The Big Silence

The Big Silence

The Big Silence is a top-rated mental health and self-development podcast for anyone ready to build resilience, heal deeply, and grow with intention. Welcome to The Big Silence podcast. This is a space for real, honest conversations about mental health, resilience, and the things we’re all navigating but don’t always say out loud. I’m your host, Karena Dawn—mental health advocate, wellness entrepreneur, and owner and co-founder of Tone It Up—and each week I’m sitting down with psychologists, wellness experts, and people I deeply admire to talk about what healing actually looks like in real life. You’ll hear personal stories, expert insight, and simple, powerful tools you can apply to your own life. My hope is that you leave every episode feeling supported, understood, and more confident in your ability to move through whatever season you’re in. -- A non-profit 501(c)3, The Big Silence Foundation provides resources and support to anyone directly or indirectly impacted by mental illness. 'The Big Silence' theme song was written and performed by James Nicholas Kinney. Executive Handyman, Bobby Goldstein.

Episodes

February 19, 2026 58 mins

In this conversation with Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in eating disorders and founder of Within Health and Galen Hope treatment centers, Karena explores the life-threatening reality of eating disorders as serious mental illnesses that claim one life every 52 minutes in America. Dr. Oliver-Pyatt explains the biopsychosocial foundations of eating disorders, shares her personal journey from ball...

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In this conversation with Bizzie Gold, founder of Break Method and creator of brain pattern mapping technology, Karena explores how childhood experiences create predictable patterns that shape your relationships, career, and mental health—and how understanding your source belief pattern can help you break free from self-deception and build a healthier life.

How do you rewire the brain patterns formed in childhood that still cont...

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What if your worst childhood trauma became the gateway to your greatest gift?

In this profoundly moving episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Susan Grau: soul healer, grief and addiction therapist, and Hay House bestselling author. Her near-death experience transformed a childhood marked by extreme trauma into a life devoted to healing. Susan had a childhood that most people can't imagine surviving. But she’s transformed...

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What if gratitude isn't just something you feel, but something you create more of every time you practice it?

In this grounding Mental Wellness Month meditation, Karena guides you through an 8-minute practice designed to help you reconnect with gratitude for your body, your breath, and your journey. Using breathwork, visualization, and mantras, this meditation invites you to pause and give thanks for all that has carried you to this...

What If Your Gut Could Heal Your Mind?

In this deeply personal episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with functional medicine pioneer and bestselling author Dr. Will Cole. From growing up with a bodybuilding dad in the '80s to building the first functional medicine telehealth clinic, Dr. Cole shares his unconventional path to becoming one of the most trusted voices in holistic health. He opens up about the gut-brain connecti...

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What if the answer to your racing thoughts isn't fighting them—but watching them float by?

In this week's free meditation for Mental Wellness Month, Karena guides you through a powerful practice designed for anyone whose mind won't shut up. This session teaches you to observe your thoughts without getting swept away by them—whether it's worry, planning, or that relentless inner critic. If you've been feeling mentally overwhelmed or ...

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What if breaking your family’s silence was the first step to truly finding yourself?

Author and educator, Dr. Joan Sung, joins Karena in Austin for a candid conversation about identity, intergenerational trauma, and what it really takes to prioritize mental health, especially within Asian American family systems. From the model minority myth to “tiger mom” dynamics, fetishization, and going “no contact”, Joan shares the tools, boun...

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What if the powerful version of you isn't something you need to become—but something you already are?

In this empowering Mental Wellness Month meditation, Karena guides you through a 9-minute practice designed to help you reconnect with your inner strength and rise into your most confident self. Using breathwork, visualization, and affirmations, this meditation reminds you that you're not waiting to become someone else; you're remem...

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What if your need for control is actually what's keeping you stuck?

In this revealing episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with licensed therapist, YouTuber, and bestselling author Kati Morton to dive into her most personal book yet: Why Do I Keep Doing This? From toxic independence to people-pleasing as manipulation, Kati unpacks the precarious relationship we have with control—and why trying to control what we can't is the...

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What if you could choose where your energy goes and protect what matters most?

In this special Mental Wellness Month meditation, Karena guides you through a powerful practice designed to help you protect your peace and release what's not yours to carry. Using breathwork, visualization, and affirmations, this meditation creates a protective boundary around your energy and reminds you that not everything deserves your attention—and no...

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Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

What if the thoughts that torment you don’t have to define you anymore?

In this eye-opening episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Jon Hershfield, MFT, director of the Center for OCD and Anxiety at Sheppard Pratt. From his own lived experience with OCD to becoming a...

  • Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if grief isn't just about what you've lost, but also about honoring who you were and how far you've come?

    In this raw and heartfelt episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with entrepreneur, artist, and mental health advocate Tallulah Willis. The youngest daughter of...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if the sign you needed appeared at your darkest moment—and changed everything?

    In this deeply moving episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with actress, producer, and mental health advocate Sarah Gilman. Best known for her starring role as Delia Delfano in Disney C...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if the thing you're running from is the exact thing holding you back from everything you're meant to be?

    

    In this raw and powerful episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with podcast host, author, and co-host of Impaulsive, Mike Majlak. From 10 years lost to heroin ...

  • Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What happens when you fight for a year to reclaim the company you built—and finally win?

    In this raw, emotional solo episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn breaks her silence and shares the news her community has been waiting for: she's bought back Tone It Up. After founding ...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if the invisible air around you was quietly impacting your sleep, your energy, and your overall health?

    In this eye-opening episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Wes Greenwood, Wellness Director at Jaspr and a former firefighter-turned-air quality expert. From...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if the holiday season could be about joy and connection instead of stress and obligation?

    In this timely episode of The Big Silence, Karena welcomes back spiritual teacher, author, and podcaster Monica Berg for a conversation we all need before the holidays. From managing...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if your intuition was the key to rewriting your story?

    In this illuminating episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with bestselling author and renowned intuitive Laura Day, whose new book The Prism: Seven Steps to Heal Your Past and Transform Your Future offers a gr...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if your lowest moment became the foundation for your purpose?

    In this heartfelt episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with country music artist Chase McDaniel, who transformed generational trauma, addiction, and mental illness into powerful storytelling through his...

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    Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

    Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

    What if one terrifying night became the catalyst for a lifetime of healing?

    In this powerhouse episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Angelo Keely, co-founder and CEO of Kion, to unpack his extraordinary path—from a near-fatal stabbing at 16 to building a company ro...

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