Carrie Bullock shares how one of the most painful periods of her life became the foundation for a deeper sense of purpose. In this episode, she reflects on her journey through suicidal ideation, treatment, and recovery—and how restoration didn’t come from erasing the past, but from learning how to live alongside it with support and intention.
This conversation centers on hope, resilience, and the power of using lived experience to help others. If you’ve ever wondered whether your hardest moments could still lead to something meaningful, this episode offers a reminder that restoration is possible—and that pain doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Carrie Bollock is a Jesus loving, wife, stepmom, and mom who serves as the reigning Mrs. Wyoming America. She is a licensed real estate consultant and transaction coordinator, the host of Wellness Wednesdays on 102.7 The PEAK, and the founder of Restored by Faith, a platform rooted in her personal journey of resilience and faith. Passionate about mental-health awareness and suicide prevention, she uses her testimony to remind others that restoration is possible and help connect individuals and families with life-saving resources across Wyoming and beyond. You can follow or learn more about her @carrieinwyoming on Instagram or Carrie Bollock on Facebook.
Takeaways:
For more information on mental health support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
For more information on Prosper, go to the website
Hi, my name is Kent Corso and I'm your host for this episode of One Minute Can Save a Life.
Speaker A:While I am a licensed clinical psychologist, none of these guests are my patients, nor does anything I say constitute medical advice.
Speaker A:The views conveyed during our conversations do not reflect the views, positions, or policies of any private or public organization.
Speaker A:This is simply a series of conversations with people who have some connection to hardship, suicide, mental health, or loss.
Speaker A:There's so much we can learn from one another.
Speaker A:So let's get started.
Speaker A:Today.
Speaker A:Our guest is Carrie Bullock of pinedale.
Speaker A:She is Mrs. Wyoming America, which is the precursor to Mrs. America, and we're so excited to have her on our podcast.
Speaker A:Why don't you introduce yourself?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Thank you, Kent, for having me on the podcast.
Speaker B:My name is Carrie Bullock and I'm a Jesus loving wife, stepmom mom, licensed real estate transaction coordinator and consultant, a radio show host for Wellness Wednesdays on 102.7 the Peak and your current Mrs. Wyoming America.
Speaker B:Lots of hats, I know, but as you can see, I love to serve.
Speaker A:With such a busy life, it's amazing that you get time to do meaningful work like this.
Speaker A:We're so grateful to have you on as someone who is an attempt survivor.
Speaker A:Before we dive into your story a bit, would you tell us a little more about all those hats you wear and sort of what drew you to start talking about your lived experience there?
Speaker B:For a while, I kind of wanted to take my lived experience and not speak about it.
Speaker B:I wanted to hide it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I dealt with more of suicidal ideation than anything.
Speaker B:And that's not something that, like, I wanted to talk about because I was a person who was a former firefighter, EMT in the background.
Speaker B:Like, we all stay strong, you know?
Speaker B:And then I was born and raised in a small mountain town in Colorado, moved to Wyoming, and still felt that type of strength.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We have to be strong.
Speaker B:And becoming a stepmom, same thing.
Speaker B:But then I realized that, like my stepdaughters, my son, I wanted to speak about this experience.
Speaker B:More and more people are experiencing suicidal ideation every single day.
Speaker B:It's only becoming more prominent.
Speaker B:Wyoming's the number one state.
Speaker B:I think we're actually, what, number two now?
Speaker A:Actually, number three.
Speaker B:We're number three.
Speaker A:Number three.
Speaker A:The way to think about it is the rates of suicide are slowing.
Speaker A:That's the best way to think about it.
Speaker B:That's the best way to think about it.
Speaker B:And so in my journey with all of this, I wanted to find an opportunity to help.
Speaker B:There are people here in Pinedale that are dying more on a regular basis than what I have ever seen when it comes to suicide.
Speaker B:The state of Wyoming in general.
Speaker B:And there is some personal connection from where I came in Colorado to that.
Speaker B:I've experienced that this.
Speaker B:And I wanted to be like, you know what?
Speaker B:I experienced this.
Speaker B:I went through suicidal ideation.
Speaker B:How do I help people?
Speaker B:How do I connect resources?
Speaker B:So I started on this adventure and became Mrs. Wyoming.
Speaker B:America wasn't an easy title to do.
Speaker B:I wanted to open a nonprofit pageantry, and the Wyoming America Pageants promote organizations that are near and dear to these women's hearts.
Speaker B:And so I was like, you know what?
Speaker B:This will be a good opportunity to do so in the long run with all of it.
Speaker B:God actually connected me through a radio station, and I became a radio show host for Wellness Wednesday.
Speaker B:And that's where I was able to really connect these resources and my platform and testimony to be able to share, you know, like, hey, this is okay.
Speaker B:We need to talk about this and be able to connect people like you through our state and be able to reach people where they are, where they're driving in their trucks, where they're working the day, you know, absolutely.
Speaker B:Not just kind of be able to reach them.
Speaker B:So that was one of the ways that I've been able to connect.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:So it sounds like what you're saying, Carrie, is that you had some lived experience and being a stepmom made you want to sort of set a good example about how to talk about these things, about how to face them versus hide from them or conceal them or run away from them.
Speaker B:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker A:And then also, you were blessed with the opportunity to work on a radio show, and that gives you even more of a reach to people driving in their cars or sitting at home.
Speaker A:Home or sitting in the office, so that you can not only set a good example for your step kids, but also for the community or state at large.
Speaker A:Is that right?
Speaker B:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker B:And before we get too much further into the podcast with that, I do have to mention that it's really important to say that everything that I do and the community work to wellness conversations rooted in my faith.
Speaker B:Because there were tons of seasons in my life where I didn't have answers or clarity to what I needed, but I know that there was steady trust in the Lord.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And that's when I sat in the suicide ward and when I was around 20 years old, that's what brought me through this.
Speaker B:He met me at the middle of the hardest, hardest moment that I had yet and carried me through.
Speaker B:And that experience shaped who I am today and why I care so deeply about that restoration, connection, hope, not only with my children, but with the community and how I want to share and perceive.
Speaker B:I just, I want everybody to live a happy, good, well, life.
Speaker A:I'm so glad you mentioned that faith is such an important part of not only life, but this kind of work.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:The mindset, as you know, that precedes or comes before suicidal thinking is this sort of existential crisis.
Speaker A:It's this realization of what do I have to live for Or I have nothing to live for.
Speaker A:And faith is very relevant to that idea of why are we here and what are we living for?
Speaker A:So thank you for reminding our audience about the role of faith, the importance of faith, and how it is an integral part of all of your actions and your calling to talk about this in your pageant life and your entire life.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's important because, you know, everyone's carrying something.
Speaker B:Everybody's carrying either grief, stress, burnout, uncertainty, silent battles, like, you know, I didn't want to talk about this for a while.
Speaker B:I wanted.
Speaker B:It appeared that I was a really strong woman, that I can continue to do things.
Speaker B:And then I realized that it's okay to talk about the things that we carry.
Speaker B:And it's very important for people to realize too, that we don't arrive anywhere fully healed.
Speaker B:We need to keep up.
Speaker B:We need to keep showing up and doing the work.
Speaker B:So, yeah, it's just, you know, that foundational truth that restoration is, it's not a one time moment.
Speaker B:It's a daily choice.
Speaker B:And so just being able to help people connect there is important to me.
Speaker A:Thank you for that.
Speaker A:Carrie, tell us a little bit about your story.
Speaker A:Tell us a little bit about your experience with being, as you say, on a suicide ward and sort of how you got there.
Speaker B:Yeah, how I got there.
Speaker B:How I got there, man.
Speaker B:So at 15 years old, I entered into a very toxic relationship that I should have not really been involved in.
Speaker B:You know, I got brought up in faith.
Speaker B:I brought up, was brought up in Christianity.
Speaker B:My grandpa was a Baptist preacher.
Speaker B:I was very well aware of what I should not do and do.
Speaker B:I went against my parents.
Speaker B:I rebelled, right.
Speaker B:Like most teenage kids pretty much do.
Speaker B:But I got into this toxic relationship that wasn't good for either one of us.
Speaker B:And it really took a real big, big toll on my mental health during that same time frame.
Speaker B:We grew up a little bit.
Speaker B:We were high school sweethearts.
Speaker B:And then I joined into the fire department, the ems, you know, ems, fire department roles, and there's a lot of things that take a toll on you there too.
Speaker B:One of the first car accidents I went to was a friend from high school that we had to pull her out of the car.
Speaker B:She was okay.
Speaker B:But those types of things, especially at, you know, 18, is a lot to pull down.
Speaker B:And I didn't really realize what, you know, PTSD and stuff was back then.
Speaker B:I was young, I'm strong, right?
Speaker B:And at the moment I wasn't dealing with anything well.
Speaker B:Our toxic relationship only became more toxic.
Speaker B:I went through some health struggles, I went through some miscarriages, and again, my mental health just kept depleting.
Speaker B:I was not feeding anything good into it.
Speaker B:We had split up and I had told my mom that, and I couldn't even talk to her at this point.
Speaker B:Why couldn't be there be a different way to take this pain away other than what I was currently going through in that toxic relationship?
Speaker B:And she realized she had a sister who had suicidal ideation and attempts in her life and realized that she needed to get me help.
Speaker B:And so she took me into the hospital to find some medication or anything that could help me with depression while I was going through these hard seasons in my life.
Speaker B:And the crisis team evaluated me and the next day they shipped me off over to mental health ward where they were able to put me on a suicide watch for 72 hours and just evaluate me and see where I was.
Speaker B:So that's kind of how that whole situation began.
Speaker B:About 48 hours in to me being at the ward, I realized where my strength was coming from.
Speaker B:My, my parents drove over an hour just to see me for 10 minutes.
Speaker B:They had a 10 minute slot that they could see me and my mom had brought me and reminded me of where my faith was from.
Speaker B:So I started reading the items that she brought to me and it helped me get to a place where my mental health was like, wait a second, I need to get back in check, right?
Speaker B:I don't need this way out.
Speaker B:I saw multiple people that had attempts that got brought in.
Speaker B:And in the midst of all of it, we worked together.
Speaker B:There was therapists that came in and there was three other people that I was able to speak to them about God and lead them in their faith and how to get better.
Speaker B:And so we worked together, all together in that after 72 hours I was released.
Speaker B:But my mental health did not just stop there because I was released.
Speaker B:So sure, it continues on, right?
Speaker B:Life continues on.
Speaker B:And I still struggled.
Speaker B:I still struggled.
Speaker A:What was it like being in that hold for 72 hours.
Speaker A:Now, we know that it's a little different for kids and adolescents than it is for adults, but what was it like for you?
Speaker B:It was an experience that I never, for one, thought I could ever be in.
Speaker B:And for two, it's something that I guess you can't really think of until you're there for me.
Speaker B:I got there, the first thing that I had felt was my drive down.
Speaker B:I had about an hour and a half drive from the er, the hospital where I was at, to where the mental ward was.
Speaker B:And this one gets me every time.
Speaker B:The sheriff was a woman who actually was a teacher of mine when I was a kid.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:And so when she.
Speaker B:Yeah, when she picked me up, she was crying, and she slipped a little note into my hand, and she was like, when you get out, please call me.
Speaker B:She always knew me as Smiley in high school.
Speaker B:So for her to see me at this state, it was like, what is wrong with her?
Speaker B:You know, I want to help her.
Speaker A:It was probably rough for both of you.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:And then the other person that really hit me on my drive down is I've never seen my father cry.
Speaker B:And when I turned around and looked out that window when I was heading out, I watched him cry.
Speaker B:So I had a moment to really think of things as I was going down to this next place to receive help.
Speaker B:And when I got there and I arrived, you weren't allowed to have really anything that could help you in an attempt.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so, like, I wasn't even able to have, like, my normal undergarments or like, it was like, what is this?
Speaker B:I was really thrown off by that.
Speaker B:But they're there to protect you.
Speaker B:So that was my first kind of experience going into this ward.
Speaker B:And then after that was the connection.
Speaker B:And so where I came from at that point in my life and where I lived, it was also a small community.
Speaker B:But what I realized is that a lot of these people that were hurting, including myself, we were lacking the connection and the communication through the painful times that we were going through.
Speaker B:We were lacking being able to have that support.
Speaker B:And so that was the next thing I experienced, is like, we're all here to help each other through some really hard times.
Speaker B:We don't have to do this alone.
Speaker B:And that's where that next piece came in from.
Speaker B:My experience is connecting people.
Speaker A:So it sounds like what you're saying is when you got in there, obviously it was a very difficult transition, but once you got there, one thing you realized you had in common with everyone else There is that not only were you all hurting, but you were all operating under this belief that we need to go through life's difficult parts alone.
Speaker A:And only when you were there and connecting with people and being encouraged to connect with each other, did you realize, wait a minute, there's a different way to go through life.
Speaker A:Life is hard either way, but at least if we go through it together, we are better able to handle it.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I think one thing that we all had thought when we were there is that restoration looked really big.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:There is one thing that I feel that a lot of people think about suicide that hasn't experienced it is a lot of people say their selfishness.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And I don't believe that that's something that changed in me.
Speaker B:And sitting in there is that it's not about selfishness.
Speaker B:It's about a person that's not knowing how to get through that pain, not knowing where the connection is, not knowing where the resources is.
Speaker B:They're not being selfish.
Speaker B:They just don't know how to move through that.
Speaker B:They're not doing this to hurt anybody.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:They're just trying to figure out how to carry the grief or the uncertainty that lies in front of them.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:They're trying to figure out how to carry the grief, the uncertainty, the hopelessness, the sense of powerlessness, or even just feeling clueless about what to do next, Right?
Speaker B:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker A:Carrie, you've used the word restoration three times now just for the benefit of our audience.
Speaker A:Could you describe what you mean when you say restoration?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:So something that I have come up with through my life in pageantries, you had to come up with a platform.
Speaker B:And pageantry wasn't something I was like, I knew everything about, especially in my 30s as a stepmom and a mom.
Speaker B:I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But competing in this is like, that.
Speaker B:You need a platform.
Speaker B:And I sat there for a minute and I started thinking about it, and I'm like, my platform's my testimony.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I don't need to have some non profit tied into it or anything like that.
Speaker B:My.
Speaker B:My platform is my testimony.
Speaker B:So my testimony is restored by faith.
Speaker B:And it wasn't from, like, some mountaintop moment that this was born from.
Speaker B:It came from, like, walking through something super hard and realizing I wasn't alone.
Speaker B:Even though I felt like I was.
Speaker B:I wasn't right.
Speaker B:And I was restored by my faith.
Speaker B:I came back, too.
Speaker B:And I want people to realize that they can do that every single day.
Speaker B:You know, it's not just a one time moment.
Speaker B:It's not this big, like I said, grand mountaintop moment.
Speaker B:It's something, it's a daily choice that you get to do every single day.
Speaker B:You get to be restored every day through your faith and what you believe and how to just get through those moments when it's hard.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Is that something you came up with yourself, that concept of restoration?
Speaker A:Or has it come from some teaching or some faith or somewhere else?
Speaker B:I would say that it's definitely brought through the Lord, through my temple.
Speaker B:It's something that I prayed about because in pageantry, I didn't win right out the gate.
Speaker B: I competed since: Speaker B:I competed my first year.
Speaker B:I didn't win.
Speaker B:All I wanted to do was help the community, let people know that they can be heard.
Speaker B:Right, let's get you help.
Speaker B:Let's get you therapy, let's get you into the gym, let's get you nutrition.
Speaker B:Like my goal was just to connect people to get their mental health well.
Speaker A:I love that concept of restoration.
Speaker A:On one hand, it helps people understand what you're experiencing and maybe they can relate to what they're experiencing.
Speaker A:The second reason I love that term restoration is because it truly is a process.
Speaker A:This isn't like a switch where you're feeling bad one day and then magically people's mental health just becomes perfect the next day.
Speaker A:It is an ongoing process of development.
Speaker A:It's human development, it's spiritual development, it's developing coping skills and how to manage your emotions and how to manage relationships.
Speaker A:I mean, you said all of this grew out of a very toxic relationship, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think that's important for like the young women and stuff that I go around and talk to.
Speaker B:But it's not even just for women, it's for men too.
Speaker B:Like that's the other thing.
Speaker B:I think there's such a stigma between men's mental health and suicidal ideation and things like that.
Speaker B:I just want people to know that, you know, it's not about being fixed, it's about being supported.
Speaker B:You know, restoration isn't something that's going to make you healed in one moment, in one day.
Speaker B:It's just you don't need, you don't need to have all the details.
Speaker B:You just need to know the truth.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:You just need to know the truth that you are heard.
Speaker B:And this all again came from something that was really hard for me.
Speaker B:It doesn't mean restoration doesn't mean life gets easy.
Speaker B:It means you don't walk alone is where I'M kind of getting at with that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:There's that old phrase that no man is an island.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I mean, there's a reason why.
Speaker A:I mean, whether we go back to caveman and cavewoman days, there's a reason why we've traveled in packs and worked as families and groups.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And even think of pioneers and homesteaders and people who came to, let's say, Wyoming.
Speaker A:They didn't just say, okay, see y' all later.
Speaker A:I'm going to go live completely on my own in the middle of, I don't know, the Wind River Reservation.
Speaker A:That's not how it works.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And I guess if you choose that, good luck, you're unlikely to survive.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So I love how you're painting restoration as a concept.
Speaker A:It's not something that happens overnight.
Speaker A:We have to work at it day in and day out, and it's being supported and about supporting others.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, and with that being said, you know, Kent, like, some days restoration really looks big.
Speaker B:You know, like that day that I was struggling.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That I got into that vehicle and was heading to the mental health ward, it looked really big.
Speaker B:But in reality, it was a breakthrough to that next part of my life, of that clarity, that peace, and who I was becoming, to be able to talk about my story, to be able to become a stepmom and a very big situation that we had.
Speaker B:And in my personal life, to being able to talk about it now on Wellness Wednesdays, where now I'm reaching people that I, like, I've mentioned before, like in their trucks or their job sites or their homes.
Speaker B:You know, I'm bringing local businesses and fitness leaders, veterans, yourself, non profits, into the radio to be able to connect resources.
Speaker B:And none of this would have came if I didn't have that breakthrough, you know, if I didn't have that breakthrough way back when, when restoration looked really big.
Speaker B:So I just want people to know that, like, hey, like, it might be really big today, but this can bring clarity, this can bring peace, and you might help somebody else through your story.
Speaker A:You know, and it's all part of one big plan, his plan.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And it's also part of a process.
Speaker A:I mean, whether we have a good experience or bad experience, there's something to be learned.
Speaker A:And if we pay close attention and.
Speaker A:And do learn and apply that in our lives, then we evolve.
Speaker A:We're not who we were yesterday or last month or last year.
Speaker A:And so I love what you're describing.
Speaker A:It almost sounds like this concept of post traumatic growth.
Speaker A:Are you familiar with that?
Speaker B:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker A:Okay, so would you say you've experienced post traumatic growth?
Speaker B:Yes, I.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And I still feel like I experience it today, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:I say that that terminology for me is something that I live by every single day.
Speaker B:Because yes, there is like the post part of it, but you continue to have hard days.
Speaker B:You know, life doesn't just stop.
Speaker B:Hard days don't stop.
Speaker B:You're going to continue to grow.
Speaker B:I kind of take that terminology and put it in together for an everyday experience.
Speaker B:And so for me, it's something that I live every day.
Speaker A:Amazing.
Speaker A:One thing that just popped into my mind is our audience may or may not be able to relate to that feeling of being put in a mental ward.
Speaker A:How would you say it?
Speaker A:You felt either during it or after it.
Speaker A:How did you feel about yourself?
Speaker A:Like, were there negative self judgments?
Speaker A:Were you sort of like criticizing yourself?
Speaker A:How did it feel that the fact that you were quote, sent to a mental ward?
Speaker B:At first, when I was told that the crisis team wanted to take me there, I was like, wait a second, I'm supposed to be strong, right?
Speaker B:So that was my first feeling that I got on the way there.
Speaker A:Which really means you're thinking, wait, I'm not strong.
Speaker B:Absolutely it did.
Speaker B:I'm not strong.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And then when I got there, like I said, this is something that you almost have to go experience in a time frame that you were really hurting in order to know exactly what that felt.
Speaker B:Because I feel like there's not an actual feeling that you can tie into it.
Speaker B:I went through a plethora of emotions from depression to angry to sad, to hope.
Speaker B:You know, I found all of a sudden hope started sparkling through about 48 hours in and my hard headed self was starting to come back out and being like, no, I don't want to be put on medications.
Speaker B:No, I don't need to go do this or that.
Speaker B:But I realized that I still wasn't.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I started realizing, you know what, this was a big thing.
Speaker B:But I can come through through all of this and realized therapy was something that was really important to get.
Speaker B:And I think that's something to really mention here for everybody that's listening, whether you're a man or a female or, you know, a teen, whatever it may be, is therapy, therapy, therapy.
Speaker B:It is huge.
Speaker B:And especially in Wyoming, right?
Speaker B:Where we all think we don't need it.
Speaker B:We come to live here secluded.
Speaker B:I grew up in a small mountain town.
Speaker B:So like, I get the feeling of like wanting to be on your own and figure stuff out.
Speaker B:But therapy is huge.
Speaker B:And so that was one thing I agreed to coming out of it.
Speaker B:And that's one thing that actually gave me the support to be able to continue to move on and be able to get to where I'm at in my story.
Speaker A:Good for you.
Speaker A:I love how you point out that idea that people feel like, you know what?
Speaker A:I don't need it.
Speaker A:And when I hear that, my response is, well, there are a lot of things we go after that we don't need.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I mean, who needs to have their windows tinted in their truck?
Speaker A:Who needs an extra pair of boots?
Speaker A:Who needs.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The list goes on and on.
Speaker A:We do things all the time that we don't necessarily need.
Speaker A:But a better way to think about therapy and getting mental health help is, number one, is my life exactly how I want it to be?
Speaker A:And if the answer is no, then number two, am I willing to do something about that?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:We are empowered to help ourselves.
Speaker A:And there are innumerable resources that the state of Wyoming provides to be able to help yourself.
Speaker A:One very simple One is the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
Speaker B:And yep, that was the next thing I wanted to mention, is the 988.
Speaker B:It's huge.
Speaker B:It's huge.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And look, one size doesn't fit all.
Speaker A:So maybe that's not right for everyone.
Speaker A:Maybe someone feels like, well, I'm not going to call some random crisis line.
Speaker A:Well, it's not that random.
Speaker A:They are people from Wyoming.
Speaker A:There are two centers, and they're located in the state, so they understand where places like Riverton are.
Speaker A:They understand that it's pronounced Dubois, not Dubois.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I mean, there are local people servicing these lines or manning these lines.
Speaker A:But let's say that's not for you.
Speaker A:The faith angle is certainly an approach to take.
Speaker A:Going to see someone within your church or your temple or your synagogue, again, whatever your faith is.
Speaker A:And to your point, and this is really where I want to put it, a big exclamation point, Carrie.
Speaker A:It's not about being strong or weak.
Speaker A:It's about being supported or being alone.
Speaker A:And no matter who you access for help, don't do it alone.
Speaker A:There.
Speaker A:There's just no reason for it when you have the option to lean on someone else or to engage with someone else.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And out of all the hats that I wear.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I have a lot of hats.
Speaker B:I'm a wife.
Speaker B:I'm a stepmom.
Speaker B:I'm on radio.
Speaker B:I'm a radio show host.
Speaker B:You know, I'm in pageantry.
Speaker B:One thing I found through all of the hats that I have is that like an example would be in pageantry.
Speaker B:That crown gave me access to rooms and conversations and audiences that I would have never reached before.
Speaker B:The radio is doing the exact same thing.
Speaker B:I have people from, you know, that are on construction jobs listening in to, you know, the teacher on their lunch break, whatever it may be.
Speaker B:And I'm being able to connect these resources and things throughout our community.
Speaker B:It gives me an opportunity to be a megaphone and be able to bring out that.
Speaker B:That connection that may be missing, especially in Wyoming, where, again, we're all wanting to be a little bit more secluded, but bring that connection to those resources.
Speaker B:Being able to bring on a licensed therapist, bring it.
Speaker B:Be able to bring on the doctor down the street.
Speaker B:You bring on the gym, the brand new gym that just opened up, and what resources they have there.
Speaker B:Because when you look at mental health, you got to have all those connections.
Speaker B:You need the nutritionist, you need the gym, you need the therapist.
Speaker B:And if you can just start in one area.
Speaker B:And for me, that was therapy.
Speaker B:It was to get that mental health to a place where I could be like, I can lean into my faith.
Speaker B:Yeah, my faith brought me out of that ward, and then the therapy connected to it was able to get me into a really good place to where I could be able to push forward instead of fall back.
Speaker A:So what I appreciate about you, Carrie, is you're describing all the ways that you went from not weak, but disconnected.
Speaker A:And the more you started connecting, both for support, but then in the multiple dimensions that make up who we are.
Speaker A:So fitness, family, friends, faith, work, you engaged in life in this well rounded way, and now you're really a conduit to connect others.
Speaker A:And that's incredible because you've taken what was sort of a personal tragedy and a low point in your life where you were really disconnected and you turned it on its head and you basically did the opposite.
Speaker A:And that's now what you're doing.
Speaker A:You're not only connected yourself, but you're reaching out to get other people connected.
Speaker A:And it is just so inspiring to hear that.
Speaker A:So thank you for who you are and thank you for what you're doing.
Speaker B:Thank you, Ken.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I strongly believe that God didn't waste my pain.
Speaker B:He actually used these hardest seasons to shape my calling and, you know, to be exactly where I am today.
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:It's super important.
Speaker B:I feel like that my faith now feels my commitment to suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
Speaker B:It fuels everything that I do.
Speaker B:And then he's given me all these platforms.
Speaker B:I, I really didn't think I was going to be going to Mrs. America in my 30s as a step mom and a mom and a wife.
Speaker B:Like, that was not on my agenda, but it was on his agenda.
Speaker B:He's like, wait a second.
Speaker B:I'm going to put you in places and rooms that, you know, in conversations that you've never been in before to help somebody else out.
Speaker B:And I have experienced that.
Speaker B:I feel experienced a lot of different women, men, kids, they all come up to me now and being like, because of your story, I have just this much more hope.
Speaker B:You know, maybe I should go get therapy.
Speaker B:Maybe I should go to the gym more or maybe connecting resources, listening to you.
Speaker B:You're going to be on my show here, Wellness Wednesday in February, and I'm excited.
Speaker B:And it's just, it's just an honor to be able to connect.
Speaker B:I'm here on yours and you're going to be on mine.
Speaker B:And we're able to hit people all throughout the community with, with, you know, this is real connection.
Speaker B:This is real conversation.
Speaker B:And I just want people to know, like, again, like, they're not alone.
Speaker B:We can make it through this.
Speaker B:You know, strength is not silence.
Speaker B:It's actually connection and being together.
Speaker A:I love that message.
Speaker A:I'm just going to close out by sharing with our audience that what I hear you saying is you have found some meaning and purpose out of your personal tragedy.
Speaker A:And when people lack meaning and purpose, that's when they start thinking about, why should I bother getting up in the morning?
Speaker A:Why am I here?
Speaker A:Why should I bother living?
Speaker A:And so to our audience, to our listeners, if you roll over in bed one morning and say, oh, why am I bothering to get up today?
Speaker A:I have nothing to live for.
Speaker A:The answer is, sounds like you need to figure that out.
Speaker A:And you don't do that by remaining alone.
Speaker A:You do that by connecting with others.
Speaker A:And do not give up.
Speaker A:There are some attempt survivors who have said, no feeling is final.
Speaker A:Just take it day by day and do not give up.
Speaker A:And you'll find your meaning.
Speaker A:You will.
Speaker A:And Carrie, I think you're a stunning example of someone who's found their meaning.
Speaker A:So thank you for sharing that with us and thanks so much for being on the podcast.
Speaker B:Yes, Ken, thank you so much for having me on the podcast and for creating a resource where people can truly connect.
Speaker B:If there's one last thing I can say today, and I hope listeners can take away, it's healing is closer than you think.
Speaker B:You don't have to choose pain.
Speaker B:It's not the person, relationship or circumstance that defines you, but the choices you make through that pain.
Speaker B:Let those hard moments teach you how to heal.
Speaker B:Hard days will come, but how we show up matters.
Speaker B:I'm grateful that my hard days started young because what once felt like a mountain prepared me for what life would bring later.
Speaker B:I'm thankful to be restored by faith daily and for the tools and resources available.
Speaker B:Please don't be afraid to use them and to help yourself and to help others.
Speaker B:God bless everyone.
Speaker A:Excellent.
Speaker A:Thanks so much Carrie.
Speaker B:Thank you Kent.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening to this episode of One Minute Can Save a Life.
Speaker A:Take care of yourself.
Speaker A:Take care of your neighbor.
Speaker A:Be bold.
Speaker A:Ask the hard questions.
Speaker A:Because if you don't, who will?
Speaker A:Production Support Support for One Minute Can Save a Life was provided by TKB Podcast Studio.
Speaker A:To find out more about our services, go to tkbpodcaststudio.
Speaker B:Com.