The Art of Being Well Growing Up With Schizophrenia: Medicinal Forgiveness, Healing Trauma & The Big Silence | Karena Dawn
Dec 25, 2025
Karena Dawn, a wellness entrepreneur and mental health advocate, shares her transformative journey from growing up with a mother who had schizophrenia to finding her purpose through fitness and community. She discusses the impact of trauma, vulnerability, and spirituality on her healing process. Karena also opens up about her struggles with depression and substance misuse, the power of forgiveness, and how founding The Big Silence Foundation helps others facing mental health challenges. Her insights on holistic wellness and community focus inspire a bright path forward.
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Childhood With A Mother Who Had Schizophrenia
- Karena Dawn grew up with a mother who developed paranoid schizophrenia around age ten and often disappeared for long periods.
- That instability pushed her into a decade of darkness marked by depression, drug misuse, and early school exit.
Moving To California To Find Her Mother
- At 18, Karena drove to California hoping to bring her mother home but instead fell in love with the place and stayed.
- She lived with her mother in chaotic conditions including an abusive, homeless boyfriend and no furniture.
Triathlon Finish Sparked Recovery
- After a three-day bender, Karena woke up in a park and had an intuitive turning point to change her life and health.
- She signed up for a triathlon, trained, finished it, and cried crossing the finish line which sparked sustained recovery.