The Big Silence
Where there is darkness, there is an immense opportunity for light. The Big Silence aims to normalize conversations around mental health and empower people to turn their challenges into triumphs. Hosted by Karena Dawn – mental health advocate, wellness entrepreneur, co-founder of Tone It Up, and New York Times bestselling author – The Big Silence is creating a safe space to share our story, and for you to share yours. Like so many, Karena has experienced profound grief and trauma. Growing up with a mother diagnosed with paranoid-schizophrenia, her childhood was filled with traumatic experiences that resulted in repressed emotions of guilt, shame, depression, and eventually, a suicide attempt. Though filled with this darkness, Karena was able to find deep joy. And with The Big Silence, she's creating a space for you to find that joy, too. This podcast will feature in-depth conversations with psychologists, spiritual leaders, public figures, friends, and anyone who has been impacted by a mental health condition – either themselves, or through a family member or a friend. Suffering in silence only reinforces the stigma behind mental health issues and builds boundaries that prevent healing. Wherever you are, whatever you're going through, you have a spark of greatness inside of you. No more embarrassment, no more shame, only healing. -- 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
What if your doctor was the one who needed saving?
In this eye-opening episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Dr. Darshan Shah, a surgeon, longevity expert, and founder of Next Health. After decades in medicine and a career spent helping others, Dr. Shah found himself battling chronic disease, obesity, depression, and burnout. But it wasn’t pills or procedures that saved him. It was a radical shift toward root-cause ...
What does it really mean to be optimistic?
In this Flow Space edition of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Dr. Deepika Chopra, known as the “Optimism Doctor”, live from the Women’s Health Summit in LA. Drawing from her background in psychology, neuroscience, and lived experience, Dr. Chopra debunks the myth that optimism is about “being positive.” Instead, she offers science-backed tools to build mental resilience, process...
What if midlife wasn’t something to fear, but something to own?
In this empowering episode recorded live at the Women’s Health Summit in LA, Karena sits down with actor and activist Constance Zimmer and filmmaker Abby Epstein to talk about aging, hormones, Hollywood, and how women are finally telling the truth about what it means to grow older. From the early days of the Vagina Monologues to the debut of their new project Midlife Mo...
What if you were leading a major wellness media company while quietly struggling to follow the very advice you publish?
In this refreshingly candid episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Samantha Skey, CEO of SheMedia and founder of Flowspace. Together, they dive into what it really means to age out loud, from the invisible weight of midlife caregiving to the truth about impostor syndr...
What if your lowest moment was the beginning of your greatest transformation?
In this powerhouse episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with six-time American Ninja Warrior, keynote speaker, and Pull-Up Revolution founder Angela Gargano. From tearing her ACL on national TV to moving into her dad’s basement and starting over, Angela’s story is the definition of a comeback. She opens up about identity, healing through movement, ...
What happens when you confront your darkest moments and choose to heal, instead of staying stuck in the pain?
In this raw and inspiring episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn is joined by Dr. Samantha Harte, author of Breaking the Circuit. She’s a physical therapist, author, and sobriety advocate. Harte opens up about rebuilding her life after addiction and navigating a traumatic childhood. Through it all, she discovered the healin...
What if you built a billion-dollar fitness empire — and then had the courage to tear it down for something better?
In this powerful episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Carl Daikeler, founder of Beachbody (now known as BODi), the man behind household names like P90X, Insanity, Shakeology, and Morning Meltdown 100. But this isn’t just a story of success — it’s a brutally honest look at motivation, body image, entrep...
What if your anxiety is actually your soul speaking to you? In this episode of The Big Silence, Karena reunites with longtime friends and Almost 30 podcast co-founders Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik to talk about life transitions, healing burnout, and the emotional power of their first book. From learning to listen to your intuition to rewriting generational body image beliefs, these two best friends open up about the lessons t...
What if your symptoms weren’t “just in your head”? On this heartfelt and hilarious episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Katy and Josh, the powerhouse couple behind the wellness brands Joi and Blokes (now unified under Relon). From four miscarriages and lost sex drives to unexpected weight gain and hormone havoc, they candidly share how their personal struggles with health, marriage, and identity led to the creation of ...
What if the path to true health wasn’t found in counting macros or cutting carbs—but in listening to your body, regulating your nervous system, and redefining your worth? Karena welcomes integrative nutritionist and mom of four, Cara Clark. From growing up in a chaotic home as one of eight kids to building a health empire rooted in faith and intuition, Cara opens up about performance-based love, disordered eating, menopause, and th...
On this episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with singer-songwriter Lindsey Ray — a powerhouse behind the scenes of the music industry with credits including Mariah Carey, Demi Lovato, and Tiësto. But beyond the accolades lies a story of self-reinvention, mental health awakening, and the hard decision to walk away from “success” in search of authenticity. From her childhood anxiety and people-pleasing tendencies to lea...
What if your pain could become someone else’s healing? On this episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with rising country star Avery Anna on the eve of her 10th Grand Ole Opry performance. From humble beginnings recording in her mom’s bathtub to signing with Warner Music Nashville, Avery’s journey is anything but typical. But it’s her vulnerability that sets her apart. Inspired by fan-written “Let Go Letters” — anonymous note...
What does it truly mean to live with intention—from the food we eat, to the candles we burn, to how we heal our inner child? This week on The Big Silence, Karena sits down with sustainable living expert and “EcoBabe” Monica Richards for an eye-opening, heart-filling conversation about how sustainability is more than composting—it's a lifestyle of reverence, joy, and healing. Monica shares her journey from a farm girl in Michigan to...
What happens when the pain you’ve been running from becomes the very thing that sets you free? In this moving episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with somatic therapist and author Britt Piper to explore the transformative journey from trauma to healing. Britt shares her deeply personal story—of childhood abandonment, sexual assault, addiction, and eventual redemption—and how somatic therapy became the missing piece in her ...
What if your anxiety, gut issues, or chronic fatigue aren’t just “mental”—but messages from your body asking you to slow down, clean up, and tune in? In this powerful episode of The Big Silence, Mona Sharma—a former luxury beauty exec turned celebrity wellness expert—shares her personal journey from corporate burnout and heart surgeries to building an "at-home ashram" for healing. Mona breaks down how unresolved stress, toxic produ...
What if the chemicals in our food, water, and everyday products were silently impacting our mental health? This week on The Big Silence, I sit down with Dr. Aly Cohen, a board-certified rheumatologist, integrative medicine specialist, and environmental health expert, to explore the hidden connection between toxins and brain health. From the rise of autoimmune diseases to how endocrine-disrupting chemicals might be affecting our moo...
Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber Brooks knows the immense pressure of elite gymnastics—where fear-based coaching, emotional suppression, and relentless expectations shape young athletes. In this episode, she opens up about the resilience it took to unlearn those survival tactics and how retiring at just 18 forced her to redefine her identity beyond competition. Now the head coach at the University of Arkansas, Jordyn is reshapin...
What if facing death was the key to truly living? I’m sitting down with my dear friend, Darlene Cordero—founder of Wellness Culture, author of The Healer’s Playbook, and a true force of nature when it comes to uplifting others. After years of success in corporate finance and media, she walked away to pursue a deeper calling—but it wasn’t until a life-altering cancer diagnosis that she truly understood what it meant to live with pur...
We’re breaking the silence on vaccines—one of the most polarizing and complicated conversations in parenting. I’m joined by Dr. Joel “Gator” Warsh, a Board-Certified Pediatrician specializing in integrative medicine, who believes parents deserve open, judgment-free discussions on vaccines, chronic illness, and raising healthy kids. Known for his popular Instagram @DrJoelGator and his upcoming book Between a Shot and a Hard Place, D...
Liz Plosser is back, and she’s stepping into a whole new chapter of life—on her own terms. After two decades in corporate media, including seven years as Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief, she made the bold decision to walk away and embrace the unknown. In this conversation, Liz gets real about navigating career reinvention, overcoming self-doubt, and building momentum when everything feels uncertain. She shares the daily habits that ...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.