On this week’s episode of Off The Cuff with Danny LoPriore, I’m joined by entrepreneur, author, speaker, and mental health advocate Michael Unbroken to discuss trauma and abuse in his childhood and how those experiences informed his journey, businesses, and current mission to help others foster their own confidence and well-being.

As he dives into his background as a biracial child raised in the mormon church, Michael touches on the reality of the abuse he sustained at the hands of his family members and the realization he came to as an adult.

“I had this recollection, or this experience – recollection is the wrong word – and I had this moment of reconciliation where I was like, ‘Oh I get it actually,’ which is a really crazy thing to say because how could you “get” a grown up beating up a child. But that’s because I look at who his mother was, my step grandma, and she was arguably – and I hate to say it but it’s true – she was arguably the worst person I ever met in my life. And you look at that and you go ‘OK, this is what generational trauma is.” - Michael (10:23)

Michael’s journey to unpack his childhood led him through various seasons, some filled with success and others great challenges. As a young adult only equipped with a high school diploma, he made his way to a Fortune 10 company where he learned difficult lessons about what it really means to prioritize your mental health through action and how to ultimately close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

“The answer to everything in life is action. People are like ‘I hate my relationship’ – well, leave it or make it better… And that’s the thing about all of this – the healing journey, the physical journey, the mental journey, the spiritual journey; do it, man… You’ve got to go and put yourself in the situation.” - Michael (36:05)

Through Michael’s winding journey, he’s found that mental health requires commitment from everyone. Michael suggests that you work through that fear and begin new actions TODAY to grow as an individual.