You're Not Broken. You're Rebuilding. | Athina West on Grief, Healing & Resilience

What happens when grief changes the course of your life?

In this heartfelt episode of The Resilience Files: Unlocked, Carrie Bernans sits down with Athina West, who shares her deeply personal journey of losing her mother at a young age and the lasting impact that loss had on her identity, relationships, and mental health.

Athina opens up about navigating childhood grief, generational trauma, unhealthy coping mechanisms, motherhood, spirituality, and the ongoing journey of healing. She shares how becoming a mother herself brought buried emotions to the surface and inspired her to break cycles for the next generation.

Together, Carrie and Athina discuss:

✨ Navigating childhood grief and loss
✨ The impact of generational trauma
✨ Healing through self-discovery and spirituality
✨ Motherhood as a catalyst for growth
✨ Learning to ask for help
✨ Building resilience one choice at a time

Athina's message is one that so many people need to hear:

"You're not broken. You're rebuilding."

Whether you've experienced grief, trauma, or are simply trying to heal from life's challenges, this conversation is a reminder that healing isn't about becoming who you once were—it's about becoming who you're meant to be.

Connect with Athina West:
Instagram: @athina.west

Follow The Resilience Files: Unlocked

Instagram:
@theresiliencefiless

Host:
@carriebernans

Website:
https://theresiliencefiles.com/

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In this powerful episode of The Resilience Files: Unlocked, host Carrie Bernans sits down with Christy Barongan to discuss a lifetime spent helping others while quietly battling her own struggles with depression, anxiety, trauma, and self-doubt.



Growing up in a family deeply affected by mental illness, Christy became the caretaker, the listener, and the helper. Yet beneath the surface, she carried her own pain for decades. Through therapy, difficult seasons of depression, questions around diagnosis, medication, and ultimately radical self-compassion, Christy began a journey toward healing and authenticity.



What started as a personal mental health blog became a lifeline—not only for herself, but for countless others who finally felt seen, understood, and less alone.



In this episode, Christy shares:



✨ What it was like growing up as “the helper” in a family struggling with mental illness
✨ Her experience navigating depression, anxiety, and shame
✨ The role therapy played in her healing journey
✨ How vulnerability transformed her life and relationships
✨ Why self-compassion is one of the most powerful tools for resilience
✨ The truth behind her message: there is no normal



This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about giving yourself permission to be fully, authentically you.



If you’ve ever felt broken, different, or like you’re carrying struggles no one can see, this episode is for you.



#TheResilienceFiles #MentalHealth #SelfCompassion #DepressionAwareness #HealingJourney #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #TraumaRecovery #MentalWellness #Podcast #CarrieBernans #ChristyBarongan #ThereIsNoNormal

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📅 New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday
🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
📱 Follow us on Instagram: @theresiliencefiless

Born with a rare genetic eye condition that left him without vision in his left eye, Mark Rivera spent much of his life learning how to navigate a world that often made him feel different. But his greatest challenges were still ahead.

After losing both his stepfather and mother within just 30 days, Mark found himself drowning in grief while facing a life-threatening health crisis of his own. At over 325 pounds and suffering from severe sleep apnea, doctors warned him that if he didn't make drastic changes, he might not survive another six months.

In this powerful episode of The Resilience Files: Unlocked, Mark shares how he transformed unimaginable loss into purpose, lost over 175 pounds, reclaimed his health, and created a mission dedicated to helping others find hope in their darkest moments.

This is a conversation about resilience, identity, grief, healing, and discovering that your greatest struggles do not have to define your future.

Because sometimes the strongest vision comes from looking within

Support the show

📅 New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday
🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
📱 Follow us on Instagram: @theresiliencefiless