Episode Notes
Have you ever wondered if the words you give to children stick with them for years to come? I’m here to tell you – they do. My dear cousin, Karen (Whaley) Cook, shares about the powerful, life-changing conversation an elementary school teacher gave her when she was 11 or 12. These words became an anchor for her life – in the really good years, and the unbelievably hard ones, too. In addition to being a neuroscientist, Karen is a sufferer of mental illness. She talks candidly about her challenges in this interview, and about how that one conversation from her childhood has kept her grounded in the promise that God has a plan for her life.
More about this Episode:
This is a very personal episode for me because I interview my cousin, Karen (Whaley) Cook, and she opens up about her multiple mental health diagnoses, which were misdiagnosed for twenty years. But she also shares about that one conversation a teacher from elementary school gave her on a random day and in a community where she only lived for 18 months. That one conversation has anchored Karen during the really good years, and the dark ones, too.
I’ve known Karen all of her life, she’s eleven months younger than me, and I love her like a sister. She has always been an achiever, a perfectionist, and a person with impeccable integrity. She’s also brilliant. She studied neuroscience and spent her career studying molecules in the brain – the same molecules that are impacted by mental illness. When her career was soaring, she was suffering; she chose to give up her career so she could save her life.
My favorite quote from Karen’s interview is, “The pain in my life doesn’t define me, but it does refine me.” Isn’t that a mindset shift from what the world tells us?
I also love that she shares what we can learn about the body of Christ from whales, and how she uses her mental illnesses to remind people that they are here for a purpose and for a plan.
Karen is available for public speaking events, and she’s a wonderful resource for anyone who is looking to understand what mental illness can do to both an individual as well as family members. She loves talking with family members to give them perspective about what their loved one is going through and experiencing. If you’d like to connect with Karen, you are welcome to contact me at [email protected] for more information.
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