Ep. 16 - True Resilience: From Chemotherapy to Storytelling with Brescia Dover

Grit isn’t a quote on a wall. It’s what happens when your life gets interrupted by something terrifying and you still find a way to keep moving. I sit down with Brescia Dover, a cancer survivor and business owner, to talk about what real resilience looks like when it’s earned the hard way, not curated for social media.

Brescia shares how a routine checkup in her early 20s turned into an early-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis, a fast-moving treatment plan, and months of chemotherapy that forced her to pause college and rebuild her strength. We also go deeper into mental health, including her experience with anorexia at 11, later manic and psychotic episodes in high school, and why the bipolar label never fully fit her symptoms. We don’t romanticize any of it. We focus on what helped: the right care team, the right support, and the right daily practices.

We get practical about a mental health toolkit that actually holds up under pressure: medication without shame, consistent sleep, balanced movement, meditation, avoiding alcohol and smoking when your brain can’t afford the hit, and knowing what to do when anxiety or OCD starts creeping in. We also talk about storytelling and authenticity, including how Brescia built her brand and marketing agency, Checkered Jaguar, by treating other people’s stories with real care.

We wrap with cold plunges as nervous system training, plus why community support and suicide prevention resources matter. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone and help is available. Subscribe, share this with someone you care about, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

If you are in a crisis or feel unsafe, call or text 988 or dial 911 for immediate support. There are people out there who will listen and can help.

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Transcript

Welcome And Safety Resources

SPEAKER_03 0:01

Hi, I'm Jessica G, and this is the Justin Time Podcast. If you're struggling today, I want you to know this podcast is here for you, but it's not a substitute for professional health. If you're in a crisis or feel unsafe, please call or text 988 or dial 911 for immediate support. There are people out there who will listen and can help. On this show, I'll be sharing personal experiences, mindset ships, talking with key experts, and sharing real tools that help me go from barely surviving to thriving. This is not about quick fixes or one size fits all advice. It's raw, it's honest, it's what worked for me and what I believe can help others too. Let's walk together from darkness to health. It'll be just in time to save a life. All right, everybody, welcome back to Justin Time to Save a Life. Today's episode is about grit, but not the cute, curated version, not the hustle quotes and not the just stay positive energy. This is about true strength and real resilience. I met today's guest years ago in Arizona, and from the beginning, I felt her strength, not loud strength, but grounded strength. And the kind that comes from surviving things that most people never see. Uh today I'm honored to introduce you to Brescia Dover. She is a cancer survivor. She cares deeply about mental health, and she is a business owner. Welcome to the show, Braysha.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Thank you. I'm so happy to be here and just thank you for your time and having me. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:33

So Braysha has a very unique story, and we're going to tap into a couple of different aspects. But I would love for you to share with our guests. Um, when did you first um get diagnosed with cancer? How old were you? How old were you? Uh, what did that look like? Um, and we'll just we'll start from there.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Yeah. So I was diagnosed with cancer in my early 20s. I was studying creative media and film at Northern Arizona University at the time. And I just had a routine physical with my doctor, and she found found some swelling on the left side of my neck. And we ended up doing just some routine tests, and then it advanced from there. And they they they found an early stage of Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer, and that's that's really where my cancer journey began. But it was leading up to that I I had no family history of cancer. I was a very healthy, active girl, and it was a very weird thing to be diagnosed with in your 20s, but that's when I found out I had cancer and and I was kind of taking a break from college and having to put a pause to get treatment and go from there.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

What were your first thoughts like when you got diagnosed with that? Like where did your where did your head go? Like where were you at mentally?

SPEAKER_00 3:04

I think you when you sit in a room with a doctor who tells you you have cancer, you kind of go to the worst case scenario. And so the first thoughts I had were, have I done everything I wanted to do with my life? And the answer was no. I just knew I was like, I don't know what this cancer looks like, but I need to figure out how to get through it and come out on the other side because there's still so much more I want to do with my life. And so I think it's just initially a really earth shaking, shattering situation where you just don't, you'd never expect to hear those words from a doctor, especially in your 20s.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

What did they tell you, like your survival rate or what stage was it at? Like what were what were you looking at?

SPEAKER_00 3:54

It was uh it was an earlier stage of Hodgkin's lymphoma, so like around one to two is what they would call it. So we got lucky in that sense, but um the survival rate for Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer is pretty high with modern medicine, but they always say, you know, there's a chance that the treatment doesn't work, and um, we have to try other aggressive forms of treatment. So luckily the standard uh chemotherapy approach worked, and the type of cancer I had is uh blood cancer, so um that falls in the same family as leukemia. So it's it was a very, very well-known treatment plan. I had a great oncologist, great team of doctors, and we were able to to to cure it, and I was able to beat it.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

That's awesome. How long did it take you how with for treatment from diagnosis to um curing?

Chemo Reality And Recovery

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yeah, so the treatment was it was it was every uh it was two weeks in between chemotherapies. So I I would have an aggressive round of chemo and then I'd have a break and then we'd hit it again. And I had six rounds of chemotherapy total. And before I even started chemo, the the team moved quick. Like everyone was like everyone's wills were turning about, you know, we need to get the PET scan, we need to figure out what stage she is, come up with the protocol, like the standard form of treatment we want to give her, and then just keep moving from there. And so, so that's it was really quick once they knew I had cancer. I found a good team, and they were based out of the Mayo clinic in Arizona. So I feel really fortunate to have had a really good care team. And then the treatment, I mean, it was the most physically exhausted time of my life. I've never been so drained, and that makes sense because the drugs they put in your body are they'll have that effect on you. So um, so yeah, it was it was it was a strong round of chemo, two weeks off, and then tackling it again and continuing on for six rounds, and then they retest you. How long did that was that like a year, two years? It was less than a year. So it was it was it was pretty much a full semester of my college. I was out, and then the following semester I was able able to return. So it kind of I look at it as like it was a full semester of college, basically. Did you feel like giving up or have really dark moments during those times? Yeah, I I think my mindset with cancer, I almost was prepared for because of the mental health challenges I've had in my life. I have had, and I know we'll talk about this, but I've had severe mental health challenges in my lifetime before having cancer. And so because of that, I kind of came into this cancer treatment with the mindset that if I can get through and learn how to navigate life with mental illness, I can also get through a physical illness like this.

Mania And A Bipolar Misdiagnosis

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Um, and let's let's go ahead and dive into that. Um, I know that a while back you put something out there that, you know, you had been diagnosed with bipolar. I know now that it's more of a misdiagnosis, but I just found such strength in you as a person. Like I remember you telling me that. And I was so blown away by your honesty and willingness to talk about that. Um, there's such a stigma to bipolar disorder, mental health in general. And I remember um growing up being labeled, labeled like that, like it was a bad thing, and you know, going to the doctors and and trying to find an I think it's something that a lot of people can feel a lot of shame around. And when you openly talked about it, I was like, whoa, give me my popcorn bowl and my my Coke. Like, I need to listen to this girl. Like, hold on. Yeah. And I was just like, wow, she's got so much courage to put herself out there. Like that's a very vulnerable place. And to me, I was like, that you were the first person that I've ever known that really came out and like, and you know, had had had expressed that. So I would love to know, you know, when you were diagnosed slash misdiagnosed, um, how you adopted that, like just talking about how you were like, okay, if this is my diagnosis, like where were you at mentally? And where did that strength come from to be able to like share that with others?

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah, well, thanks for saying all that. I think it comes from being in a household where I feel very fortunate to have grown up with parents who they didn't necessarily have mental illness in their world at the time, but I'm their oldest daughter and I have two younger brothers. And I was the first in my family to really struggle with mental illness. And so I watched as they really lovingly demonstrated that it doesn't matter. Like if you have a mental illness, you are not your mental illness. You you have this diagnosis, but you're so much more than that. And I we talked about it as a family. We were incredibly open about it. My parents did a beautiful job at like helping me get the support I needed, whether it was a psychiatrist, a therapist. And um, when I was so when I was 11 years old, I had a severe eating disorder. I had anorexia. And that was the first time my family had ever experienced real mental illness. And no one, I mean, even I didn't know what we were dealing with. I just had developed an eating disorder at the time, which had stemmed from the need to control something in my world. And um, so after I worked through that, that was a long road. But ultimately, I was I lived a normal life after kind of going through different treatment and getting into equine therapy. Um, so I loved horses, and that's what saved me from anorexia, and I haven't struggled with that since I found my love for horses. So um, fast forward to when I was around 16, 17 years old, I was in high school and I was starting to have these symptoms that were characteristic of bipolar, and they were things like hyperactive sex drive, spending too much money, um, talking really fast, uh, not getting enough sleep. And my parents were like, okay, what is going on? And when you're in the thick of a mental illness, the person that's struggling really can't see it because they're, it's just all that they know about the chemical imbalance in their brain. It's their reality. So I remember my parents kind of sitting me down and saying, you know, we're worried about you, Braysha. We we want to take you to, you know, uh see a psychiatrist and see what's going on. And we we didn't even get to that point because it got a little bit out of control where I started going into mania. So I felt paranoid. I thought I was like communicating with people that weren't there and all these, all these scary things, they they ended up taking me to um the emergency room. And I spent the night there when I was a a senior in high school, and um they they basically said she has probably bipolar. We need to take her to a psychiatric unit. And so I was I was still an an adolescent at the time, so I went to a children's psychiatric uh unit, and they um they brought me down from psychosis with a strong medication and then ended up being discharged and kind of got back to baseline, but then it happened all over again with a stronger, stronger psychosis this time, which is actually around the time I graduated from high school. So I spent 30 days when I graduated from high school. I turned 18 and I was old enough to go to a treatment center in Tucson, Arizona. Um, and very fortunate to be able to go there because um it's you know really hard to get good mental health treatment in the America, unfortunately. And so this facility was very well known. And I um I spent 30 days learning how to live with my new diagnosis of bipolar. And we talked about how it maybe wasn't the most accurate diagnosis, but at the time, it's all they knew how to characterize this as because I never hit the lows, I just hit the highs. And so they the only thing they knew was okay, this is like a very non-typical case of bipolar disorder. So we're gonna label it that and we're gonna treat it like that. And so that's where everything changed for me. And I learned how to live a happy and successful life being diagnosed with this type of mental illness.

SPEAKER_03 13:52

When you say that you never hit the lows, did that mean like you just you never um had like suicidal thoughts or just got really depressed? What can you kind of explain that?

SPEAKER_00 14:04

Yeah, so like the classic bipolar is described as hitting the mania or psychosis highs and then dipping down to the depressive darker lows. And that doesn't necessarily mean suicidal ideation or thoughts. That just means you're swinging. And so um that's that's how like classic bipolar looks. But for for my case, it was just hitting highs, not dropping to that depression dark side. But so I it and that was hard enough. So I can't imagine going up and down. I know like people who have bipolar, and it's a very real challenge because it's it's not easy to navigate.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

Yeah. Um, I know several hairstylists um in the community. Um, unfortunately, one person in particular that um lost his life and he or took his life, but he um struggled with with bipolar and he definitely I would see his highs at work, um, and you could tell when he was in his lows, but you know, it I knew I knew that like medicate trying to find the right medication and all of that was it is a huge struggle for for bipolar people. Um so kind of explain to us. So that was so that was your diagnosis. And then how did you work through that? How did you manage that diagnosis and kind of transition as you got out of the clinic, like into, you know, uh normal life? Um what did that adjustment phase look like for you?

SPEAKER_00 15:45

Yeah, so they found a really great medication for me that seemed to just neutralize and keep me at my baseline. And I took that for several years after being discharged from this facility. And I think medication has a stigma in itself. And I think medication is an incredible tool that we have because like mental illness is literally just defined as a chemical imbalance in your brain. And just like any other kind of illness, like my cancer or any other physical illness, sometimes you need medication to treat it. So for me, taking medication was really important to continuing out in the real world. But other things I learned at that treatment facility were how to prioritize my mental health, things like meditation, remaining active, eating a balanced diet, things like getting eight hours of sleep. And everybody is a little different. But I know that sleep is the most important thing for a brain like mine. And it really, I would hope most people prioritize sleep above like so many things in life, because if we don't have adequ adequate sleep at night, we're our the next day our brains just can't be as sharp as as they're designed to be. So, so all the yeah, yeah, it's super important, but all those things were like little tools I had in my toolkit to rely on when or if I ever were to struggle again. And since leaving that facility when I was 18 years old, I haven't hit a manic or psychotic episode since. So that's why today, like being diagnosed with bipolar doesn't resonate too much because I I I'm not on medication anymore. I still see my psychiatrist once a year. We check in. But what I do every single day is I live a life where to some it may be extreme, but to me, it just is what makes sense. I do everything I can to protect my mental well-being. I don't drink or smoke, and that's seriously just for my brain. Like, I don't have a huge desire to do either of those things because I care about my brain and I'm like scared to ever have to go through those things again. So so I just I've have so many great tools that I can rely on when I feel like I might be struggling, or like more commonly for me today is anxiety or OCD. And um, so I have medication I can take as needed for that. But the things that really make all the difference for me in my world is just like those mental health tools like exercise, balanced diet, sleep, meditation, those things really help my brain. And I notice a huge difference when I do those things daily.

SPEAKER_03 18:59

Well, I love that you shared that um with all of our listeners because I know, yes, medication does have a big stigma to it. And um I remember, like after, you know, I had lost my dad and brother, I seriously needed help. I went to a behavioral center and I, because I had lost all hope. And because of the way that I grew up, you know, my family just like labeled me as crazy or, you know, told me to get on my meds, or did you take your meds today? And it was like a really hurtful kind of thing. But what I realized was like I had to kind of push them aside and do what was right for me. And so I also was on medication for about a year or two until I also learned a lot of those things. And I learned it through neuroplasticity, like things that you're talking about, like getting good sleep, resting, meditation. I love Dr. Joe Dispenza. And that's why, you know, we ended up ultimately opening up the nonprofit just in time to save a life, was because I found my way out and I wanted to share that with everybody else. Not that harnessing neuroplasticity to fight suicide is the only way out, but just having that in combination. Um, because it's like what may work for one person might not work for the other. And it sounds like you found really what worked for you and you went through all the steps, but you did it so beautifully. And the way that you express that and share that with the world, I mean, that is just true strength. Did you ever um, did anybody ever make fun of you for that or like putting yourself out there? Or were they like mean to you? Cause like that would have been my biggest fear because you shared something so vulnerable and so personal that I mean, obviously it impacted me because I remembered it like that, you know, in my head. I remember exactly where we were on the yoga mat when you were telling me the story and and and talking a little about your journey. Like I remember it like a heartbeat. And I was like, wow. And I just thought that was so cool because that creates so much more room for other people to see, oh, it's okay. Like, okay, maybe I'm diagnosed as this, maybe I'm diagnosed as that, but it's okay because what you just said, I'm more than my diagnosis. But did you I would love for you to just share that? Cause I think there's probably other people that would, you know, love to be like you and look up to you and also maybe help share their journey. Um, so what were the hardships with that, like or fears that you had?

SPEAKER_00 21:35

Yeah, I remember too when you told me about your dad and brother, and I think it's also incredible what you're doing, and it's brave of you to be able to talk about that as well. So I'm really proud of you for that. But um the I don't know why I I was must have just been born this way, but I do not let what other people think. Or their opinions of me dictate what I do in life. Like I try to be a very respectful person and a good person. And in certain environments, it's important to care and present yourself a certain way. But outside of those moments, like what I do with my life is like very much not dictated by what other people think or what they'll they may think of me. And so sharing my story for whatever reason was so easy for me to do. And it could be because of the household environment I grew up in and just our honesty as a family, but um like I never was ashamed to talk about it. And there could have been like people from high school could have been like, why where's Braysha? Like she's she was gone for like a week. That's when I went to the psychiatric unit. Like what and there could have been people thinking that, but I I kind of just always like beat it to my own drum. I like never dressed like the girls in school. Like I always just I I had like a different vibe. And I it was also hard to relate to people at that time. And that's why a lot of my friends are like 20 years older than me, which is okay. Which is but I still have friends my age. But it it is hard to fully relate to to in any scenario to people when you have just we all have different life stories. But what I have found is that by sharing my story and being vulnerable and authentic and talking about the difficult conversations, I've been able to connect with people on such a deeper level and surface level conversations like can only go so far. And I, I mean, at the end of the day, those are the most draining conversations when you're talking about the weather. Like we really don't. There's so much more to talk about in life than what's going on with the weather. Yeah. And so, like, my goal with everything I do, with my personal brand, with my life's purpose and mission is tied to raising awareness around mental health and being vulnerable and and telling my story in a way I know how so that it can help others feel less alone.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

And now you're telling other people's stories through your new business, um, checkered Jaguar, which I love. I think I love the branding. It's so fun. And I mean, you you helped tell my story. So for those of you that don't know, um Braysha and her mother flew out to Arkansas when I first opened the hair lab. I had moved from California to Arkansas. And I I just loved them so much. I felt comfortable around them. I felt like they were genuine, they were authentic. And I just wanted them to be there. And they did some like drone stuff and team shots, a couple like commercials and things like that. And, you know, it was a big deal for me to make that jump and open up my own salon. And, you know, we just celebrated five years. And I still go back and I look at that video, and I'm just like, I'm, I don't know, just so happy and proud that I had somebody like you to help kind of, you know, um tell that story and take those photos and do that videography. You're so good at it. Um, but now you get to tell, you know, other people's stories. And I knew you were you were starting to run social media pages and now you're doing the whole story from like um from beginning to end through uh the art of photography and videography.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Yeah, well, that was that was a great trip when we got to come out and document that. And that's like it started even before then for me. I always had a camera in my hand. And um, when I went off to college, my mom decided she wanted to do photography. And so after I graduated, we joined forces and I always loved telling people's stories. Like I, as passionate as I am about telling my own story, I'm equally, if not even slightly more passionate about telling other people's stories because there's a lot of people that do videography. There's a lot of photographers, but a lot of videographers and photographers do it, you know, because it's a creative outlet or a great way to make some money. But behind everything I do is my deep love for storytelling. And I'm so lucky to be able to do this for work. And I've built my business and my marketing agency around this love for storytelling. And when I meet with potential clients, I tell them like, there's a lot of people who do what I do, but the differentiating point here is that when you work with me, like I treat your brand or business like it were my very own. And I want to extract the stories that your audience needs to hear and we're gonna tell them. And so I'm fortunate to be able to do everything with them, you know, the videography, photography, social media management, and tie it all together in one great package. But um, that's that's like the the response I get from people is that that's your talent is telling people stories. And so I feel really, really lucky to be able to do it for a career.

SPEAKER_03 27:26

And I feel like you capture the heart of the person too. Like I remember watching something about you like um working with blue-collar people. You said like one of your favorite projects was working with the plumber. It's like the plumber has no idea how to market themselves or do a social media, but if they want to grow or scale their business and, you know, um, you know, advertise that and let that know, let, you know, let others know exactly what they do or how they do it. You go in there and you get to capture that. And I think that's really, really cool. Um, being able to um capture that person's story, like why they're doing it, what because I think that's truly like, especially with all this AI and all this stuff coming out, is that I think authenticity is going to become, first of all, it's already very rare, but it's going to become more and more and more rare. And to stay, you know, like really um high value, those are the things that people are going to say, wow, that's an authentic person. I want to hire that person. Like their hearts in it, just like your heart's in your business, and you're able to help other businesses do that. And so it's really about the heart of who you are. And that's why I wanted to invite you on the show. Cause I was like, I just love her. And I've been following you now for a while. We worked together and I've been following you for a while. And your mom is absolutely amazing. I still have the perfume that she wore uh that she wore. Oh, that's amazing. Uh, what is it? Uh Delilah or it's it's in the pink bottle. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

Yes, I can't remember the name.

Finding Support Without Family

SPEAKER_03 28:55

I think of her because I remember it's like Louis the 14th something, something, something, but she was like, it's so worried. We were in Arizona. We had just had like lunch or something. And I and everything I look that I'm finally almost out of it, but the bottle, she was right. It lasted a long time. But yeah, and I also just think I love the relationship that you guys have and your work ethic and how you work and flow together. I just think it's so beautiful. And, you know, for for our listeners out there, I just I just have to like talk about how important it is to have that support system because it's already tough enough when you go through cancer or go through mental health battles, and then you don't have the family support. Like I did not at all. And I think that's why it was so shocking to me to be like, oh my gosh, she shared that. You know what I mean? For a lot of us that didn't have that support. And it's like, it just goes to show how truly important that is to be loving and to be kind to one another and to help break that stigma, you know. So it's like if you have a family member, a sister, a mom, a dad, you know, somebody that's struggling with mental illness to to remain kind because you don't you probably, even though like your family didn't understand exactly what you're going through, because like you said, they didn't struggle with that before, but they were there for you, you know, and I think that is can just really close the gap for people and help them heal and get on track just like you did. And, you know, you're somebody that's like been through, you know, cancer and mental health challenges. And now today you're sitting here and you're thriving. And as an example to other people, um, you know, that are maybe going down that same road with you. Um, what would you say to listeners that are maybe going through something similar, maybe they're battling cancer or a mental health illness, um, and they don't have good family support. What would you say to those people? What would be your advice?

SPEAKER_00 30:57

I think you know, if you don't have family support and maybe you have a strong friend group, I think it's even if it's scary to open up to people that are in your circle, it's important you do and their response matters. Like if they aren't able to sit in that space with you and really empathize and feel that pain with you and and support you in the way they can, then they're probably not a real friend. So outside of friendship or family relationships, if you don't have that support, there are several like free support groups available and you can find those like by doing a Google search. And um that's that's a good resource to have. But I mean, in the modern world we live in, like the more we can get off of our screens and connect with people in the real world who are going through what we've gone through. And maybe that is like if you can't find a free support group, maybe that's seeing a therapist and talking to someone who can just say, look, you're not alone. There's many people that deal with this. And but I hearing your story with not having the support from family, I definitely feel for you because I I guess it puts in perspective how lucky I feel to have them. But um, I mean, how did you find support uh outside of them?

SPEAKER_03 32:30

Well, I was always, I grew up thinking there was really truly something wrong with me. Um like in the aspect of like feeling so much shame, right? Like I was a bad kid, or maybe I'm bipolar, or I'm crazy, or I'm too much drama, or I'm this. And really I was breaking a generational curse. I was breaking, you know, standing up to abuse, but didn't really understand I was being abused, you know, emotionally um or even physically. And I just I really struggled deeply, so many dark nights. And I think that's where my suicide ideation started at 13 and struggled with that for like 20 years. Um there were certain people I think throughout, you know, my journey that I was able to lean on, you know, uh whether it was like one of my friend's moms or like a teacher at school, just getting like little, actually, my mom's hairstylist, um, she really helped me because she actually um she was very intelligent uh and had some type of degree in psychology and kind of could see through the situation. And honestly, one of my counselors, now that you say that, um, there was a counselor along the way that so this is kind of crazy. So uh my mom put me in counseling because I had anger issues and um basically wanted to try to get me diagnosed as was something bipolar, this and that, but it really came from the abuse that was happening in the family. Um, you know, they were they were normal, my reactions were normal responses to abuse, but then I was labeled as crazy because of those responses. So I remember there was a psychiatrist that I went to, and I he it's so crazy. He told me to read a book, and I was like, maybe 13, 14. It was like this thick, and it was called Malignant Self-Love. And it was about a narcissist. And now you're 13 years old, you're going to a counselor, your counselor has seen the family. The counselor cannot say, Hey, your mom's a narcissist, or hey, you're, you know, you're dealing, your mother is dealing with a mental illness and it's affecting you. Like they can't say that, you know? And he found in a roundabout way, he helped me kind of come to my own conclusion and not till like later in life, because these things uh in the brain are so hard to understand sometimes. But I do remember, you know, um, trying to control what I could control. Um, it was just very difficult. I think it wasn't until I was out of that environment that I was really able to, I mean, I spent my early 20s in therapy. So I really think it was mainly um therapy that helped me. And then just my art and passion, um, the creative side of like doing hair and all that. And then the other thing was this is a loaded question. I didn't know I was gonna have all this to say.

SPEAKER_00 35:40

Yeah, um, I love it.

SPEAKER_03 35:42

Was so I did two years of acting classes, and it was Stanford Meisner. It was in Santa Monica, uh, the John Ruskin School of Acting. And this is why I was going to cosmetology school, 18 or 19. And I was going to Cosmo and Riverside, and Santa Monica is where the acting school was. And it was like on a Monday and a Wednesday, and you know, traffic from oh, Riverside to LA was insane, but I was so committed to it. Not so much because like I thought I wanted to be an actress, but because they said you can't be more authentic on stage or in front of the camera than you are in real life. And I just felt like a shell of a person through all the trauma. Like I would flinch, you know, I was scared to go in public. Like I knew that my spirit had been crushed and shoved down so deeply. And through acting courses, um, I was able to express a lot of that. But it was so funny. It was like they wanted to put me in the girl next door roles, but I was more like, give me a gun and play the Angelina Jolie roles. Like I want more of the dark side in me. But I was being able to learn about myself and who I am and how you see the world as an actor, right? Because you have to play all these different parts, it helped me see who I really was. And I was like, wow, I just have a bunch of darkness and and pain and all this. And I was able to like play those little dark roles and get that out. Um, but then ultimately, yeah, ultimately I decided that I wasn't gonna go into acting um because I wasn't mentally tough enough or mentally strong enough being in front of the camera, that I had self-image issues, um and stuff. But but that that is one thing that kind of helped me. And I think just along the way, I just would lean on some people and I would get a piece of information, or I would read a book, or figure out like why am I in why am I this way? And just just honestly just not giving up, you know, and just keep trying. But um therapy was one of the biggest things, really. I think therapy, dispensa, and that acting class. I don't know. It just it gave me some kind of hope. Yeah, and I love that. I'm so glad you found those things to help you get through that. Yeah. I didn't even realize I've don't think I've ever talked about that on this show or anything. But because it's wild, you think you don't set up for acting classes, but it was almost kind of like therapy, but it's not, but it was, but it was like it was just a way to express in in a in a safe, healthy environment. And that's kind of what the Ruskin theater did, you know? Totally, totally wow, that that's beautiful. Yeah, um, and I think that's probably why I was so drawn to you because I was like, she's been there so much, she's sharing all this, she's so authentic. Um but yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Thanks, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

Authenticity, vulnerability, it connects us, yeah, and that awareness too, you know, as as we get older, it's really about like tapping into that like awareness and how we occur to people and things like that. Totally. I've always been on that journey of like enlightenment and like self-discovery. Um, because I just wanted to understand like why are we here? Why am I here? What is the purpose? Like, I need to be tied to something bigger and greater than just this average everyday life.

Cold Plunges And Doing Hard Things

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Totally. Ah, I love that. I love going down that rabbit hole and thinking of like connecting the dots backwards too. Yeah. Are you still cold plunging? Yes, I didn't, I didn't mention that, but I do that every day. Every day, yeah. It that is part of my mental health care. I have a cold plunge at my house, but I don't do it every day. Oh, that's good though.

SPEAKER_03 40:00

Right now, when I'm pregnant though, when I get home from work, I do put my feet in, but as soon as I you hit your head, it's like resets your nervous system. It's so good, but it's so painful. You really, you and your mom did um one of those ice baths together one time. And it's it's it's hard.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Yeah, it is. It is. But if you can start your day, I mean, not not through pregnancy, but when you're not pregnant, if you can start your day with a cold plunge or ice bath, um, it's like the hardest way you could start your day. So if you can start your day with that, everything else just feels like not as hard throughout the rest of the day. Like you can, if you can start your day with that, you can handle what the day brings you.

SPEAKER_03 40:42

I feel like it's a great tool and it gives you energy and you feel like revived after what temperature and how long are you where are you at right now with that?

SPEAKER_00 40:52

Yeah. So I said it around 48 or 50 degrees, and women are supposed to have it a little warmer than yeah, higher than um men, but I do it for three minutes and 48 seconds, and I'll just put on like yeah, my favorite song at the time. And I'll just keep your feet in.

SPEAKER_03 41:12

I just girl, I gotta take my hands and my feet out. I just can't, I could, I'm I I don't know what it is, but I'm like, they just cramped.

SPEAKER_00 41:22

I get it. Those are the yeah, those are the hardest parts, but it's I start to I've started to crave it. Like it's like a healthy drug to me. Yeah. Yeah. Which is weird, but it works. It's like because you feel that dopamine hit when you get out. You're like, whoa, I feel really good.

Where To Find Bracia And Help

SPEAKER_03 41:41

Well, we had a cold plunge challenge for just in time. And it was actually our first event. It was really awesome. We got all kinds of different resources. There's like neurofeedback, institutional centers. I mean, the community just really got together. And yeah, there's um, there's a video actually on our website, justintime to savealife.org. And I was trying to get it to go viral, like the ice bucket challenge, you know, because I wanted to help break break the stigma. And we use it as a metaphor. It's like, you know, if you you can do hard things and if you can do an ice plunge, you know, you can like overcome difficult emotions and um not make permanent decisions on temporary feelings. You know, you can you can breathe through the hard. And so we're using that, like, um, and just kind of like paralleling that to mental toughness as well. And there were so many people. We had the Marine Corps out there. Um it was awesome. Like there was a lot of high school girls out there, and it was such a beautiful event. So eventually, um maybe 2028, um, we'll we'll do another cold plunge uh event. But it was, it was such a beautiful event. And so cool. I I remember there was a guy that came up to me after the event. I'll never forget this because with the this kind of work that we do, you don't always like know what kind of impact you're you're having. So if if you guys um uh would like to drop in the comments or, you know, if this episode touched you, please, please share that. I would love to try to uh start creating momentum and um opening up a space for people to like kind of share their wins and uh talk about if this episode resonated with them. But he came up to me and he he said that he was struggling with suicide and he got connected and he actually checked himself into the behavioral health center that day. And I don't know this person, you know, and it was just nice that you know he came up and like said that. So it's like the little things that we do matter and we don't know how we're impacting others, but um and he did the cold plunge too. Wow. Good for him. Yeah, oh, that's so beautiful. Yeah, the the uh the video is really, really beautiful. Um I I need to watch that. Yeah. I think you'll, I think you'll love it. Well, thank you for being for being honest, being on the show, and being brave enough to share what most people hide. Um, your story is not just about survival, it's about a transformation and about becoming someone stronger, deeper, and more intentional because of what you walk through. And now you're an example to others. Um, where can our listeners find you? Like say they want to work with your business or, you know, tap into your Instagram. Do you want to go ahead and let them know where they can find you?

SPEAKER_00 44:33

Yeah, yeah. If you want to work with me, my website is just checkerjagwire.com. And I have an inquiry form there, and that's a really great way to get connected with me. But if you're interested in following along with my story on social media, my Instagram and like TikTok is where I'm most active in my YouTube page. But um, it's just my name, Bracia Dover, which I'm sure will be spelled in the description or uh somewhere. But it is tricky to spell, but it's you can find me pretty easily online just by searching my name.

SPEAKER_03 45:09

Awesome, awesome. And for all of our listeners, if this episode uh resonated with you, please like and subscribe. Um, share with a friend that you know is going through a mental health battle. Or um, and if you guys like to find more information or donate or support, you can always go to justintimesablelife.org and there's a donate button to kind of like keep the show moving along. One of our goals is to create a program that harnesses neuropathency to fight suicide that's free and available for people. Um 2027, we're really gonna start putting that into motion and doing some more fundraising um after I have this baby. Um, but that is one of our ultimate goals. And if you have a story and you want to come on the show, please reach out to us. Um, something that you want to share, or if you're um in neuroscience, um, we are also looking for um somebody um with that type of education that can help us build this program. Um so please, please, please reach out. Um and I think that's it. Thank you so much for coming on the show, Bracia. Thanks for having me. Awesome. If you're struggling, remember how you think is how you feel. If your feelings feel heavy, start by shifting the thought. You're not stuck, your brain can change, so can your story. I'm Jessica G. This is the Justin Time podcast, and I'll see you next time. Until then, keep going. Never give up. And remember, the world is better with you in it, whether you believe it or not. To help reach others, please share this with your friends, family, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and donate.