What Didn’t Break Me

In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy welcomes Ayis Caperonis — author, husband, father of three, and a voice for people navigating some of life’s hardest battles.

Ayis is the author of Staring Down Depression: A Practical Guide to Depression, written not from textbooks but from lived experience. His work focuses on the real challenges of moving forward when motivation disappears, hope feels distant, and “just think positive” advice no longer reaches the place you’re in.

At 13½, after years of misdiagnosed headaches, Ais developed double vision, nystagmus, and severe balance problems. Doctors discovered a massive benign brain tumor. In October 1988 he underwent a 9½-hour experimental surgery with only a 30% chance of survival. He lived — but lost all motor skills, coordination, clear vision, and his athletic dreams of following his Olympic-swimmer father.

Deep depression followed. The turning point came when his father placed him in a rehabilitation center for a week. Seeing other children with severe disabilities still fighting inspired Ais to refuse to give up. He surrendered his life to God and began the long work of rebuilding.

In this conversation Ayis shares:

• Growing up in an athletic family with Olympic dreams

• The sudden diagnosis and life-or-death surgery at 13

• Losing motor skills, voice, and identity overnight

• The heavy depression that followed survival

• The rehabilitation center moment that changed everything

• Practical tools: faith, sleep, nutrition, exercise, support, and small daily steps

• Writing Staring Down Depression from real experience

If you or someone you love is living with depression, the aftermath of a medical crisis, or the quiet struggle of rebuilding after everything changed, this episode offers honest hope and usable tools.

#Ayiscaperonis #StaringDownDepression #BrainTumorSurvivor #WhatDidntBreakMe #Depression #Resilience #FaithAndHealing

Connect with Ayis Caperonis

Website:https://www.amazon.com/Staring-Down-Depression-Practical-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B0H9JDTDLQ

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayis-caperonis-3572bb281?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

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Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Growing up athletic with an Olympic father

2:30 – Headaches, misdiagnosis & moving to France

3:30 – Double vision, hemorrhage & emergency diagnosis

4:30 – 9½-hour brain tumor surgery at age 13

5:30 – Losing motor skills and falling into depression

6:30 – The rehabilitation center turning point

8:00 – Surrendering to God and beginning to rebuild

9:30 – Practical tools that help: sleep, nutrition, exercise, faith

11:00+ – Inspiration from others and never giving up

In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Mr. Whiskey — U.S. Navy veteran, speaker, podcaster, author, comedian, preacher, and addiction recovery coach.

He is the founder of Couple O’ Nukes, a platform built around honest conversations most people avoid: mental health, addiction, recovery, suicide prevention, faith, trauma, relationships, leadership, and the hard work of rebuilding a life.

Mr. Whiskey grew up in a home marked by addiction, domestic violence, sexual violence, verbal and emotional abuse, and weaponized religion inside a controlling, toxic family. At 17 he was pushed into the Navy on the path to becoming a nuclear operator. His ship environment included multiple suicides, a murder, and toxic leadership that treated people as government property. The first two decades of his life were defined by compounded hardship.

From age 21 onward, recovery became the focus. Podcasting accelerated that process by connecting him with experts and creating space for truth-seeking. He speaks openly about the difference between remaining a victim and becoming a survivor, the danger of weaponized faith, and how intellectual curiosity and actual scripture helped him stay rooted rather than walk away.

In this conversation he shares:

• Growing up in addiction, abuse, and weaponized religion

• The compounding impact of a toxic military environment

• Choosing survivor over victim after acceptance

• Why seeking real truth matters more than tradition or people

• How faith, humor, accountability, and purpose can coexist with deep scars

• Rebuilding a life and helping others face what tried to break them

If you’ve experienced family trauma, military hardship, addiction in the home, or the misuse of faith, this episode offers raw honesty and a path forward.

Learn more at coupleonukes.com.

#MrWhiskey #CoupleONukes #NavyVeteran #WhatDidntBreakMe #AddictionRecovery #TraumaToPurpose #SuicidePrevention #FaithAndHealing

Connect with Mr Whiskey

Website:https://couple-o-nukes-website.webnode.page/

LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/mr-whiskey-921b70299/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/coupleonukes/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Biblical kintsugi and what didn’t break him

2:30 – Growing up in addiction, violence & weaponized religion

4:00 – Entering the Navy at 17 and toxic military culture

5:30 – Suicides, murder, and being treated as government property

6:30 – From 20 years of hardship to recovery

7:30 – Navigating the 20s without support

8:30 – Intellectual curiosity vs. weaponized faith

10:00+ – Choosing survivor over victim and turning pain into purpose

In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Susan Snow — author, speaker, coach, and advocate for mental health awareness in law enforcement and first responder communities.

On Halloween night in 1985, when Susan was 17, her father — a Los Angeles Police Department detective — was assassinated in a planned drive-by shooting while picking up her six-year-old brother from school. She and her mother arrived at the scene to find his body. In his final act, her father saved her brother’s life. It was the first such assassination in LAPD history.

With almost no mental health resources available for children or families of officers at the time, Susan was left to navigate profound trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and the sudden loss of her sense of safety. Years later she turned her pain into purpose, becoming a trauma resiliency coach and author of The Other Side of the Gun: My Journey from Trauma to Resiliency.

In this conversation Susan shares:

• The night her world changed forever

• The immediate and long-term impact of sudden violent loss

• Growing up without the language or support for trauma

• How vulnerability and courage can exist together

• Healing that honors the past without being defined by it

• Supporting law enforcement families and first responders

If you or someone you love has experienced sudden loss, violence, or the hidden emotional toll of public service, this episode offers honesty, validation, and hope.

Learn more at susansnowspeaks.com.

#SusanSnow #TheOtherSideOfTheGun #TraumaResiliency #WhatDidntBreakMe #LawEnforcementFamilies #PTSD #FirstResponders

Connect with Susan Snow

Website:https://www.traumatalksbysusansnow.com/

Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/susan_snow1

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Halloween 1985: The phone call

3:00 – Arriving at the school and seeing the scene

5:00 – Learning her father was gone

6:30 – The chaotic aftermath and lack of support

8:00 – PTSD symptoms in the days that followed

10:00 – Her father’s final act of saving her brother

11:00+ – The long road from trauma to resiliency

In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy welcomes Lynn Banis — psychologist, coach, mentor, and advocate for women navigating profound life transitions.

Lynn’s work centers on helping widows (and women facing other major shifts such as divorce, job loss, or empty nest) move beyond simply surviving grief into creating a life of connection, purpose, fulfillment, and joy. She takes a practical approach to rebuilding after loss.

Her own story is one of compounded grief. After retiring with her husband, she brought her 100-year-old mother to live with them following a series of hurricanes and a broken hip. Her mother lived with them for six years and passed at 106. Eight months later Lynn’s younger brother died suddenly of a heart attack. Six months after that, her husband went in for what was supposed to be simple surgery and did not survive. Within two and a half years she experienced three major losses.

In this conversation Lynn shares:

• The reality of compounded grief and how each loss reopens the ones before it

• The brain fog, loneliness, and feeling of being completely untethered

• The overwhelming practical and legal tasks that follow a spouse’s death

• Why professional knowledge of transitions is different from living them

• Practical guidance for navigating the early days and beginning to rebuild

• Hope for creating a meaningful new chapter after profound loss

If you or someone you love is walking through grief or a major life transition, this episode offers both validation and a grounded path forward.

#LynnBarnes #Widowhood #Grief #CompoundedLoss #WhatDidntBreakMe #LifeTransitions #RebuildingAfterLoss

Connect with Lynn Banis

Website:https://tinyurl.com/anbh9h5r

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-banis-36987b2aa/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/banislynn/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:00 – Lynn’s work with widows and life transitions

2:00 – Caring for her mother until age 106

3:30 – The sudden loss of her younger brother

4:00 – Her husband’s unexpected death after surgery

5:00 – Compounded grief and its impact

6:00 – Brain fog, feeling untethered & early survival

8:00 – The practical and legal overwhelm after loss

10:00+ – Navigating paperwork and beginning to rebuild

In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy sits down with Anthony Guastella — certified health coach who has turned his own multi-year health battles into a mission to help others reclaim their freedom.

Anthony spent six years battling Lyme disease, along with joint pain, thyroid issues, fibromyalgia, and extreme physical suffering. In the middle of that darkness he faced a clear choice: stay a victim of his circumstances or become a victor. He made a strong internal decision that he would get well, began shifting his questions and mindset, and eventually came out the other side with a deep desire to help others do the same.

Today he is a certified health coach through the Institute of Transformational Nutrition and hosts the Anthony Guastella Wellness podcast. His work focuses on practical mindset tools, self-awareness, and sustainable approaches that help people move from survival mode into true ownership of their health.

In this conversation Anthony shares:

• Living with Lyme disease and the daily reality of chronic suffering

• The decision to stop being a victim and claim the path of empowerment

• Why the questions we ask ourselves determine what we find

• Practical habits: quiet reflection, journaling, growth mindset, and small wins

• How fear can become a tool instead of a trap

• Turning your mess into your message and your pain into purpose

If you’re currently in a health struggle (or supporting someone who is) and can’t yet see the light at the end of the tunnel, this episode offers both hope and concrete next steps.

Learn more at anthonyguastella.com.

#AnthonyGuastella #LymeDisease #HealthCoach #WhatDidntBreakMe #PainIntoPurpose #Mindset #ChronicIllnessRecovery

Connect with Anthony Guastella

Website:https://anthonyguastella.com/

Twitter:https://x.com/anthonyg_120

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:00 – Anthony’s health challenges begin

1:30 – Six years with Lyme disease & related symptoms

2:30 – Choosing victor over victim

3:30 – Message for those who can’t see hope yet

5:00 – Practical habits: self-awareness, questions & small wins

7:00 – Navigating fear and finding a new way forward

9:00+ – Turning pain into purpose and helping others

In this episode of What Didn’t Break Me, Joy welcomes Reverend Monica Humpal — Master Certified Coach, ordained United Methodist Pastor, podcast host, and author whose work centers on the real process of healing after betrayal.

Monica’s own story began in 2011 after 14 years of marriage. Her husband Steve suddenly announced he was unhappy and wanted to separate. She went into “fix-it” mode, only to later learn he had already signed a lease and was moving out. Multiple denials of another relationship left her reeling with grief, confusion, and the shock of betrayal trauma while raising two young children.

What followed was a long journey through devastation, therapy, spiritual wrestling, and the hard work of deciding what healing and possible reconciliation could look like without minimizing the pain. Today Monica helps others understand betrayal trauma, rebuild trust (including self-trust), navigate forgiveness, and make clear-eyed decisions about whether and how to stay.

She hosts the Betrayed & Stayed podcast for people who have experienced infidelity and are choosing the path of rebuilding.

In this conversation Monica shares:

• The moment her marriage was upended after 14 years

• The physical and emotional impact of betrayal trauma

• Why sudden “I’m unhappy” announcements often signal something deeper

• Moving from people-pleasing and “pick me” behavior into grounded self-respect

• The long road of healing, trust, and possible reconciliation

• Hope for anyone whose trust has been shattered

If you or someone you love is walking through the aftermath of betrayal, this episode offers honesty, validation, and practical wisdom.

#MonicaHumpal #BetrayalTrauma #BetrayedAndStayed #InfidelityRecovery #WhatDidntBreakMe #AffairRecovery #HealingAfterBetrayal

Connect with Monica Humpal

Website:https://monicahumpal.com/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Monica’s background as coach, pastor & author

2:00 – The night her husband said he wanted to separate

4:00 – Going into “fix-it” mode

5:30 – The lunch where he said he was moving out

7:30 – Seeking therapy & the therapist’s warning

9:30 – Navigating the kids and the early shock

11:00+ – The longer journey of grief, healing & hope

Ronni Robinson, author of *Out of the Pantry*, certified eating disorder recovery coach, mother, and three-time Ironman, shares her 30-year battle with binge eating. She describes the secrecy, shame, obsession with food, and the endless cycle of “I’ll start over tomorrow.” The turning point came when she finally recognized the pattern as a mental health issue, sought specialized help, and began healing the childhood wounds that fueled it. A raw and hopeful story of reclaiming life from disordered eating.

Hosted by What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story.

Connect with Ronni Robinson

Website:https://www.ronnirobinson.com/coaching-info

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/recoverwithronni/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronni-robinson-8080b119/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – What binge eating really looks and feels like

3:00 – A life dominated by food, shame, and isolation

5:00 – The moment everything shifted: discovering Overeaters Anonymous

6:30 – Realizing recovery is possible and deciding to get help

8:00 – Therapy, books, meetings, and finding community

9:00 – Uncovering childhood wounds and rewriting the story

10:30 – From survival to helping others recover

Jody Hudson, author, speaker, and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation, shares a life marked by profound loss—childhood abandonment and foster care, an alcoholic adoptive home, divorce and bankruptcy, and the 10-year medical mystery that claimed her daughter Alex at age 22. After the 40th doctor finally diagnosed Lyme disease, Alex passed less than a year later. Jody turned her grief into purpose through her foundation and the book *My Promise to Alex*, choosing daily to “show up” with faith, kindness, and a commitment to honor her daughter’s spirit.

Hosted by What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story.

Connect with Jody Hudson

Website: https://www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-hudson-20a7963a

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jkutahudson/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Childhood loss, foster care, and an alcoholic home

2:00 – Divorce, bankruptcy, and Alex’s mysterious illness

2:30 – Fifth-grade symptoms dismissed as growing pains

3:30 – Ten years of decline and the 40th doctor

4:30 – Lyme disease diagnosis and the fight for treatment

5:30 – Alex’s passing at 22 and the birth of a promise

6:30 – Founding the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation and writing the book

7:30 – Navigating grief with faith and purpose

9:00 – How to “show up” every day and practical habits for healing

Dr. Nneka Oluoha, a Nigerian-American physician, novelist, and speaker, shares the unseen struggles of moving from practicing medicine in Nigeria to becoming a licensed physician in the United States. While raising a toddler, she faced repeated discouragement, study setbacks, expensive daycare decisions, and a crushing mock-exam failure—yet kept going. A powerful story of quiet determination, supportive partnership, and the resilience required when the path feels impossible.

Hosted by What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story.

Connect with Nneka Oluoha

Website:https://www.nnekaoluoha.com/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nneka.oluoha/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Living between worlds: Nigeria, America, medicine & storytelling

3:00 – The USMLE journey begins amid widespread discouragement

5:00 – Studying with a toddler and hitting a wall

6:30 – The decision to put her son in daycare

8:00 – Finding hope after the first real study day

9:00 – Mock exam failure and deep disappointment

9:30 – Husband’s support: movie night and shoes

11:00 – Reframing the approach and moving forward

Cindy Shaw, founder of The Awakened Journey, shares how a life that looked successful on the outside still left her battling deep depression and the fear of losing everything. After 35 years of personal development work, a business crisis pushed her to the brink—until a powerful shared dream with her husband and a complete surrender to life shifted everything. She discovered that self-worth is not net worth and now helps high-achieving women reconnect with their authentic selves.

Hosted by What Didn’t Break Me — where every scar tells a story.

Connect with Cindy Shaw

Website:https://www.awakenedjourney.ca/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/the_awakenedjourney/

If What Didn’t Break Me sparks something in you, do well to share to someone who you think might need this. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

If you have a minute leaving a review helps more people discover these everyday unique voices and the insight they carry. Your support means the world.

Want to be a guest on What Didn’t Break Me Send a message to Joy https://www.joinpodmatch.com/whatdidntbreakme

Chapters

0:00 – Introduction & Welcome

1:30 – Cindy’s history of depression and personal development work

2:30 – Business crisis and fear of losing everything

3:30 – Spiritual awakening dream: “Trust”

4:30 – The darkest night and the decision to seek help

5:00 – The shared lucid dream of driving off a cliff

6:30 – Realizing self-worth is not net worth

8:00 – The meaning of the shared dream and soul-level agreement

9:00 – The power of surrender and letting go of control

11:00 – What true surrender really means