September 8, 2025 • 42 mins
In this powerful episode of Authentic Talks 2.0, host Shanta Generally sits down with Nicole Gibson, author of Shattered Into Grace, to share her inspiring journey of resilience, healing, and faith after a life-changing traumatic brain injury. Nicole opens up about her accident, the struggles of recovery, and the spiritual lessons she discovered along the way. This heartfelt conversation explores:
Website: dynamicallycrafted.com
Facebook: NicoleGibsonDC
Instagram: @dynamically_crafted
LinkedIn: nicole-gibson-dc
TikTok: @ng_dynamicallycrafted
Host:
Instagram: @AuthenticTalks2.0
Email: AuthenticShanta@gmail.com
Website: www.AuthenticTalks2.com
Facebook: AuthenticTalks2
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/authentic-talks-2-0-with-shanta--4116672/support.
- Overcoming trauma and adversity with grace
- The emotional and spiritual impact of a traumatic brain injury
- Finding strength through faith, resilience, and self-discovery
- Nicole’s mission to inspire others through her book Shattered Into Grace
Website: dynamicallycrafted.com
Facebook: NicoleGibsonDC
Instagram: @dynamically_crafted
LinkedIn: nicole-gibson-dc
TikTok: @ng_dynamicallycrafted
Host:
Instagram: @AuthenticTalks2.0
Email: AuthenticShanta@gmail.com
Website: www.AuthenticTalks2.com
Facebook: AuthenticTalks2
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/authentic-talks-2-0-with-shanta--4116672/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, guys, welcome back to Authentic Talks two point oh.
I'm your host Chante Generally. On today's episode, this is
definitely one you don't want to miss. My guest opens
up about a life changing accident that left her with
the traumatic brain injury and the journey of rebuilding her
life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She takes us inside her
(00:25):
story of pain, resilience, faith, and ultimately grace. We'll also
talk about her powerful new book, Shattered into Grace, and
how she's using her story to help others heal and
to have fine hope. Before we dive in with introducing
today's guests, I do want to take a moment to
(00:45):
extend an open invitation for each of.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
You to come back again and again. And if you
have not had.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
An opportunity to subscribe to the podcast, please hit that
subscribe button. That way you won't miss an episode once
I apla to show. All right, you, guys, let's go
ahead and dive on in. Please welcome the author of
Shattered into Grace, Nicole Gibson too Authentic Talks.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Authentic Talks is all about authentic conversations. This show is
all about growth, love, respect, success, mind, body, and spirit.
If you're looking to grow and become your authentic self,
then this is the podcast for you, and I am
your host, Chante.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Welcome to the show. I'm Nicole. Welcome to the show. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Hey, Chante,
thank you for having me. I'm super excited to have you.
I feel like your story is one that it touched
me when I, you know, as I was reading about it.
And I'm really happy that you're here and able to
share your story and that you're able to articulate this
(01:51):
and put it into a book form and made it available.
So we'll talk about all of the good stuff before
we dive in. Can I have you to interdew yourself
to our listeners? Please? Yeah, for sure. So my name
is Nicole. I am an engineer by trade. Most of
my career has been in supply chain. I'm also a mother,
a yogi, and a woman of God, and also most
(02:13):
recently an author. And I'm excited to share more about
my book, Shattered into Grace. Congratulations on your book, Shattered
into Grace. The name it's like very catchy and it
just makes me want to ask you so much more.
And so can we dive on in with sharing your story. Yeah, definitely.
(02:33):
So about probably about three years ago, I was sitting
and really processing my journey of like how got to
where I got to, and really I believe what led
me into that was I decided to get baptized. And
after I finally I got badped and I was baptized
as a baby. So it wasn't my first time being baptized,
(02:56):
but after I really built my relationship with God on
my own, I realized it was I. It was I
was meant to that I was not to give really
truly show that I gave my life over to Christ.
So I decided to get baptized as adults. And after
I did that, I really reflected on while everything that
I went through to get near and possibly it in
(03:19):
she help somebody else reflect on their journey and their
trauma to and to really heal them, maybe not steal themselves,
but also just be able to really process what they
went through to live a more fulfilling life. I love that.
So you help others now with in a in a
coaching type of fashion or do you do like is
(03:43):
it like through workshops or so that that's my goal
shattered and really publishing. Shattered into Grace was my first
step into my now gol is to then start coaching
and really helping other women through a variety of different workshops,
so that that's finally is to come. Yes, I love it.
(04:03):
I love workshops. I think that they're super cool and
they do help a lot of people. And so congratulations
again on the book. Can I ask you what so
Shattered into Grace? I looked at the cover of the
book and it's a photo of you, and there's a
mirror that literally is like shattered, like it's cracked a
(04:25):
little bit. And so can you tell me, like how
shattered into Grace? What is the story behind the title
of the book? Yeah? So, and when I went when
I was in college, I just turned twenty. I was
walking to class or no, I was actually walking to
deliver a project and a car drove up on the
(04:48):
sidewalk and knit me and my friend from behind, going
thirty miles an hour on foot. I yeah, oh my goodness.
And so I had seven fractures to my skull resulting
in a super traumatic brain injury. So that shatter really
that's really where the shattered piece comes from is literally
I literally had to rebuild myself at twenty while I
(05:12):
was in the midst of getting my engineering degree, but
also right after that accident, I formed a really a
huge hinder with God. Why would he put me through this?
Why would he make me have to really heal from
something like this when I finally felt like I was
heading in the right direction of acceptance and self worse
(05:32):
than really just being happy within myself. So I've had
to rEFInd that. But in my book, I really go
into how I tried and attempted to rEFInd that all
on my own, but I really wasn't successful until I
decided to really include God in my journey, in my path,
and so that's where I eventually found myself within grace
(05:55):
and even grace I believe in my title can use
in two contexts. One, I found myself in grace to
finally heal, but also He gave me so much grace
through that journey. I was a when I went and
did all these things that I probably really wasn't helping
me Neil, but He's still ensured I was covered through
it all. When you say that you were doing it
(06:17):
on your own, can you share a little bit more
in context of what what do you mean by on
your own, like like going through physical therapy without like
or yeah so sadly so when I say doing it
on my own is now for an example, for now,
if I if I decide that, oh, maybe I need
(06:40):
a new career decision, or even in the relationship I
have now, before I even started dating my boyfriend, I
really prayed a lot on it and it resulted in
me and now I believe being in a successful, healthy,
three year relationship. When in the past, when I sought
relationships and even romantic relationships and friendships on my own,
(07:02):
I they end up really mentally and physically damaging to myself.
So's that's one example. And then even career wise, when
I include when I've included got in my decision making
for what job I want to take, or even an
action within work that I need, that I see what
I'm meant to take, I feel it brings me a
(07:23):
lot more confidence in what I'm doing, and also I
see I'm led through the process to accomplish that so
much more successfully. Oh, I love that share. I know
exactly what you're saying. I remember when I live in
Arizona currently and when I lived in California. I remember
one day joking and saying when they were saying that
(07:44):
they needed someone to come here to open up a site,
I was like, oh, yeah, you know, I wouldn't mind
going to Arizona. I see that movie. It was some
movie that was out with Waiting to Excel. I go, oh, yeah,
I see that movie and I look really pretty. And
then they're like, oh, don't even about it. But then,
like I remember that night. Throughout the week, it kept
(08:05):
coming back up for me, like in the back of
my mind, like Arizona, Arizona. And then I remember saying,
I need to pray about this. And then and I
literally like had a conversation with God and I was like,
give me a sign. I was like one of those
people that would be like I need a sign. I
need to know what's from you. And then I knew
because it was such a comforting feeling that came over right,
(08:27):
and it was like, without a shadow of a doubt,
I was like, I'm going to Arizona. And I didn't
even know yet if I was really going to do it.
And I ended up going to Arizona. But so, yeah,
I can totally relate to that. When you say that
like you when you were on your own, what did
you grow up like being a although you were baptized
(08:47):
as a baby, did you find did you have a
consistent relationship with God like where you were a religious
person per se, like in church every Sunday and having
community fellowship and all of those things. Bill, I would
definitely say my relationship with God has always been very
casual before and out. So growing up my parents, we
(09:10):
found my parents started taking me and my brother to church,
probably even though I was baptized when I was a baby,
but we didn't go start going to church and so
I was probably in elementary school, and then even they
even then we would go to church on Sunday and
then maybe say the occasional prayer before meals every once
in a while, but not anything consistent and not anything regular.
(09:32):
It was a very very very just casual relationship. So
I always said, like I always knew I believed in God.
I always knew I was a Christian, but I wouldn't
say I was. I truly walked in my faith like
I do today. Got it, So just not like practicing
on a consistent basis. So then right when you had
the auto accident, what was the relationship like at that
(09:55):
in the beginning months, Like you mentioned that you felt
like you were like on your own, and what did
that like. Was it like, did you have conversations with
God at that point or was it just like he
would you know, God was like not existing at all
in the scenario. The interesting thing is I went to
Marquette University. So Marquette is a Jesuit university. So actually
(10:18):
even the year before the accident, I took my first
theology course. So growing up in a household with a
very casual relationship with God, I never really studied the
Bible or open to the Bible on my own. I
only knew the Bible versus as they were shared in
church and details like that. So then when I went
(10:39):
to the theology class, I was like, Oh, this will
be good. Like, I know, I believe in God, so
I'm excited to learn more about this thing that I
say I believe in. Right, But then when I got
to the theology course, I was like, oh, I really
don't know what being a Christian is like. And but
then sitting around sitting in this classroom with all these
other kids that grew up like because most of the
(11:01):
kids were grew up Catholic because and so sitting in
this classroom with all these other kids that had been
in all these religious classes and like know, the Bible
stunt to back and I just felt, wow, like maybe
I don't know anything. And well the Bible I always
told I told myself, well, the Bible was written by
a man, So maybe this isn't even the God I
(11:24):
believe in. So even before the accident, I was going
through this what do I? Like, I knew I believe
in God, but what do I It's still like balancing
and struggling with that relationship in itself. Yeah. Yeah, So
then when the accident happened, then it was like why
why would why is God doing this to me? Like
(11:46):
this good, gracious God that I grew up believing I knew,
maybe it's not the God that I know anymore. So
I think that's what made it even farder after the
accident to find my relationship with him again. How many
years would you say that it took you as you
were going through your healing from the accident, like that
(12:07):
you felt that you were functioning like at as yourself
close to like you know, like because I read that
like you had some potential memory loss and like it
was a traumatic brain injury that had happened, and uh,
and then there was some questions there, like confident issues
(12:28):
and things like that. Can we talk about that a
little bit? Yeah? Yeah, So it really took six to
set I would say six a seven years for me
to really feel like I could even mentally process everything
the way that I did and even start emotionally being
more consident and happy and who I was. And I
think that mental recovery took me so much longer than
(12:53):
even the physical recovery, which I think sometimes people don't
always realize dramatic brain injuries that the emotional impact of
them is so severe. So I still was able to
graduate within my four years. I was still able to
graduate with my engineering degree, which again, like I said,
like God continued to keep me covered and was able
(13:15):
to ensure that I was able to accomplish everything I
was meant to accomplish. But I still had a lot
of migrains, just really physical pain, and also I just
struggled and I ended up. I mean, I was lucky
to be able to get an extension and all my
tests and again accommodations so that I could graduate with
(13:35):
my degree, but I still had that physical pain, and
I really even had that two years after my accident
or two years after I graduated still, but then once
it was like one day I woke up and I
didn't have any physical pain anymore, and I was able
to just focus on work and succeed and it was great.
(13:56):
But the emotional pain that really would say that took
until almost I was probably until like two years ago
for me to truly heal from. And in the book
I go into how that impacted my relationships. I ended
up in a really toxic relationship which really negatively impacted me. Yeah,
so I think I think that answered the question. Yeah, Wow,
(14:21):
whatever happened with the guy or the person who had
hit you on the sidewalk was there, did anything happen
with that person or did they just disappear? And so
he was an older man, older gentleman, and when they
did go to arrest him, he they found that he
was suffering with dementia, so he was physically incapable to
(14:44):
hold up in court. So you ended that blake. At
some point you were you were able to graduate and
like get in did you move into your career path
of what you went to school for. Yeah, yeah, I
did well a little bit different. So I actually graduated
with a biomechanical engineering degree, but I kind of went
(15:06):
more into the mechanical mechanical route and did more supply
chain which I also explain a lot of that in
my book as well, So anybody interested in STEM, I
really I kind of goal for my career a little
bit in my book as well. Nice. Well, congratulations. I'm
happy that, like you are able to be here and
to share your story and was able to write a
(15:27):
book about your story. So you have to tell us
for the woman out there, there's somewhat somebody or somebody's
that's tuning into the show who may not have had
that exact experience, but they have had They're going through
something that is traumatic and they feel frustrated, They feel
like they want to give up, they don't know which
way to turn, and what is it that you would
(15:49):
say to them in this moment, Like the person who's
barely hanging on after you yourself was able to see
that life can actually get back to a place where
you know you're able to show up and show out. Yeah,
I would say don't give up, which I know sounds
(16:10):
just so mainstream, and I know, and I like, I
understand for that woman sitting in that and in that
seat right now where you feel like you're just meant
to give up and everybody is always repeatedly telling you, like,
don't give up. It always gets better, and you just
do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But I promise you that it is there, and maybe
(16:32):
it'll even help to look at oh, like like a
positive relationship you have, or even the roof over your head,
or even just some the littlest piece of positivity to
help get you through to the next day, Like, remember,
it is there, but I understand that it's it's hard
to see, but just I you it'll crumb, reach for
(16:55):
it and remember that you are worthy and it will
all work out. What were you holding on to, like
before you got baptized again, what was it that kept
you going? Was it your family? Did you have like
a really good support system at the time. Yeah, my
mom is my best friend. My mom has truly is amazing.
(17:18):
But I would also say, besides my mom, I have
my two best friends are just they've been with me
since the accident and they're very, very very God fearing
women like they they have always really practiced. Their practice
was say what they preached and always pushed me to
prove my relationship with God. And even when I continued
(17:38):
to throw it all away, and like they would text
me sermon their messages that they like thought was good
and I would ignore them, but they just continue to
stay by my side. And that thinking, that self is
what continued to keep me going. That these people that
even though I continued to show them that I really
was not was not, I guess there or equivalent to
(18:00):
what they they were, they just continue to be there
for me. When you say throwing it all away, what
does that mean? They would say the relationship that I
chose in my twenties where it like, really it was
a relationship that I didn't need to be in. It
was a relationship that really could have cost me my career.
Oh wow, yeah, And what was it that helped you
(18:24):
to get out of that relationship? Did you just fin
say like I'm done? So it was the relationship was
weird because I saw the whole time I was in it,
it was like I was trying to prove that it
will work out for some reason. And Jerry, Yeah, one
day I was that hole and I realized I cannot
(18:47):
do to not do all this anymore because it was
a mix of my job wasn't going well, but then
that relationship was a mess, and I just felt alone.
And I also, like I said, I and my best
friends say that, continue to tell me, like, you need
to pray on it, you need to do this, you
need to do that. And I literally just got home
and I realized, like I can't do this on my
(19:08):
own anymore, and I got down on my knees and prayed.
Oh wow. And then when you what did you in
what way did you hear from God? Was it like
you know how they say everybody has a knowing and
it comes from like either you feel it in your
gut or like have you you know? Or they go,
oh you know, I felt that in my heart or
(19:29):
either something like So there's different places where we it
comes from, like that intuition you know, or that knowing
or the word from God. You know, what was when
yours came to you? What was that like? Did it
come like with this feeling like where you felt super
strong or was it just like you know, yeah, yeah,
(19:51):
so I'll definitely I'll feel in my gut. And then
when I go and do something that I feel that
I'm meant to do, I'll feel these like tingles in
my arms and and that's how I really truly believe
that I'm on the right path, and it's it's worked
out so far. So that's yeah, yeah, that's good. That's
good stuff. So did you have to go to physical
(20:12):
therapy and all of those different things like that or
were you forty Yeah? Oh you did, yeah. Yeah. After
the accident, I was in physical, occupational and speech therapy
for almost six or seven months. When I woke up
from the accident. Keep in mind everything from the day
before the accident to Thanksgiving. It was the accident happened
(20:34):
November twelve, twenty twelve, So everything before the day before
the accident to Thanksgiving that a couple of weeks later
I have no memory of and I still I still
can't remember it, but I do know that when I
woke up and go based on my mom has told me,
because I don't I don't remember personally, but when I
woke up, I didn't even recognize her. I really had
(20:58):
no no my memory of anything and could barely remember
who I was. And so the doctors literally told my
parents the day they they were like, well, there's nothing
else we can do for her. You just have to
help that things start to come back. Oh you gotta
know that's one of those. But god, you know what
(21:18):
I mean, Like that is definitely like wow, that is
like amazing, And you know, for anyone who's listening to
the show, I know that, Like I got chill pumps
when you said that, because when you put it into
context of exactly how I don't exactly how much damage
(21:40):
or how serious the injury truly was. When you put
it into context in that way, it's like you automatically
know that it was nothing. But God, yeah, definitely, because
so many people sometimes people don't wake up for the
through after an injury like that, and you were able
(22:00):
to heal from it, and although it took some time.
I love the fact that you didn't give up, you know,
and even when things were hard, you kept getting back up,
you know. So yeah, but super inspiring. Thank you. I'm long.
Did it take you to write the book? Two years?
(22:22):
I would say about yeah, about two years, And I
really just started just kind of I felt the share
my story, so I just started kind of writing and
then as like, I know, I want this to be successful.
So I got a book coach and we really went
through and pretty much rewrote the whole book. But I'm
grateful I did because I've gotten really good feedback so far.
(22:45):
And I think the thing that makes me truly feel
that I did exactly what I was meant to do
is that people are telling me that they as they're
reading my book, they are they're just all automatically reflecting
on their story and thinking about how they can girl
in their own faith. And I haven't even told them
(23:06):
that that was the goal. So for them to already
see that and be able to do that, it's empower
It's empowering me. Yeah, I mean it is so interesting.
It's like, uh, I'm glad that you're sharing your story
because just a little bit that you shared here, it's
like it it makes you. It's just really powerful, you
know what I mean. It's just like a very powerful story.
(23:28):
And what happened with the other young lady that was
with you that also was hit by a car as well.
Oh it's interesting because my friend she was she's like
about five feet tall, so I'm five eight, so we're
a huge high difference, but of course the engineering me,
engineer me thinks it's so interesting how the impact. So
(23:49):
she actually just ended up with a fracture in her
well just it's still a severe injury, but she ended
up with a fracture in her fibula, and then both
of her knees had needed to be completely reconstructed, but
her skull and everything was fine. But I wouldn't put
wouldn't want to be in her shoes at all, because
she she can remember walking into my hospital room and
(24:11):
seeing me unconscious and my smashed in and being your
friend like that, Like I wouldn't want it for the world.
So while her injuries only impacted her lower body, she
had a lot more mental and emotional things to get
passed through the accident as well. Are you guys still
in touch to this day, Yes, yes we are. We're
(24:34):
actually still very very close. And she just had a
baby a few weeks ago, which is amazing because I
had just had my daughter three months or three months ago.
So we're like, we're going to be able to make
our kids together. And yeah, it's nice. Wow, that's really awesome.
It would be so hard not to be in gratitude
for life. Like on a regular basis. It's like when
(24:56):
there's nothing that it feels like that there could be
gratitude for it always could fall back to like I
am grateful to be here, you know, like, yeah, I
love that. So your daughter is like three about three
months old? Now, yes, wow, No, that is a blessing.
It really is. Yeah, she is amazing. And I know
everybody says it about their kids, but I'm grateful. Yeah, definitely,
(25:21):
I love it. I love it. So going back to you,
did you so you ended up going through like about
six or seven years of like sort of like a
traumatic not sort of. It was basically a rollercoaster of
traumatic experience. And then tell us what happened? What did
you What prompted you to just get up one day
(25:42):
and go I'm going to get baptized. Yeah, so it
would say, any well, exactly what happened was I was
I was at church and thinking about the screen that
they were having a baptism, and I think, like than
in a few weeks and I saw I saw it
(26:03):
on screen. I just felt the poll. I was like, yeah,
it's time. Yeah. So I wish there was it was
something else that I could say, Oh, this got me here.
But I mean, there were so many different events that
got me even to that seat in church, because for
a long time I didn't even want to physically go
(26:24):
to a church at all. And I'm really going to
that in my book as well as everything what got
me in that seat, which I don't know, I don't
want to give away too much of the book, but
there it really I guess what got me to the
baptism was that pool when I was sitting in church
that day. Yeah. Oh, you can never give away too much.
It just makes people want to read it even more.
(26:46):
That's true, Yeah, because there's nothing like holding the book.
There's been so many times that like you can hear
a story, but then like for me, I'm a true
a legit like book lover, like look to the core,
like I when my husband and I were dating, like
for most people, like going to a bookstore would probably
be like a boring date, but not to our listeners
(27:09):
because they're a lot like books. Yeah. Yeah, but like
he's like, what do you want to do? I'm like,
can we go to Borders? And then he's like yeah,
he was just exciting. That's awesome. I was They've closed
that one down. Now, but they have Barnes and Noble
and other bookstores now. But we actually went there and
we sat there for like at least three and a
(27:30):
half hours, and I we were neither one of us,
so we were not bored, you know what I mean.
And so that's awesome. We sat there and talked about
a book that was a movie, but we read the
book anyway, because there's nothing like reading the words. Like
people can't articulate that, but words, it's just so different.
It's like it's right intense, you know. And I feel
(27:52):
the books that they turn into movies, the books are
always better. Yeah, they are definitely. You're like, I guess
it would take problem. It would be like a four
or five hour movie putting in with such like details
and things like that. You know. So yeah, I love it.
So what is it that? So you you're sharing your
(28:14):
story because you want other people to know that, like
there is hope and not to give up and that
what did you So you always knew that God was real,
but then your relationship just grew even more with and
now you're a woman of faith, yes, yeah, practicing woman.
(28:36):
Very incorrect. You mentioned that like you were in a
bad relationship and then now you're in one that is
healthy for you. You prayed about this relationship and you
know that this is the right one for you and
that's Yes, that's good stuff, good stuff. I love it.
So what are some of the struggles if any, that
you have in current day right now? But then everybody,
(28:59):
but I think the thing right now that everybody is
kind of struggling with this basically finances like money and
on the ebbs and flows. That's the economy right now.
And so that's one struggling. That's one that I'm definitely
am praying on. I wouldn't say it's a struggle, more
just determining, Okay, what is next for me after this
(29:19):
book launch? Well, and then the biggest one for me
right now is I'm still on maternity leave. But when
I go back to work, it's taking care of this child.
That's a big one. That's a big one. Yeah, that's
always tough. When you have a new baby. It's like
it's like you love them so much and you're like,
(29:39):
they better be holding my baby. Whoever, you know what
I mean, like change right. You know, they're not gonna
love the baby in the same capacity that you do.
But you hope that they form some kind of love.
They gotta love babies. You know. I went through that
where when my son, when I had went back, I
was stressed out for a little while and I would
just be like driving to work, I'd be like God, please,
(30:02):
Like you know, it's like you're discustomly in communication and
talking throughout the day. And then it worked out, you know,
it always does, you know, and uh, yeah, what's your
book coming out? I love it Like you're on maternity
leave and you get to also navigate this book and
like you have to go through people asking you the
maybe not the same questions, but you're talking about the
(30:24):
book to the point where it's like you'll never get
tired of it. You know. I do love talking about
my book and I'm very very excited about what is
accounting Well it will impact yeah, definitely. Well. I feel
like when you mentioned about the economy and everything, I
feel like a book like this can speak to someone
(30:46):
regardless of what situation that they are in because it
is about hope and it's about like not giving up.
And that includes like if there's someone you know who's
struggling financially, like you know, don't give up. If you
are looking for a job, keep looking for a job.
If you are whatever that situation is. If you're in
(31:07):
a relationship that you want to get out of, there's
still hope, you know. The message in the book Underlining
is about like whole perseverance. Perseverance. I think of things
like resilient, just so many words come to mind, and
it's just like, I don't know, you know, it's like
(31:28):
touching one thing that I do which I can't it's
lost over earth. I also touch on grief a little bit,
and especially when you're when you are in the mix
of building a relationship with God or like you are,
you feel that you're sindently on the good path, and
then something happens like grief or someone push you dies.
(31:51):
How do you recover from that misstep? I guess, or
it wouldn't be a misstep, but that kind of stumble
on your way to building your relationship. So I also
touched on that in my book as well. Did that
happen while you were in the beginning stages of like
your own rehabilitation process of getting through physical therapy and
(32:12):
all of that, or had you already gone through all
of that process already? I had already gone through all that,
it actually happened. So after I got of the toxic
relationship and I really started building my relationship with God
and build rebuilding my self confidence and taking that kind
of year, I actually found I found myself in a
really really great relationship. The unfortunately, well, it unfortunately doesn't
(32:37):
work out the way that I hope it will. It
hoped it would, which I go into in the book,
and so really didn't know how to recover from that.
Is it like do I how do I rebuild this
relationship with God? How do I keep this relationship with God?
Even though I'm like, why did this happen to me?
I was putting in all the work, and I thought
(32:58):
that things were going to be good and then they weren't. Yeah,
at some point, did you blame God? Like where you
were like I want nothing to do with because I've
heard stories where when some people you've heard about mothers,
whenever they experience grief, sometimes they completely turn their back,
like where they feel like they're done and with God,
(33:20):
and then they eventually sometimes come back around, but it
takes them a minute, like where their rebellion is almost yeah, yeah,
and then I wouldn't say I'm fleet returned by a
back that time, I still kept I still knew she exists.
I still is there. Would like every once in a
while attend virtual church and every once in a while
(33:41):
read a Bible passage. But I wasn't. But I definitely
was going off and doing my own thing, kind of
like a rebellious Chuck. And it didn't work out very
well for me. Oh yeah, I understand. Would you did
you experience like they they talk about, like the five
stages of grief? Would you say that you experienced like
literally those five stages or is it? Would you say
(34:03):
that it could possibly be different for some people. I
think it could possibly be different for some people. I
don't know. I would like because I one thing I
found in my grief period is you could experience the
same stage again. So you, like, I don't feel the
same The five stages I guess go in order. I
think they definitely jumble around, and it's completely normal to
(34:28):
feel something that you felt last week, but you, like
you supposedly want to step ahead because that is just
an emotional roller coaster for the full like a year
after my experience, Wow, so you've been through you have
been through some things like where you you literally could
help someone and like be a support system to coach
(34:49):
them through it, and that's my goal. Yeah, I love it,
And this book sounds like it's one where it could
give people. Definitely give someone. It's called Shattered Added into Grace,
Shattered into Grace. I love that it'll show I've got Yeah,
I could see it. Yeah, when I see the cover,
(35:11):
I was like, wow, like it with the mirror, it's
like dramatic. It reminds me of I seen this movie
before and that's how they had it. It was like
where this guy hit his head on a windshield or
something and it was like that, and just seeing it
on the screen, I was like, I gotta watch this.
I gotta watch it and see what's going on. But yes,
I'm so glad that like that you're here and that
(35:33):
you're able to share your story and that although you
had to experience like a traumatic experience to get on
the others to get here to be able to share
your story. Sometimes it seems like sometimes the way that
things turn out in life at times is like it's
(35:54):
like God will use you to help other people. Because
I've heard people say things like they say, just keep
praying about it, pray about it, pray about it. And
then some people are looking for a specific way of
a certain word from God, and they're looking for it
to come through a certain a particular format, like theyre
(36:16):
like might be waiting for their pastor or their preacher
or someone to like tap them and say like, hey,
this is go this way or this is how it's
supposed to be. And I feel like God uses everyone
like to you know what I'm saying that, And I
don't mean he's using you in a sense of like
(36:37):
using you all up. I mean using you to like
a vessel to be able to yes in that way.
And I could totally see you having a women's circle
and like all the things where people are coming through
because it sounds like you're a grief can even also
be in the form of like after the auto accident,
(36:58):
that is a form of grief, a live grief where
you know, yeah, and so I can think it because yeah,
I've warned who I was prior to the accident and yeah,
so it was in essence of form of brief. And
that's sometimes people ask me, well, I'm going to take
you to get back to who you were. I will
(37:18):
never be the person I was prior of the accident. Yeah, yeah, wow,
congratulations on your daughter and and on the book. What
is it that you Is there anything that we did
not talk about but you want to talk about? I see.
I feel we really we covered everything all the key
(37:38):
aspects of my book, the growth, the recovery from the trauma,
the emotional dagage, and things that you have to go
through your bad relationships brief and I think we touched
on the primary things. Yeah, and you sound good. That's
why I was like, speech you have to go to
speech therapy. Like I'm like wow, like you know you look,
(38:00):
thank you, thank you and uh and so yeah, I
mean I feel proud of you. You know. The writing
a book is not like it's not like running about
or water, you know, or like it takes work and
dedication and you have to actually be just like going
to college. You know, that's not like for everyone, you know,
(38:21):
because not everybody can be can consistently show up, you know,
and writing a book is like where you got to
You gotta keep showing up. You got to read the stuff,
You got to tell your story, and you have to
be writing people with telling enough story and so because like,
once it's on paper, it's like in the book, like
(38:43):
it's forever. Yeah, no turning back. Honestly, this week is
launch week, so and then I'm getting pictures and people
receiving their book and I'm like, wow, like my full
story is out there, Like was this the right thing?
Like God, please just guide me. Oh He's guiding you.
(39:06):
He guided you when you to write that book. I
feel like it's it was definitely divine and like this
is exciting launch week. That is so awesome. And then
it is the right thing to do because or was
the right thing to do, because like, trust me, you're
gonna end up helping so many people, so many people,
(39:26):
and the help what I was saying is that it
doesn't always come in the form that some people might
be thinking that they need to get it. It reminds
me of that story. Do you remember that story about
this man who was or this person who needed help
and they were like God, please come save me, save me.
And then there was like a boat that came by
(39:47):
and that person someone said hey, do you need help
and they were like no, no, I'm waiting for God
please yes, hell yes, mean by It's like all these
different ways showed up, you know, and they were not
a to recognize that was God sending the message through
that per through several different people to help you. And
so anyone tuning in now you know who is listening,
(40:10):
and you're in a place in your life right now
where you feel like you're waiting and you've been waiting
and waiting. God sends people in various forms, and it
can be that your message could be in the form
of a book, you know, And this book is available
now on all platforms like where books are sold. It's
(40:32):
available on Amazon as well. And so I would say
that books honestly do and I know I say this
all the time. They do make the absolute perfect gift,
you know. And I love holding the book in my hand.
Although I know your book is available probably like in
the form of an e book as well, right, yeap,
yes it is. But like you said, I'm a huge
(40:53):
I need to hold the book. Yes, I make neuge
paperback card cover girl. I love them both. Yeah, Fay,
Well that's good stuff. What is it that you want
to leave our listeners with. I really want to just
leave probably just saying that do just remember that you
are worthy and don't let anything, any incidents, any trolla
(41:18):
make you think otherwise? Right on. I love it, I
love it. I enjoyed talking with you, Nicole, and I
wish you so much success and I know your book
will do well. And anytime you're wanting to come back
on the show, we have an open invitation for you.
And so thank you. And again, the book is called Shattered,
(41:41):
Battered into Grace, Shattered into Grace. All right, you guys
have got to get the book. Order your copies, get
your copy now, and then get a couple extra copies
for family members and friends. Thank you, Nicole, I appreciate you,
and thank you, thank you, thank you. Wow, what a
powerful conversation.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Nicole's story is such a testimony of resilience, healing and faith.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
If you'd like to connect with her and grab a
copy of her book, Shattered into Grace, all of the
information is available in the show notes. Remember, no matter
what you're going through, there is always hope. You are
never alone on your journey.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
You guys, if today's episode inspired you, don't forget to
share it with a friend.
Speaker 2 (42:30):
Subscribe and leave a review. Until next time, Continue to
walk in your authentic truth, and thank you all so
much for tuning in i'm chante with authentic talks two
point zero
Hi, guys, welcome back to Authentic Talks two point oh.
I'm your host Chante Generally. On today's episode, this is
definitely one you don't want to miss. My guest opens
up about a life changing accident that left her with
the traumatic brain injury and the journey of rebuilding her
life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She takes us inside her
(00:25):
story of pain, resilience, faith, and ultimately grace. We'll also
talk about her powerful new book, Shattered into Grace, and
how she's using her story to help others heal and
to have fine hope. Before we dive in with introducing
today's guests, I do want to take a moment to
(00:45):
extend an open invitation for each of.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
You to come back again and again. And if you
have not had.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
An opportunity to subscribe to the podcast, please hit that
subscribe button. That way you won't miss an episode once
I apla to show. All right, you, guys, let's go
ahead and dive on in. Please welcome the author of
Shattered into Grace, Nicole Gibson too Authentic Talks.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Authentic Talks is all about authentic conversations. This show is
all about growth, love, respect, success, mind, body, and spirit.
If you're looking to grow and become your authentic self,
then this is the podcast for you, and I am
your host, Chante.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Welcome to the show. I'm Nicole. Welcome to the show. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Hey, Chante,
thank you for having me. I'm super excited to have you.
I feel like your story is one that it touched
me when I, you know, as I was reading about it.
And I'm really happy that you're here and able to
share your story and that you're able to articulate this
(01:51):
and put it into a book form and made it available.
So we'll talk about all of the good stuff before
we dive in. Can I have you to interdew yourself
to our listeners? Please? Yeah, for sure. So my name
is Nicole. I am an engineer by trade. Most of
my career has been in supply chain. I'm also a mother,
a yogi, and a woman of God, and also most
(02:13):
recently an author. And I'm excited to share more about
my book, Shattered into Grace. Congratulations on your book, Shattered
into Grace. The name it's like very catchy and it
just makes me want to ask you so much more.
And so can we dive on in with sharing your story. Yeah, definitely.
(02:33):
So about probably about three years ago, I was sitting
and really processing my journey of like how got to
where I got to, and really I believe what led
me into that was I decided to get baptized. And
after I finally I got badped and I was baptized
as a baby. So it wasn't my first time being baptized,
(02:56):
but after I really built my relationship with God on
my own, I realized it was I. It was I
was meant to that I was not to give really
truly show that I gave my life over to Christ.
So I decided to get baptized as adults. And after
I did that, I really reflected on while everything that
I went through to get near and possibly it in
(03:19):
she help somebody else reflect on their journey and their
trauma to and to really heal them, maybe not steal themselves,
but also just be able to really process what they
went through to live a more fulfilling life. I love that.
So you help others now with in a in a
coaching type of fashion or do you do like is
(03:43):
it like through workshops or so that that's my goal
shattered and really publishing. Shattered into Grace was my first
step into my now gol is to then start coaching
and really helping other women through a variety of different workshops,
so that that's finally is to come. Yes, I love it.
(04:03):
I love workshops. I think that they're super cool and
they do help a lot of people. And so congratulations
again on the book. Can I ask you what so
Shattered into Grace? I looked at the cover of the
book and it's a photo of you, and there's a
mirror that literally is like shattered, like it's cracked a
(04:25):
little bit. And so can you tell me, like how
shattered into Grace? What is the story behind the title
of the book? Yeah? So, and when I went when
I was in college, I just turned twenty. I was
walking to class or no, I was actually walking to
deliver a project and a car drove up on the
(04:48):
sidewalk and knit me and my friend from behind, going
thirty miles an hour on foot. I yeah, oh my goodness.
And so I had seven fractures to my skull resulting
in a super traumatic brain injury. So that shatter really
that's really where the shattered piece comes from is literally
I literally had to rebuild myself at twenty while I
(05:12):
was in the midst of getting my engineering degree, but
also right after that accident, I formed a really a
huge hinder with God. Why would he put me through this?
Why would he make me have to really heal from
something like this when I finally felt like I was
heading in the right direction of acceptance and self worse
(05:32):
than really just being happy within myself. So I've had
to rEFInd that. But in my book, I really go
into how I tried and attempted to rEFInd that all
on my own, but I really wasn't successful until I
decided to really include God in my journey, in my path,
and so that's where I eventually found myself within grace
(05:55):
and even grace I believe in my title can use
in two contexts. One, I found myself in grace to
finally heal, but also He gave me so much grace
through that journey. I was a when I went and
did all these things that I probably really wasn't helping
me Neil, but He's still ensured I was covered through
it all. When you say that you were doing it
(06:17):
on your own, can you share a little bit more
in context of what what do you mean by on
your own, like like going through physical therapy without like
or yeah so sadly so when I say doing it
on my own is now for an example, for now,
if I if I decide that, oh, maybe I need
(06:40):
a new career decision, or even in the relationship I
have now, before I even started dating my boyfriend, I
really prayed a lot on it and it resulted in
me and now I believe being in a successful, healthy,
three year relationship. When in the past, when I sought
relationships and even romantic relationships and friendships on my own,
(07:02):
I they end up really mentally and physically damaging to myself.
So's that's one example. And then even career wise, when
I include when I've included got in my decision making
for what job I want to take, or even an
action within work that I need, that I see what
I'm meant to take, I feel it brings me a
(07:23):
lot more confidence in what I'm doing, and also I
see I'm led through the process to accomplish that so
much more successfully. Oh, I love that share. I know
exactly what you're saying. I remember when I live in
Arizona currently and when I lived in California. I remember
one day joking and saying when they were saying that
(07:44):
they needed someone to come here to open up a site,
I was like, oh, yeah, you know, I wouldn't mind
going to Arizona. I see that movie. It was some
movie that was out with Waiting to Excel. I go, oh, yeah,
I see that movie and I look really pretty. And
then they're like, oh, don't even about it. But then,
like I remember that night. Throughout the week, it kept
(08:05):
coming back up for me, like in the back of
my mind, like Arizona, Arizona. And then I remember saying,
I need to pray about this. And then and I
literally like had a conversation with God and I was like,
give me a sign. I was like one of those
people that would be like I need a sign. I
need to know what's from you. And then I knew
because it was such a comforting feeling that came over right,
(08:27):
and it was like, without a shadow of a doubt,
I was like, I'm going to Arizona. And I didn't
even know yet if I was really going to do it.
And I ended up going to Arizona. But so, yeah,
I can totally relate to that. When you say that
like you when you were on your own, what did
you grow up like being a although you were baptized
(08:47):
as a baby, did you find did you have a
consistent relationship with God like where you were a religious
person per se, like in church every Sunday and having
community fellowship and all of those things. Bill, I would
definitely say my relationship with God has always been very
casual before and out. So growing up my parents, we
(09:10):
found my parents started taking me and my brother to church,
probably even though I was baptized when I was a baby,
but we didn't go start going to church and so
I was probably in elementary school, and then even they
even then we would go to church on Sunday and
then maybe say the occasional prayer before meals every once
in a while, but not anything consistent and not anything regular.
(09:32):
It was a very very very just casual relationship. So
I always said, like I always knew I believed in God.
I always knew I was a Christian, but I wouldn't
say I was. I truly walked in my faith like
I do today. Got it, So just not like practicing
on a consistent basis. So then right when you had
the auto accident, what was the relationship like at that
(09:55):
in the beginning months, Like you mentioned that you felt
like you were like on your own, and what did
that like. Was it like, did you have conversations with
God at that point or was it just like he
would you know, God was like not existing at all
in the scenario. The interesting thing is I went to
Marquette University. So Marquette is a Jesuit university. So actually
(10:18):
even the year before the accident, I took my first
theology course. So growing up in a household with a
very casual relationship with God, I never really studied the
Bible or open to the Bible on my own. I
only knew the Bible versus as they were shared in
church and details like that. So then when I went
(10:39):
to the theology class, I was like, Oh, this will
be good. Like, I know, I believe in God, so
I'm excited to learn more about this thing that I
say I believe in. Right, But then when I got
to the theology course, I was like, oh, I really
don't know what being a Christian is like. And but
then sitting around sitting in this classroom with all these
other kids that grew up like because most of the
(11:01):
kids were grew up Catholic because and so sitting in
this classroom with all these other kids that had been
in all these religious classes and like know, the Bible
stunt to back and I just felt, wow, like maybe
I don't know anything. And well the Bible I always
told I told myself, well, the Bible was written by
a man, So maybe this isn't even the God I
(11:24):
believe in. So even before the accident, I was going
through this what do I? Like, I knew I believe
in God, but what do I It's still like balancing
and struggling with that relationship in itself. Yeah. Yeah, So
then when the accident happened, then it was like why
why would why is God doing this to me? Like
(11:46):
this good, gracious God that I grew up believing I knew,
maybe it's not the God that I know anymore. So
I think that's what made it even farder after the
accident to find my relationship with him again. How many
years would you say that it took you as you
were going through your healing from the accident, like that
(12:07):
you felt that you were functioning like at as yourself
close to like you know, like because I read that
like you had some potential memory loss and like it
was a traumatic brain injury that had happened, and uh,
and then there was some questions there, like confident issues
(12:28):
and things like that. Can we talk about that a
little bit? Yeah? Yeah, So it really took six to
set I would say six a seven years for me
to really feel like I could even mentally process everything
the way that I did and even start emotionally being
more consident and happy and who I was. And I
think that mental recovery took me so much longer than
(12:53):
even the physical recovery, which I think sometimes people don't
always realize dramatic brain injuries that the emotional impact of
them is so severe. So I still was able to
graduate within my four years. I was still able to
graduate with my engineering degree, which again, like I said,
like God continued to keep me covered and was able
(13:15):
to ensure that I was able to accomplish everything I
was meant to accomplish. But I still had a lot
of migrains, just really physical pain, and also I just
struggled and I ended up. I mean, I was lucky
to be able to get an extension and all my
tests and again accommodations so that I could graduate with
(13:35):
my degree, but I still had that physical pain, and
I really even had that two years after my accident
or two years after I graduated still, but then once
it was like one day I woke up and I
didn't have any physical pain anymore, and I was able
to just focus on work and succeed and it was great.
(13:56):
But the emotional pain that really would say that took
until almost I was probably until like two years ago
for me to truly heal from. And in the book
I go into how that impacted my relationships. I ended
up in a really toxic relationship which really negatively impacted me. Yeah,
so I think I think that answered the question. Yeah, Wow,
(14:21):
whatever happened with the guy or the person who had
hit you on the sidewalk was there, did anything happen
with that person or did they just disappear? And so
he was an older man, older gentleman, and when they
did go to arrest him, he they found that he
was suffering with dementia, so he was physically incapable to
(14:44):
hold up in court. So you ended that blake. At
some point you were you were able to graduate and
like get in did you move into your career path
of what you went to school for. Yeah, yeah, I
did well a little bit different. So I actually graduated
with a biomechanical engineering degree, but I kind of went
(15:06):
more into the mechanical mechanical route and did more supply
chain which I also explain a lot of that in
my book as well, So anybody interested in STEM, I
really I kind of goal for my career a little
bit in my book as well. Nice. Well, congratulations. I'm
happy that, like you are able to be here and
to share your story and was able to write a
(15:27):
book about your story. So you have to tell us
for the woman out there, there's somewhat somebody or somebody's
that's tuning into the show who may not have had
that exact experience, but they have had They're going through
something that is traumatic and they feel frustrated, They feel
like they want to give up, they don't know which
way to turn, and what is it that you would
(15:49):
say to them in this moment, Like the person who's
barely hanging on after you yourself was able to see
that life can actually get back to a place where
you know you're able to show up and show out. Yeah,
I would say don't give up, which I know sounds
(16:10):
just so mainstream, and I know, and I like, I
understand for that woman sitting in that and in that
seat right now where you feel like you're just meant
to give up and everybody is always repeatedly telling you, like,
don't give up. It always gets better, and you just
do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But I promise you that it is there, and maybe
(16:32):
it'll even help to look at oh, like like a
positive relationship you have, or even the roof over your head,
or even just some the littlest piece of positivity to
help get you through to the next day, Like, remember,
it is there, but I understand that it's it's hard
to see, but just I you it'll crumb, reach for
(16:55):
it and remember that you are worthy and it will
all work out. What were you holding on to, like
before you got baptized again, what was it that kept
you going? Was it your family? Did you have like
a really good support system at the time. Yeah, my
mom is my best friend. My mom has truly is amazing.
(17:18):
But I would also say, besides my mom, I have
my two best friends are just they've been with me
since the accident and they're very, very very God fearing
women like they they have always really practiced. Their practice
was say what they preached and always pushed me to
prove my relationship with God. And even when I continued
(17:38):
to throw it all away, and like they would text
me sermon their messages that they like thought was good
and I would ignore them, but they just continue to
stay by my side. And that thinking, that self is
what continued to keep me going. That these people that
even though I continued to show them that I really
was not was not, I guess there or equivalent to
(18:00):
what they they were, they just continue to be there
for me. When you say throwing it all away, what
does that mean? They would say the relationship that I
chose in my twenties where it like, really it was
a relationship that I didn't need to be in. It
was a relationship that really could have cost me my career.
Oh wow, yeah, And what was it that helped you
(18:24):
to get out of that relationship? Did you just fin
say like I'm done? So it was the relationship was
weird because I saw the whole time I was in it,
it was like I was trying to prove that it
will work out for some reason. And Jerry, Yeah, one
day I was that hole and I realized I cannot
(18:47):
do to not do all this anymore because it was
a mix of my job wasn't going well, but then
that relationship was a mess, and I just felt alone.
And I also, like I said, I and my best
friends say that, continue to tell me, like, you need
to pray on it, you need to do this, you
need to do that. And I literally just got home
and I realized, like I can't do this on my
(19:08):
own anymore, and I got down on my knees and prayed.
Oh wow. And then when you what did you in
what way did you hear from God? Was it like
you know how they say everybody has a knowing and
it comes from like either you feel it in your
gut or like have you you know? Or they go,
oh you know, I felt that in my heart or
(19:29):
either something like So there's different places where we it
comes from, like that intuition you know, or that knowing
or the word from God. You know, what was when
yours came to you? What was that like? Did it
come like with this feeling like where you felt super
strong or was it just like you know, yeah, yeah,
(19:51):
so I'll definitely I'll feel in my gut. And then
when I go and do something that I feel that
I'm meant to do, I'll feel these like tingles in
my arms and and that's how I really truly believe
that I'm on the right path, and it's it's worked
out so far. So that's yeah, yeah, that's good. That's
good stuff. So did you have to go to physical
(20:12):
therapy and all of those different things like that or
were you forty Yeah? Oh you did, yeah. Yeah. After
the accident, I was in physical, occupational and speech therapy
for almost six or seven months. When I woke up
from the accident. Keep in mind everything from the day
before the accident to Thanksgiving. It was the accident happened
(20:34):
November twelve, twenty twelve, So everything before the day before
the accident to Thanksgiving that a couple of weeks later
I have no memory of and I still I still
can't remember it, but I do know that when I
woke up and go based on my mom has told me,
because I don't I don't remember personally, but when I
woke up, I didn't even recognize her. I really had
(20:58):
no no my memory of anything and could barely remember
who I was. And so the doctors literally told my
parents the day they they were like, well, there's nothing
else we can do for her. You just have to
help that things start to come back. Oh you gotta
know that's one of those. But god, you know what
(21:18):
I mean, Like that is definitely like wow, that is
like amazing, And you know, for anyone who's listening to
the show, I know that, Like I got chill pumps
when you said that, because when you put it into
context of exactly how I don't exactly how much damage
(21:40):
or how serious the injury truly was. When you put
it into context in that way, it's like you automatically
know that it was nothing. But God, yeah, definitely, because
so many people sometimes people don't wake up for the
through after an injury like that, and you were able
(22:00):
to heal from it, and although it took some time.
I love the fact that you didn't give up, you know,
and even when things were hard, you kept getting back up,
you know. So yeah, but super inspiring. Thank you. I'm long.
Did it take you to write the book? Two years?
(22:22):
I would say about yeah, about two years, And I
really just started just kind of I felt the share
my story, so I just started kind of writing and
then as like, I know, I want this to be successful.
So I got a book coach and we really went
through and pretty much rewrote the whole book. But I'm
grateful I did because I've gotten really good feedback so far.
(22:45):
And I think the thing that makes me truly feel
that I did exactly what I was meant to do
is that people are telling me that they as they're
reading my book, they are they're just all automatically reflecting
on their story and thinking about how they can girl
in their own faith. And I haven't even told them
(23:06):
that that was the goal. So for them to already
see that and be able to do that, it's empower
It's empowering me. Yeah, I mean it is so interesting.
It's like, uh, I'm glad that you're sharing your story
because just a little bit that you shared here, it's
like it it makes you. It's just really powerful, you
know what I mean. It's just like a very powerful story.
(23:28):
And what happened with the other young lady that was
with you that also was hit by a car as well.
Oh it's interesting because my friend she was she's like
about five feet tall, so I'm five eight, so we're
a huge high difference, but of course the engineering me,
engineer me thinks it's so interesting how the impact. So
(23:49):
she actually just ended up with a fracture in her
well just it's still a severe injury, but she ended
up with a fracture in her fibula, and then both
of her knees had needed to be completely reconstructed, but
her skull and everything was fine. But I wouldn't put
wouldn't want to be in her shoes at all, because
she she can remember walking into my hospital room and
(24:11):
seeing me unconscious and my smashed in and being your
friend like that, Like I wouldn't want it for the world.
So while her injuries only impacted her lower body, she
had a lot more mental and emotional things to get
passed through the accident as well. Are you guys still
in touch to this day, Yes, yes we are. We're
(24:34):
actually still very very close. And she just had a
baby a few weeks ago, which is amazing because I
had just had my daughter three months or three months ago.
So we're like, we're going to be able to make
our kids together. And yeah, it's nice. Wow, that's really awesome.
It would be so hard not to be in gratitude
for life. Like on a regular basis. It's like when
(24:56):
there's nothing that it feels like that there could be
gratitude for it always could fall back to like I
am grateful to be here, you know, like, yeah, I
love that. So your daughter is like three about three
months old? Now, yes, wow, No, that is a blessing.
It really is. Yeah, she is amazing. And I know
everybody says it about their kids, but I'm grateful. Yeah, definitely,
(25:21):
I love it. I love it. So going back to you,
did you so you ended up going through like about
six or seven years of like sort of like a
traumatic not sort of. It was basically a rollercoaster of
traumatic experience. And then tell us what happened? What did
you What prompted you to just get up one day
(25:42):
and go I'm going to get baptized. Yeah, so it
would say, any well, exactly what happened was I was
I was at church and thinking about the screen that
they were having a baptism, and I think, like than
in a few weeks and I saw I saw it
(26:03):
on screen. I just felt the poll. I was like, yeah,
it's time. Yeah. So I wish there was it was
something else that I could say, Oh, this got me here.
But I mean, there were so many different events that
got me even to that seat in church, because for
a long time I didn't even want to physically go
(26:24):
to a church at all. And I'm really going to
that in my book as well as everything what got
me in that seat, which I don't know, I don't
want to give away too much of the book, but
there it really I guess what got me to the
baptism was that pool when I was sitting in church
that day. Yeah. Oh, you can never give away too much.
It just makes people want to read it even more.
(26:46):
That's true, Yeah, because there's nothing like holding the book.
There's been so many times that like you can hear
a story, but then like for me, I'm a true
a legit like book lover, like look to the core,
like I when my husband and I were dating, like
for most people, like going to a bookstore would probably
be like a boring date, but not to our listeners
(27:09):
because they're a lot like books. Yeah. Yeah, but like
he's like, what do you want to do? I'm like,
can we go to Borders? And then he's like yeah,
he was just exciting. That's awesome. I was They've closed
that one down. Now, but they have Barnes and Noble
and other bookstores now. But we actually went there and
we sat there for like at least three and a
(27:30):
half hours, and I we were neither one of us,
so we were not bored, you know what I mean.
And so that's awesome. We sat there and talked about
a book that was a movie, but we read the
book anyway, because there's nothing like reading the words. Like
people can't articulate that, but words, it's just so different.
It's like it's right intense, you know. And I feel
(27:52):
the books that they turn into movies, the books are
always better. Yeah, they are definitely. You're like, I guess
it would take problem. It would be like a four
or five hour movie putting in with such like details
and things like that. You know. So yeah, I love it.
So what is it that? So you you're sharing your
(28:14):
story because you want other people to know that, like
there is hope and not to give up and that
what did you So you always knew that God was real,
but then your relationship just grew even more with and
now you're a woman of faith, yes, yeah, practicing woman.
(28:36):
Very incorrect. You mentioned that like you were in a
bad relationship and then now you're in one that is
healthy for you. You prayed about this relationship and you
know that this is the right one for you and
that's Yes, that's good stuff, good stuff. I love it.
So what are some of the struggles if any, that
you have in current day right now? But then everybody,
(28:59):
but I think the thing right now that everybody is
kind of struggling with this basically finances like money and
on the ebbs and flows. That's the economy right now.
And so that's one struggling. That's one that I'm definitely
am praying on. I wouldn't say it's a struggle, more
just determining, Okay, what is next for me after this
(29:19):
book launch? Well, and then the biggest one for me
right now is I'm still on maternity leave. But when
I go back to work, it's taking care of this child.
That's a big one. That's a big one. Yeah, that's
always tough. When you have a new baby. It's like
it's like you love them so much and you're like,
(29:39):
they better be holding my baby. Whoever, you know what
I mean, like change right. You know, they're not gonna
love the baby in the same capacity that you do.
But you hope that they form some kind of love.
They gotta love babies. You know. I went through that
where when my son, when I had went back, I
was stressed out for a little while and I would
just be like driving to work, I'd be like God, please,
(30:02):
Like you know, it's like you're discustomly in communication and
talking throughout the day. And then it worked out, you know,
it always does, you know, and uh, yeah, what's your
book coming out? I love it Like you're on maternity
leave and you get to also navigate this book and
like you have to go through people asking you the
maybe not the same questions, but you're talking about the
(30:24):
book to the point where it's like you'll never get
tired of it. You know. I do love talking about
my book and I'm very very excited about what is
accounting Well it will impact yeah, definitely. Well. I feel
like when you mentioned about the economy and everything, I
feel like a book like this can speak to someone
(30:46):
regardless of what situation that they are in because it
is about hope and it's about like not giving up.
And that includes like if there's someone you know who's
struggling financially, like you know, don't give up. If you
are looking for a job, keep looking for a job.
If you are whatever that situation is. If you're in
(31:07):
a relationship that you want to get out of, there's
still hope, you know. The message in the book Underlining
is about like whole perseverance. Perseverance. I think of things
like resilient, just so many words come to mind, and
it's just like, I don't know, you know, it's like
(31:28):
touching one thing that I do which I can't it's
lost over earth. I also touch on grief a little bit,
and especially when you're when you are in the mix
of building a relationship with God or like you are,
you feel that you're sindently on the good path, and
then something happens like grief or someone push you dies.
(31:51):
How do you recover from that misstep? I guess, or
it wouldn't be a misstep, but that kind of stumble
on your way to building your relationship. So I also
touched on that in my book as well. Did that
happen while you were in the beginning stages of like
your own rehabilitation process of getting through physical therapy and
(32:12):
all of that, or had you already gone through all
of that process already? I had already gone through all that,
it actually happened. So after I got of the toxic
relationship and I really started building my relationship with God
and build rebuilding my self confidence and taking that kind
of year, I actually found I found myself in a
really really great relationship. The unfortunately, well, it unfortunately doesn't
(32:37):
work out the way that I hope it will. It
hoped it would, which I go into in the book,
and so really didn't know how to recover from that.
Is it like do I how do I rebuild this
relationship with God? How do I keep this relationship with God?
Even though I'm like, why did this happen to me?
I was putting in all the work, and I thought
(32:58):
that things were going to be good and then they weren't. Yeah,
at some point, did you blame God? Like where you
were like I want nothing to do with because I've
heard stories where when some people you've heard about mothers,
whenever they experience grief, sometimes they completely turn their back,
like where they feel like they're done and with God,
(33:20):
and then they eventually sometimes come back around, but it
takes them a minute, like where their rebellion is almost yeah, yeah,
and then I wouldn't say I'm fleet returned by a
back that time, I still kept I still knew she exists.
I still is there. Would like every once in a
while attend virtual church and every once in a while
(33:41):
read a Bible passage. But I wasn't. But I definitely
was going off and doing my own thing, kind of
like a rebellious Chuck. And it didn't work out very
well for me. Oh yeah, I understand. Would you did
you experience like they they talk about, like the five
stages of grief? Would you say that you experienced like
literally those five stages or is it? Would you say
(34:03):
that it could possibly be different for some people. I
think it could possibly be different for some people. I
don't know. I would like because I one thing I
found in my grief period is you could experience the
same stage again. So you, like, I don't feel the
same The five stages I guess go in order. I
think they definitely jumble around, and it's completely normal to
(34:28):
feel something that you felt last week, but you, like
you supposedly want to step ahead because that is just
an emotional roller coaster for the full like a year
after my experience, Wow, so you've been through you have
been through some things like where you you literally could
help someone and like be a support system to coach
(34:49):
them through it, and that's my goal. Yeah, I love it,
And this book sounds like it's one where it could
give people. Definitely give someone. It's called Shattered Added into Grace,
Shattered into Grace. I love that it'll show I've got Yeah,
I could see it. Yeah, when I see the cover,
(35:11):
I was like, wow, like it with the mirror, it's
like dramatic. It reminds me of I seen this movie
before and that's how they had it. It was like
where this guy hit his head on a windshield or
something and it was like that, and just seeing it
on the screen, I was like, I gotta watch this.
I gotta watch it and see what's going on. But yes,
I'm so glad that like that you're here and that
(35:33):
you're able to share your story and that although you
had to experience like a traumatic experience to get on
the others to get here to be able to share
your story. Sometimes it seems like sometimes the way that
things turn out in life at times is like it's
(35:54):
like God will use you to help other people. Because
I've heard people say things like they say, just keep
praying about it, pray about it, pray about it. And
then some people are looking for a specific way of
a certain word from God, and they're looking for it
to come through a certain a particular format, like theyre
(36:16):
like might be waiting for their pastor or their preacher
or someone to like tap them and say like, hey,
this is go this way or this is how it's
supposed to be. And I feel like God uses everyone
like to you know what I'm saying that, And I
don't mean he's using you in a sense of like
(36:37):
using you all up. I mean using you to like
a vessel to be able to yes in that way.
And I could totally see you having a women's circle
and like all the things where people are coming through
because it sounds like you're a grief can even also
be in the form of like after the auto accident,
(36:58):
that is a form of grief, a live grief where
you know, yeah, and so I can think it because yeah,
I've warned who I was prior to the accident and yeah,
so it was in essence of form of brief. And
that's sometimes people ask me, well, I'm going to take
you to get back to who you were. I will
(37:18):
never be the person I was prior of the accident. Yeah, yeah, wow,
congratulations on your daughter and and on the book. What
is it that you Is there anything that we did
not talk about but you want to talk about? I see.
I feel we really we covered everything all the key
(37:38):
aspects of my book, the growth, the recovery from the trauma,
the emotional dagage, and things that you have to go
through your bad relationships brief and I think we touched
on the primary things. Yeah, and you sound good. That's
why I was like, speech you have to go to
speech therapy. Like I'm like wow, like you know you look,
(38:00):
thank you, thank you and uh and so yeah, I
mean I feel proud of you. You know. The writing
a book is not like it's not like running about
or water, you know, or like it takes work and
dedication and you have to actually be just like going
to college. You know, that's not like for everyone, you know,
(38:21):
because not everybody can be can consistently show up, you know,
and writing a book is like where you got to
You gotta keep showing up. You got to read the stuff,
You got to tell your story, and you have to
be writing people with telling enough story and so because like,
once it's on paper, it's like in the book, like
(38:43):
it's forever. Yeah, no turning back. Honestly, this week is
launch week, so and then I'm getting pictures and people
receiving their book and I'm like, wow, like my full
story is out there, Like was this the right thing?
Like God, please just guide me. Oh He's guiding you.
(39:06):
He guided you when you to write that book. I
feel like it's it was definitely divine and like this
is exciting launch week. That is so awesome. And then
it is the right thing to do because or was
the right thing to do, because like, trust me, you're
gonna end up helping so many people, so many people,
(39:26):
and the help what I was saying is that it
doesn't always come in the form that some people might
be thinking that they need to get it. It reminds
me of that story. Do you remember that story about
this man who was or this person who needed help
and they were like God, please come save me, save me.
And then there was like a boat that came by
(39:47):
and that person someone said hey, do you need help
and they were like no, no, I'm waiting for God
please yes, hell yes, mean by It's like all these
different ways showed up, you know, and they were not
a to recognize that was God sending the message through
that per through several different people to help you. And
so anyone tuning in now you know who is listening,
(40:10):
and you're in a place in your life right now
where you feel like you're waiting and you've been waiting
and waiting. God sends people in various forms, and it
can be that your message could be in the form
of a book, you know, And this book is available
now on all platforms like where books are sold. It's
(40:32):
available on Amazon as well. And so I would say
that books honestly do and I know I say this
all the time. They do make the absolute perfect gift,
you know. And I love holding the book in my hand.
Although I know your book is available probably like in
the form of an e book as well, right, yeap,
yes it is. But like you said, I'm a huge
(40:53):
I need to hold the book. Yes, I make neuge
paperback card cover girl. I love them both. Yeah, Fay,
Well that's good stuff. What is it that you want
to leave our listeners with. I really want to just
leave probably just saying that do just remember that you
are worthy and don't let anything, any incidents, any trolla
(41:18):
make you think otherwise? Right on. I love it, I
love it. I enjoyed talking with you, Nicole, and I
wish you so much success and I know your book
will do well. And anytime you're wanting to come back
on the show, we have an open invitation for you.
And so thank you. And again, the book is called Shattered,
(41:41):
Battered into Grace, Shattered into Grace. All right, you guys
have got to get the book. Order your copies, get
your copy now, and then get a couple extra copies
for family members and friends. Thank you, Nicole, I appreciate you,
and thank you, thank you, thank you. Wow, what a
powerful conversation.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Nicole's story is such a testimony of resilience, healing and faith.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
If you'd like to connect with her and grab a
copy of her book, Shattered into Grace, all of the
information is available in the show notes. Remember, no matter
what you're going through, there is always hope. You are
never alone on your journey.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
You guys, if today's episode inspired you, don't forget to
share it with a friend.
Speaker 2 (42:30):
Subscribe and leave a review. Until next time, Continue to
walk in your authentic truth, and thank you all so
much for tuning in i'm chante with authentic talks two
point zero
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
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.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.