Karena Dawn

Karena Dawn, co-founder of Tone It Up and host of The Big Silence podcast, sits down with Nikkiey Stott for the most personal conversation the show has had about mental health. Karena grew up in the 80s and 90s with a mother diagnosed with schizophrenia, at a time when no one talked about mental illness. She describes hiding what was happening at home, going through her own teenage depression, surviving a suicide attempt, and the moment in her early twenties when she decided her life had to change. She traded club nights for sunrise bike rides, runs and ocean swims, trained for a triathlon, and says fitness is what pulled her out of the dark.

From there the two get practical. Karena explains why the stigma runs so deep, shares the story of her mother's change of heart in her final days, and lays out the resources she points people to, including the anonymous Crisis Text Line, NAMI support groups, and The Big Silence's therapy scholarship. She also covers the basics she leans on: water, gut health, moving your body, getting outside, and meditation that can be as simple as five deep breaths.

Nikkiey talks about restarting therapy this year and about how hard it was to ease back into lifting and being around people after two weeks sick with the flu. They close with what to say if you are struggling in silence, and how to check in on someone you love without judgment.