Had to Change

32:00 Leaving the Old Version of Yourself Behind

37:00 Forgiveness Without Sacrificing Your Boundaries

43:00 Taking Back Ownership of Your Life

47:00 What Lawrence Would Say to Someone Who Feels Stuck

53:00 Chuck's Challenge

This week, Chuck is taking Lawrence up on one of the most practical ideas from their conversation: sit in silence for one full hour and pay attention to what comes up.

No phone. No television. No music. No distractions.

Instead of immediately reaching for something to fill the silence, notice your thoughts. What keeps coming up? Is there something you've been avoiding, suppressing, or distracting yourself from?

Chuck's challenge is not just to notice it, but to identify something that needs your attention and begin working through it.

Connect with Lawrence C. Harris

• Website: https://www.lawrencecharris.com/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawrencec.empowers

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

What if some of the beliefs shaping your life aren't actually yours?

For nearly 20 years, Dr. Mike Fortunato worked as a board-certified anesthesiologist. From the outside, he had what many people would consider success: a respected career, financial stability, a wife, children, and a beautiful life. But underneath it all, Mike was struggling with depression, alcohol, anger, emotional disconnection, and a growing sense that something was missing.

In this episode, Mike joins Chuck to unpack what happened when he finally started looking beneath the surface. He shares how medicine taught him to push emotions aside, how negative self-talk contributed to one of the darkest periods of his life, and the simple practice that helped him begin changing the way he thought about himself.

Together, Chuck and Mike explore the beliefs we inherit, the patterns that keep repeating until we're willing to face them, and why healing sometimes begins by questioning the story we've been telling ourselves for years. Because success on the outside means very little if we never find peace on the inside. Guest Bio

Dr. Mike Fortunato spent nearly two decades in conventional medicine, ultimately working as a board-certified anesthesiologist trusted with life-or-death decisions every day. But behind the successful career, his own physical and emotional health was quietly unraveling.

After experiencing chronic pain, shingles, a severe ulcer, hormonal issues, and a growing sense of disconnection from himself, Mike began looking beyond what conventional testing was telling him. Restoring his physical health was an important step, but he discovered that feeling better physically didn't address the deeper emotional patterns, beliefs, and unresolved issues he was carrying.

Today, Dr. Mike works with men and women at the intersection of biology, emotional health, identity, and overall well-being, helping people reconnect with themselves when they no longer feel like the person they once were.

• Why external success didn't give Mike the fulfillment he expected

• How emotional suppression and alcohol became ways of coping with what he wasn't facing

• The repeating patterns and inherited beliefs that can quietly shape our lives

• How changing his daily self-talk helped Mike begin climbing out of depression

• Why vulnerability, self-forgiveness, and facing what we've avoided can create a different kind of peace

00:00 Behind the Appearance of Success

05:30 Why Achievement Was Never Enough

09:30 Depression, Alcohol, and the Patterns We Carry

14:00 Why We Avoid the Things We Need to Face

16:30 The Power of Self-Talk and Changing the Mental Pattern

20:30 Mike's Journey Into Medicine and Emotional Suppression

25:30 Taking Back Ownership of His Mindset

31:00 Beliefs, Perspective, and the Power We Give Away

37:30 Vulnerability, Surrender, and Finding Peace

39:30 What Mike's Life and Work Look Like Today

44:30 Self-Forgiveness and Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You

48:15 What Mike Would Say to Someone Who Is Ready to Give Up

51:15 Chuck's Challenge

This week, Chuck is challenging himself to identify one theme that keeps showing up in his life and lift the hood on it.

What pattern keeps repeating for you?

Instead of judging yourself or pushing it away, get curious. Where did it come from? Is the belief underneath it actually yours? Is it still serving you?

Pick one recurring theme and take one intentional step toward understanding it more deeply. As Chuck says at the end of this episode, one small step, one intentional decision, or one courageous action can change the direction of your life.

Connect with Dr. Mike Fortunato

• Website: https://www.optimizemd.health/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimizemd.drmike/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Optimizemd.drmike/

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

When thousands of people were running from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Michael Dorian made the decision to run toward it.

But Michael's story began long before that day.

Born into poverty to a teenage mother, Michael grew up in an unstable home and spent much of his early life searching for independence, acceptance, and belonging. As a teenager, that search led him into crime and prostitution and, at just 16 years old, an HIV diagnosis. But a relationship with someone who saw more in Michael helped change the trajectory of his life. He graduated high school, went to college, built a career as a veterinary technician, and began creating a very different future for himself.

In this episode, Neil Adams joins Chuck to share the extraordinary life of his close friend and the story behind his book, From the Pile. Neil recounts Michael's decision to put on his scrubs and make his way to Ground Zero on 9/11, where he spent 24 hours on the pile helping firefighters continue their rescue efforts. Years later, Michael was diagnosed with stage four cancer and given two years to live, beginning another fight that would ultimately connect back to his service at Ground Zero.

Michael's story is complicated, deeply human, and ultimately one of perseverance. It reminds us that our beginnings do not have to determine where we end up, our mistakes do not have to become our identity, and we may never fully understand what another person has endured simply by looking at them. Guest Bio

Neil Adams is the author of From the Pile, the true story of his close friend Michael Dorian and a life shaped by adversity, friendship, service, and resilience.

Neil and Michael met in New York City and became close friends. After witnessing Michael navigate relationships, HIV, his service at Ground Zero, cancer, and countless personal challenges, Neil knew his friend's story deserved to be told. Before Michael's death in 2020, he gave Neil his blessing to write it.

• Michael's difficult childhood and the experiences that shaped his early life

• The person who helped Michael leave prostitution and begin building a different future

• Why Michael put on his scrubs and headed toward Ground Zero on September 11th

• How his service on the pile would affect his life years later

• Why Neil believes Michael's perseverance and desire to help others deserve to be remembered

00:00 Introducing Michael Dorian's Story

03:15 How Neil and Michael Became Friends

06:00 Michael's Childhood, HIV Diagnosis, and Early Struggles

10:15 The Person Who Helped Change His Life

18:15 College, Career, and a New Direction

24:30 Michael's Search for Love and Belonging

26:30 Running Toward Ground Zero on 9/11

29:45 Cancer and the Lasting Impact of the Pile

34:00 Michael's Final Years and Finding Love

39:15 From the Pile and Michael's Legacy

47:30 Chuck's Challenge

When you meet someone, you rarely know everything they've been through or what they may be carrying right now.

So this week, when someone says or does something that feels offensive or hurtful, Chuck challenges us to pause before reacting. Take a breath and remind yourself that this person may be dealing with something you know nothing about. Then give yourself permission to walk away rather than immediately responding.

Sometimes compassion begins with simply remembering that there is more to someone's story than what we can see.

Connect with Neil

• Website: https://www.readneiladams.com/about-neil-adams

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

Nearly 25 years later, there are still stories from September 11th that many Americans have never heard.

Award-winning director and producer Michael Gier set out to tell those stories in his documentary, The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph. Rather than focusing solely on the devastation of that day, Michael turns the lens toward the extraordinary courage, compassion, and resilience that emerged in the middle of it.

Michael joins host Chuck Thuss to share some of the lesser-known stories featured in the film, from previously homeless men helping injured Wall Street workers to the massive boatlift that evacuated more than 500,000 people from Manhattan. He also recounts the bravery of rescuers who refused to leave fellow first responders buried beneath the rubble, even when their own lives were at risk.

But this conversation isn't only about looking back. Chuck and Michael explore what September 11th can still teach us about moving through tragedy, showing up for one another, and making a difference in the lives of the people around us. You may never face a moment that makes history, but you still have the opportunity to be there for someone who needs you. Guest Bio

Michael Gier is an award-winning director and producer who has directed and produced hundreds of projects, including TV commercials, internet videos, corporate videos, short films, feature films, and documentaries through Gier Productions, LLC. In 2021, Michael released two award-winning films, Wounded Heroes and Healing the Heroes of 9-11.

His latest documentary, The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph, shares powerful and lesser-known stories of courage, heroism, and resilience surrounding September 11th. The film has already received multiple Best Documentary awards at film festivals, which Michael discusses in the episode.

• Why Michael chose to tell a different side of the 9/11 story

• Lesser-known acts of courage and compassion that emerged from the tragedy

• The incredible rescue of more than 500,000 people from Manhattan by boat

• What survivors and first responders taught Michael about resilience

• How small acts of service can make an enormous difference in someone's life

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

01:45 Creating The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11

04:15 Finding Hope and Strength Within Tragedy

08:15 The Unsung Heroes and Stories Most People Never Heard

12:45 Extraordinary Acts of Service on September 11th

16:15 The Boatlift, Flight 93, and Stories of Courage

19:00 What Michael Learned About Heroism

22:15 The Lasting Impact on Survivors and First Responders

26:15 Remembering How America Came Together

29:15 Why Small Acts of Kindness Still Matter

31:15 Where to Watch the Documentary

32:30 What 9/11 Teaches Us About the Human Spirit

35:30 Chuck's Challenge

This week, Chuck challenges himself, and all of us, to find one or two ways each day to make a positive impact on someone else's life.

It doesn't have to be a grand gesture. Open a door. Help someone who is struggling. Give something you have to someone who needs it. Reach out. Show kindness.

The stories in this episode remind us that we may not always realize how much a seemingly small action can mean to someone else.

Connect with Michael

• Film Website: https://heroismandresiliency.com/

• 9/11 Legacy Organization: https://the911legacy.org/award-winning-documentary-the-heroism-and-resiliency-of-9-11-from-tragedy-to-triumph-sets-hollywood-and-new-york-premiere-dates/

• Michael's Website: https://www.michaelgier.com/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_gier/

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

Sometimes healing doesn't start in your head. It starts in your body.

For 17 years, Erika Shershun did everything she was told she was supposed to do. She went to therapy. She named her depression. She worked on her thoughts. But the symptoms kept coming, and underneath them was a survival story her body had never been given the space to release.

This conversation dives into what somatic psychotherapy actually is, why the body remembers trauma in ways the mind cannot, and the pivotal moment in a hands-on training when Erika's body finally interrupted years of silence. Erika opens up about surviving an attempted assault while running at dusk, the voice that told her she was not going to die, and the years of shame that came before and after.

She also walks through what unhealed trauma looks like in everyday life, why so many survivors blame themselves for what their body did during an assault, and the simple daily practice she gives every client to begin feeling safe in their body again.

Through fear, shame, fight responses, and decades of seeking answers, Erika's story is a powerful reminder that healing is possible at any age, that intuition is something to trust, and that the body always knows how to find its way home if you give it the right tools. Guest Bio

Erika Shershun, MA, LMFT, is a somatic psychotherapist who specializes in helping trauma survivors reclaim the life they were meant to live. She's the author of the Healing Sexual Trauma Guided Journal: Writing and Somatic Practices to Help You Process, Heal, and Feel Safe, the Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook: Somatic Skills to Help You Feel Safe in Your Body, Create Boundaries & Live with Resilience, and the PESI Sexual Trauma Clinical Training. The workbook is available in Spanish (Tengo Un Trauma Corporal?), Polish, Russian, and Romanian, and the journal is available in Turkish.

Her approach is trauma informed, rooted in somatic principles, drawing on neuroscience and integrative modalities such as EMDR, Brainspotting, energy psychology, mindfulness, self-compassion, and parts work. Erika values diversity, offers individual online therapy sessions in California, and provides coaching to clients outside of the state.

• What somatic psychotherapy is and why the body has to be part of healing

• How trauma is stored differently than ordinary memory

• Why 17 years of traditional therapy did not heal Erika's deepest symptoms

• The moment in a body work training that finally unlocked her healing

• Surviving an attempted assault and trusting the voice that came through

• Why so many sexual trauma survivors carry shame for what their body did

• How unhealed trauma shows up as digestive, autoimmune, and emotional symptoms

• The daily grounding and orienting practice Erika gives every client

• Why it is never too late to begin your healing journey

00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 01:15 Meet Erika Shershu 02:00 What Somatic Psychotherapy Really Is 05:00 Why the Body Holds Trauma Differently Than Memory 08:00 17 Years of Therapy and Still Searching 09:30 The Trigger Point Therapy Session That Changed Everything 12:00 Surviving the Assault While Running at Dusk 17:00 The Voice That Told Her She Was Going to Live 21:00 The Shame Most Survivors Carry in Silence 22:30 Finding Somatic Therapy and Beginning to Heal 24:30 How Unhealed Trauma Shows Up in the Body 30:00 Why Self-Medicating Quiets What the Body Is Trying to Say 33:30 Erika's Daily Practices for Safety and Healing 36:30 Where to Find the Workbook and Guided Journal 42:30 Erika's Message for Anyone Still Searching for Hope 45:00 Final Reflections and Key Takeaways

This week, take one small step toward listening to your body.

Maybe that means pausing before you push through another long day. Maybe it means asking what the tight chest, the gut ache, or the restlessness has actually been trying to tell you. Maybe it means downloading the first chapter of Erika's book and sitting with one grounding practice instead of scrolling away from yourself.

You don't have to name everything you're carrying. You don't have to fix it all this week. You just have to start by listening.

Because as Erika shared, healing doesn't begin when life feels safe again. It begins the moment you give your body permission to be heard.

Connect with Erika

• Website: https://healingsexualtrauma.com/

• Therapy Website: https://erikashershuntherapy.com/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikashershun/

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

Sometimes the thing that almost ended your life becomes the chapter that defines it.

By the time Devin Fish was 18, he had moved 16 times, attended seven different schools, and survived a childhood shaped by poverty, bullying, and his parents' struggles with addiction. He thought joining the Army would be the start of something better. Then in July 2017, a Red Cross message forced him to fly home to make the impossible decision of whether to keep his mother on life support. She passed away just days before his birthday.

What followed was a slow, quiet spiral into self-hatred, isolation, and online blackmail that brought Devin to the edge of taking his own life. This conversation walks through the moment he self-admitted to the hospital, the two pamphlets he found there that changed everything, and the single question that became the foundation of his recovery.

Devin shares how he learned to use one career goal to climb out of suicidal thinking, why writing Answering the Hard Questions in Kuwait forced him to revisit every dark moment on purpose, and how faith eventually rebuilt the parts of him that survival could not.

Through grief, generational trauma, silence, and self-doubt, Devin's story is a reminder that the worst chapter of your life does not have to be the end of your book.

Guest Bio

Devin Fish is a U.S. Army veteran, debut author, and the youngest of two who grew up in Rockford, Illinois. His childhood was marked by instability, bullying, food stamps, and his parents' struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. By 18, he had moved 16 times and attended seven different schools.

In 2017, while stationed at Fort Hood, Devin received a Red Cross message telling him his mother was dying. She passed away on July 9th, just days before his birthday. In the years that followed, unresolved grief, financial collapse, and a series of online blackmail scams pushed Devin to the edge, ultimately leading him to self-admit to the hospital with suicidal ideations.

Devin served nearly ten years in the Army as a Cavalry Scout and Career Counselor, and in 2021 was awarded the 1st Cavalry Division Retention NCO of the Year. While deployed to Kuwait, he wrote his debut book, Answering the Hard Questions, turning his story into a roadmap for anyone still trying to find their way out.

You'll hear About

• How Devin grew up moving 16 times in 18 years across Rockford, Illinois

• The day he came home from school and found his apartment surrounded by police

• Why he stayed silent about his trauma for most of his life

• Losing his mother and being the one to make the life support decision

• How online blackmail and isolation brought him to the edge of suicide

• The two pamphlets in the hospital that helped him rewire how he thought about depression

• The single question that became the foundation of his recovery

• How writing his book in Kuwait helped him heal what he had buried for years

• Why faith became the cornerstone of who he is today

00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 01:15 Meet Devin Fish 02:00 Growing Up in Rockford and 16 Moves in 18 Years 04:30 The Day His Father Was Hospitalized 08:00 Why He Suppressed Everything for Years 10:00 Losing His Mother and the Life Support Decision 13:00 The Blackmail Spiral and Suicidal Thinking 17:00 Thirty Seconds of Courage to Ask for Help 18:00 The Two Pamphlets That Changed His Life 20:00 Using a Single Goal to Climb Out of the Darkness 27:00 Reframing Trauma as a Chapter, Not the Whole Book 28:30 Writing Answering the Hard Questions in Kuwait 33:00 Coming Back to Faith 36:00 Devin's Message for Anyone Still Searching 38:00 Final Reflections and Key Takeaways

This week, ask yourself one hard question.

Not a comfortable one. Not the one you already know the answer to. The one you have been avoiding because you are afraid of what it might say back.

Maybe it is, "Why am I really staying in this?" Maybe it is, "What am I numbing right now?" Maybe it is the same one Devin asked himself: "Do I want to live, or am I just surviving?"

Because as Devin shared, healing did not start when life got easier. It started the moment he stopped lying to himself in silence and answered honestly.

Whatever your hard question is this week, do not run from it. Let it be the end of a chapter, not the end of the book.

Connect with Devin

• Get his book: Answering the Hard Questions: Let It Be the End of a Chapter, Not the End of the Book

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

You are not defined by the hardest thing you have been through, the worst decision you have made, or the darkest season of your life.

After more than 33 years as a trauma-informed psychotherapist, Scott Stolarick has sat across from people carrying pain most of the world never sees. From psychiatric hospitals and county jails to private practice, Scott has worked with people who have experienced trauma, people who have caused trauma, and people who are trying to understand why their anxiety, depression, anger, or substance use keeps showing up in their lives.

This conversation dives into what it really means to understand the whole person, not just the behaviour, diagnosis, or moment that brought them into the room. Scott shares why trauma is often part of the mental health equation, how depression and anxiety can change the way people experience life, and why compassion matters when we are trying to understand someone's story.

He also talks about coping, substance use, social media, connection, skill building, and the importance of asking for help before the weight becomes too heavy to carry alone.

Through his wisdom, experience, and deeply human approach, Scott reminds us that every person is made up of many pieces. And when you take a step back, you begin to see the whole picture.

Scott is a licensed, trauma-informed psychotherapist with 33 years of experience practicing in the state of Illinois. Throughout his career, he has worked as a clinician, administrator, and clinical supervisor, supporting individuals through trauma, mental health challenges, substance use, and complex life experiences.

He also holds Management and Leadership Certifications from the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University.

Scott is currently the owner of Mosaic Pathway Counseling in Gurnee, Illinois, where he brings a compassionate, whole-person approach to helping people understand their story, build healthier coping skills, and move toward healing.

• Why trauma is often part of the mental health equation

• How depression, anxiety, anger, and substance use can connect to deeper pain

• Why understanding the whole person matters more than judging one behaviour

• How self-medication can become a warning sign when it is used to cope

• Why skill building is an important part of managing mental health

• How social media and technology can quietly affect connection and wellbeing

00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 02:30 Scott's Career in Trauma-Informed Therapy 04:45 Why Trauma Matters in Mental Health 09:00 Why Hurt People May Hurt Others or Themselves 11:15 Seeing the Human Behind the Behaviour 14:30 Trauma, Social Media, and a More Stressed World 17:30 How Trauma Connects to Mental Health 20:30 Understanding Depression and Anxiety 24:30 Medication, Self-Medication, and Coping 29:45 When Substance Use Becomes a Warning Sign 31:30 Building Healthier Coping Skills 34:00 Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health 37:30 Social Media, AI, and Disconnection 40:30 Learning to Relax Without a Screen 45:45 Reaching Out for Help 48:15 Scott's Message for Anyone Struggling 49:45 Final Reflections and Key Takeaways

This week, take one step back before you judge someone else's story — or your own.

Look beyond the behaviour. Look beyond the one mistake, the one hard season, or the one piece that seems easiest to focus on. Ask yourself what else might be part of the picture.

And if you are the one struggling, remember this: you are not weak for needing help. You are human.

Because as Scott shared, we are all mosaics. We are made up of many pieces, and the whole picture is always bigger than one painful moment.

Connect with Scott

• Website: https://www.mosaicpathwaycounseling.org/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-stolarick-lcpc-cctp-298734252

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

Sometimes the thing that breaks you becomes the very thing that gives your life purpose.

At 19, Miguel Bautista was driven, active, and always pushing himself to the limit. He was an athlete, a personal trainer, a top performer at work, and the kind of person who believed the answer was always to work harder, push through, and keep going. But over time, his body started sending signals he could no longer ignore.

Fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations, and strange physical symptoms eventually led him into years of searching for answers. Doctors told him his tests looked normal, but Miguel knew something was deeply wrong. At his lowest point, he was bedridden, living with his grandparents, unable to feed himself, and wondering if life was still worth living.

This conversation dives into Miguel's journey through chronic fatigue syndrome, the identity loss that comes when your body no longer lets you live the way you used to, and the turning point that helped him understand the role of the nervous system in his recovery. Miguel shares how finding a purpose bigger than himself kept him alive, why pushing harder is not always the answer, and how he now helps others move from simply surviving to truly thriving.

Through pain, illness, grief, and recovery, Miguel's story is a powerful reminder that even when life feels impossible, there is still hope. And sometimes, healing begins when you stop fighting your body and start listening to what it is trying to tell you.

Miguel Bautista is the founder of CFS Recovery, a global program helping people recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Long COVID, fibromyalgia, and other nervous system-driven conditions.

After experiencing severe, unexplained symptoms at 19 that left him bedridden and hospitalized, Miguel began searching for a deeper understanding of what was happening in his body. His own recovery led him to develop a structured approach focused on nervous system regulation, behavioural recalibration, and long-term stability.

Today, through CFS Recovery, Miguel and his team have helped thousands of people around the world make meaningful progress, rebuild their capacity, and return to fuller, more independent lives.

• How Miguel went from athlete and high performer to bedridden with chronic fatigue syndrome

• Why pushing harder can sometimes make chronic symptoms worse

• The identity loss that can happen when illness takes away the life you knew

• How Miguel found a bigger purpose during his darkest season

• Why nervous system regulation became a key part of his recovery

• How CFS Recovery was born from Miguel's promise to help others heal

00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 01:15 Miguel's Mission to Help People Recover 03:15 Life Before Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 07:00 Becoming Bedridden and Reaching Rock Bottom 09:00 Understanding the Nervous System Connection 11:15 Finding Purpose in the Darkest Season 17:15 Looking Under the Hood Instead of Chasing Symptoms 23:00 Why Pushing Harder Can Keep You Stuck 30:15 Turning Pain Into Purpose 32:30 How CFS Recovery Was Created 36:15 Miguel's Free Recovery Roadmap Resource 41:45 Miguel's Message for Anyone Who Feels Hopeless 44:00 Final Reflections and Key Takeaways

This week, take one step toward listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.

Maybe that means slowing down instead of pushing harder. Maybe it means asking for help. Maybe it means admitting that what you are feeling is not something you have to ignore, hide, or fight through alone.

And if you are in a season where life feels heavy, hold on to this: there is still a spark inside of you.

Because as Miguel shared, healing is possible. Your story is not over. And one day, you may look back and realize that the pain you survived became the purpose that helped you move forward.

Connect with Miguel

• Website: CFS Recovery

• YouTube: CFS Recovery - YouTube

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfsrecovery/

• Tiktok: CFS Recovery

• LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/miguel-bautista-85a188a9

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.

Life will hand you things you never asked for. The question is, who do you become on the other side of it?

Stacie Shifflett has walked through unimaginable loss, major life transitions, and seasons that could have easily left her stuck in bitterness, anger, and grief. After losing her son, navigating the end of a 28-year marriage, and now facing a new health challenge that has changed her independence, Stacie has learned something powerful: peace is something you have to protect, practice, and choose.

This conversation dives into what it really means to keep moving forward when life knocks you down, how to make peace with things you cannot change, and why healing often begins with taking radical responsibility for your own journey. Stacie shares how emotional triggers can become guideposts, why joy is not something you achieve but something you allow, and how small, intentional steps can help you become the next best version of yourself.

Through grief, disruption, anger, and uncertainty, Stacie's story is a reminder that life may change around you, but you still have the power to choose how you show up.

Stacie Shifflet is a transformation guide, author, entrepreneur, and the creator of Modern Consciousness®, a clarity-first framework that helps people understand their inner landscape, break behavioural patterns, and intentionally choose what comes next.

After building companies, acquiring a $50M software company with no upfront capital, rolling out the first IBM desktops in a major federal agency, and navigating profound personal loss, Stacie rebuilt her life and identity through deep self-inquiry and emotional honesty.

Her bestselling book, Treasure Map to Joy™, brings her journey to life through a transformational parable and reflects her practical, courageous approach to turning awareness into real, lasting change.

• Why making peace with loss is part of moving forward

• How grief can resurface long after the hardest season has passed

• Why emotional triggers can become a path toward healing

• The power of taking radical responsibility for your own journey

• How small steps help you become the next best version of yourself

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 02:30 Losing Her Son and Choosing to Move Forward 06:00 Giving Yourself Grace Through Grief 08:30 Making Peace With Loss 14:00 Divorce, Anger, and Starting Over 18:00 Becoming the Next Best Version of Yourself 22:15 Calming Emotional Triggers and Reclaiming Your Power 30:30 Stacie's Book, Treasure Map to Joy 33:15 Facing a New Health Challenge With Grace 39:00 Holding Space for Someone Who Is Struggling 40:30 Final Reflections and Key Takeaways

Chuck's Challenge

This week, take one small step toward the next best version of yourself.

It doesn't have to be dramatic. It could be choosing not to react to something that usually triggers you. It could be asking for help. It could be letting yourself feel what you've been avoiding. Or it could simply be finding one moment of joy in the middle of a hard day.

Because as Stacie shared, peace does not happen by accident.

It comes when you choose to protect it, practice it, and take your power back one step at a time.

Connect with Stacie

• Website: Modern Consciousness

• Facebook: Modern Consciousness | Sarasota FL

• Instagram: Modern Consciousness®️ (@modernconsciousness)

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacie-shifflett-7b5a8922/

Connect with Chuck

• Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/

• Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked

Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.