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GraceFilled Community
The GraceFilled Community Podcast is a place where faith, connection, and community come together. We explore meaningful conversations with guests who share their unique insights, experiences, and stories to inspire and empower others. Each episode offers listeners practical wisdom for living out their faith, creating belonging, and building community. Whether you're looking for spiritual growth or ways to connect deeper with those around you, the GraceFilled Community Podcast provides valuable content that enriches both your personal and spiritual journey.
GraceFilled Community
Surviving Trauma: Sofia Carpenter's Journey Through Loss and Healing
Sofia Carpenter shares her powerful journey from childhood trauma to becoming a women's empowerment coach who helps others overcome grief and find purpose in pain. Through her story of surviving a devastating car accident at age five that left her paralyzed and separated from her family, Sophia reveals how faith guided her through darkness into a life of meaning.
• Survived a car accident at age five that caused severe facial injuries and paralysis from mid-chest down
• Experienced three major traumas: physical injury, separation from family into foster care, and emotional aftermath
• Found Christ through her foster mother who later adopted her
• Discovered blessings in her new home despite the trauma of family separation
• Views challenges as God's refining process—molding us for divine purposes
• Maintains hope by finding joy in every situation and remembering past deliverances
• Now works as a women's empowerment coach specializing in grief recovery
• Helps women aged 35-55 who have been stuck in grief for a year or longer
• Emphasizes that healing begins with changing your mindset and taking action
• Lives by Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Connect with Sofia Carpenter to learn more about her coaching services or schedule a one-on-one breakthrough session. Join her community of women supporting each other through grief and loss.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sofia.carpenter.9
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My name is Nicole Cater, your host, founder and servant leader of Graceville Community. I want to thank you for tuning in to Graceville Community Podcast. This is a safe space, a place in which we just share stories of how God has touched individuals' lives all across the world and how they are now impacting the kingdom of God. Thank you for tuning in. Blessings to you. Hello Graceville community, we are so excited to have you today tuning in to our podcast episode. As always, I am uber excited yes, I said it, uber excited for our recording today and the story that will be shared on today's podcast. So, as always, I'm not a gatekeeper, I'm not holding back, we're going to dive right in. Please help me. Welcome, miss Sophia Carpenter. Welcome, sophia, hi.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me today.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, it is absolutely my pleasure because I am truly if you can hear it in my voice I am excited for you to just share your story with our audience. I believe that this podcast is really going to be one that just inspires and encourages individuals, even when they're in states of pressure and challenges, and so we talked about it before we started recording and I'm like I don't want to read a bio, I want to get into your story, so tell us about yourself okay, um, well, short story, um is uh, because I have a told testimony, and um, so, um, when I was five I just turned five I was involved in a car accident with my mom and dad.
Speaker 2:We were, it was my first day of preschool, I was so excited. But a semi truck ran into the back of us and hit it straight on and because I did not have my seatbelt on or I wasn't in the car seat, I was thrown into the front front, into the front seat of the? Um, and like, uh, the wind, the windshield, it, um, I, it shattered, and so I fell on directly on the glass and um, so, uh, this whole half my face was gone. Um, and it took many surgeries and um, but I think, in the midst of all, that I think God had a perfect plan, as he always does, but we just may not understand it. Um, so I was taken to the hospital, to Children's Hospital here in Fresno, and uh, they did, uh, I had to go through a lot of rehab and uh, get back to life without using.
Speaker 2:I was paralyzed from the mid chest down and unable to move my legs, and so it was a whole new way of life, learning how to do things without the use of my legs, and so that was one trauma that affected my life and having because my dad was the um, the only one who was left unhurt, or um, he he would.
Speaker 2:He just had minor scratches, um, but my mom took him from my dad and put into foster care, which leads me to my second trauma of being placed in the home, away from family and away from people I did not know. And the third trauma was learning. The third trauma was having to cope with the loss of my family, and that really stuck with me for a long time and it and I I had, um, they call it spiral, spiraling up, and because I just held on to so much anger, so much um resentment, so much anger and um, I took it on the wrong people and I just was like a volcano, just like waiting, I was simmering at the bottom but then, when I exploded, um, that's when, like, my whole life turned upside down. Like how, how did I get here? Or um, why? Because it was like a um, if you just can't imagine closing your eyes and just blinking um, or waking up, opening your eyes and just having your whole life transition before you're, before you.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, man, I mean, what's some what we call, you know, in this world of a psychology sense, right, we will call it like little traumas and big traumas, and we know that like little traumas and big traumas, and we know that, like little traumas definitely affect us. Sometimes the little traumas can affect us, you know, because they carry on right, but you have these major traumas that really led to little traumas. So, as I'm hearing it, I literally am seeing like this, this rocky path right Of like yeah, hey, here's a big trauma, but now there's all these little traumas because of this big trauma. So I'm still like this, and then, oh, there's another big trauma and now I'm still like this again. Man, like what a testament that you're even here today and able to talk about, like what going through those traumas have been. I mean, that's a lot right there. One of the questions that I just immediately am like I want to ask you is how was your faith during those darkest moments? Like where was your faith with God?
Speaker 2:Well, it was funny because remember how I talked about, god has a mighty plan, a masterpiece right, and he knows every situation, every individual.
Speaker 2:About Jesus that I learned the love of God um through the woman who was, um, at the time, my foster care mom.
Speaker 2:She later adopted me, but it's it's having the opportunity to know who Christ is, who to know of his love, and um it, being in the foster care home, I knew I was well provided for, I had food to eat, I had a nice bed to sleep in, I every it placed opportunities in my life that I would have never even imagined myself in, that I would have never even imagined myself in.
Speaker 2:And it's like the little blessings that are placed in our lives that, for me, my parents were migrant pickers and so we had little. We had each other, and we had each other and food to eat and a place to sleep, and but when I entered into this new home that that opened my eyes to and to be able to do more things. It was like I, I, I saw it as a blessing because, um, in this home, I, um, I had everything that I could ever want. I was able to travel um to like just even San Jose or Sacramento, or even flying to Phoenix to visit my relatives. That was. It was like God showing me that there is opportunities in every little thing.
Speaker 2:you do yes yes, and how that? Can you repeat the question again?
Speaker 1:I sometimes get off, oh yeah, no, no, no, it's fine. I'm like you're actually answering the question right now. It was just kind of how faith guided you in it, and what I'm hearing you essentially say is that you would see God in all those little moments that your faith was kind of like. You would see him in those moments of being able to be in a space where you can now have access to just everything you need to travel and so forth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it actually. We went on two cruises to, on a Disney cruise and I got to swim with the dolphins, and it's just learning to recognize those little moments where God is there in the midst of your circumstance, in the midst of chaos, in the midst of when you're feeling so overwhelmed. You just I know it's hard to do sometimes, but you just have to silence yourself and pray the prayer of Lord. Reveal to me your plans and purpose for this season that I am in and just to, to, to quiet down my noise so you can be um, so you can speak, your, so you can speak. Your servant is listening.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love that. I mean, I immediately think about the aspect. It's what we quote often and it seems to be like an easy verse which is one of the hardest things, right, but it literally is just be still and know that I am God. And sometimes it's in that quiet moment of just being still, not trying to respond to circumstances, not trying to respond to circumstances, not trying to even change the circumstance, but be still in it and know that he is God, he is in control and he really does have our best interest at heart and have a plan for us. You know I think about you. You stated Fresno.
Speaker 1:I had about a span of six years that my husband and I lived in Fresno.
Speaker 1:I had about a span of six years that my husband and I lived in Fresno and I would essentially say that those six years were part of some of our rough years, of our story.
Speaker 1:And even when I think about like the timeline that we carry and it's very much like hills and valleys, hills and valleys, right but when I think about that it was in those hardest challenging times that I had the most growth. And I think about how we often look at challenges and we look at trials, and sometimes there's this aspect of like oh like. Why am I here when really our response should be what do you want me to take from this? How do you want me to grow in this? How do you want me to grow in this? How do you want me to develop in this? What are you trying to work out of me that's maybe inside of me that needs to get free, right, you know? In thinking about that, I have to ask, of course, like, what spiritual practices play a part of you staying strong in the midst of all of these challenges?
Speaker 2:okay, great question. Um, I um, I call myself a woman of god, uh, but others may call it as christianity. Um, I'm more spiritual, am religion, um, but that that is what my, my specific um insights are into that, and what brings me comfort is that knowing that there's a higher and bigger person in the midst of everything that goes on around me. Because if you try to, um, if you try to even emphasize, like how could I be going through this um massive let's take, for example, a divorce? Um, so if you try to understand it from your mindset, oh boy, you would be there like spinning your burning rubber inside your mind, already written your, your story out, and who who has it all for the benefit of his glory. That just, um, that just brings closure to me, because you are not in it alone you are.
Speaker 2:you are more than conquerors and it's even in those um, you know, I call it um, uh, uh, for uh, molding, molding, um and sculpting is in those times where god is taking the parts of you, that um, molding you and sculptorns. If you say uh, and he's preparing you for the role that he has, for his purposes, um, and that's if you think of it as on the potter's wheel, he's um, you know you, you're, you don't come, you're not a baby.
Speaker 2:It depends what, what a stage in life you are at, but I think it's like he's, he's making you in his image and he and the part of that in making you in his image, it's it's it hurts because he's he's stripping away the parts of you that that don um a refining process and, yes, it's gonna be like you're gonna want. You have all these emotions and um like thoughts of lord. When is this gonna be over?
Speaker 3:hey, let's take a quick break. You, thank you. To learn more or get any of our amazing Shackley products, visit the website displayed on the screen or in the show notes of this podcast.
Speaker 2:But you have to remind yourself that you, you're, you're placed in a world where the world has different views, where where you're, what you see, what you, you hear, it all plays a part. And so to be in a version of him that takes work, that takes um discipline, that takes skill, and so hang in there, don't give up if you're in the process of refining. And just just, I always say your darkest moments are um, are your um, your darkest moments are your um your refining. There's purpose in the dark yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think about it. I tend to say, like how pain tends to lead to your passion, like it's those moments that were the most painful moments that I grew the most from and really led into the things that I'm most passionate about, right, and so, unfortunately, it seems to be that in those challenges, in those traumas, in those spaces is where we really find that we have this massive level of growth, right, um, there's this massive development and really I think about, even in the aspect of, like someone would say, well, why does God allow us to have some of these trials and tribulations which we know? Scripture says we will? Um, and I, I have to be real with myself.
Speaker 1:Like it is when I'm going through challenges that I am the absolute closest with God because, listen, my knees are getting worn out, I'm like a praying and calling on his name, I'm worshiping more than ever before, I'm giving him all of my emotions, I'm in tears and so forth. Like I am in that closest level and I would love to say like, oh y'all, I match that level every day, but when things are good and when things are smooth, you almost can get in a sense of I wanna say just regularity or a sense of like. Okay, I checked the box, like, yep, I said hello to God, I spent some time with him. Yep, check the box. I did this, versus really like pouring into and really sitting with, and you don't necessarily draw near the same if you're not going through, and so I think there's some, some aspect of like we as in our humanity and the way we are designed, these trials and tribulations are really here for us yeah, and I think it's.
Speaker 2:It draws you closer and God wants you to depend on him and not yourself.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely, I mean that, that's so true. I I think about the aspect of like all it really is is developing a new level of trust, like I, I feel like every challenge, every circumstance it pushes you to a new level of one, recognizing how much you need him. And then this level of trust to say I surrender it to you because I'm I clearly cannot control the circumstance, but you are the one that can right. So you know I have to ask, like it in that one of the one that can right, so you know I have to ask. Like in that one of the things that comes to mind is like how would you recommend that someone is maintaining hope? Right, like, we know these things mentally, like mentally, I know, yes, suffering, you know, produces. If suffering produces endurance and produces character, produces hope. So I need the suffering. But then how do I have that suffering when I haven't necessarily gone through the formula to produce hope yet? So what would you say to someone who's trying to maintain hope in some challenging circumstance?
Speaker 2:Um, I, you know, what I teach the ladies in the in my group is, uh, that in able to find hope, you have to find the joy in every situation. And that might be easier said than done, but I always tell them, okay, if you just think, what has God delivered you from? Um, so, um, someone could face a, um, a unexpected, uh doctor's report, but you, you can remind yourself, like, what has God delivered me from? And so you just recall those times that God has done wonders in your life, or those small moments where he got to pass a certain circumstance, and so you just recall that. But if, if you can't think of anything at the moment, you can just go borrow your neighbors, um, moments of how they have, how they went through a situation, and God delivered them.
Speaker 2:So you, you hold on to hope by room, by constant reminders of what God has done before, and this is so true of when God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh. You know, what kept them in that time frame of 40 years was not merely because God didn't want to deliver them right away. He wanted them to call on him, he, he wanted them to remind themselves each day that my god is purposeful, my god is good, my god is sovereign, and so you. You want to always find the joy in this, the joy in the chaos, or joy in the small things, and count it all as blessings yes, yes, very true.
Speaker 1:I mean, we know the scripture says count it all, joy right, when we have these trials and tribulations, and so that is a great way to look at how we need hope is to really find the joy in the circumstances. So, as we kind of talk about this and wrap up this journey of going through hard things I do want to talk about. So you are a women's empowerment coach, right, correct? Okay, so tell me a little bit more about what you do and what you do to help your community of women.
Speaker 2:So I empower passionate, high driven women who experience the loss of a loved one to re, to overcome the pain, regain confidence and to turn their dream into reality. Um. So any any women between 35 to 55 um who have endured um a loss, but it's just um, not not recently, but if it's been a year or more, because I know how it, what it's like to get stuck in your grief, stuck in um that cycle of repeating um negative, uh toxic thoughts, um, and so that's what that's where my heart goes out to women who experience being in a state of grief for a year or longer yes, and I uh go ahead.
Speaker 2:Oh no, please you go ahead um, so I really help to um. You know, it all starts starts with changing your mindset and it starts with one decision. And if you just take that because overcoming saying you are dealing with grief, but take, it's when you take action that you that you learn to heal through the pain, you learn to relive life with those, the ones that you still have left, it's finding um, it's honoring your loved one and rewriting your story so that you tell yourself because if you don't tell your mind that you're writing a new story but you, just your mind is not going to keep up with you. You have to constantly tell it every day that positive affirmations whereas you're stuck in a state of grief.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I love that. You know, I was just going to say, like, as I think about my own story of grief, right. And so there is definitely, when you lose a loved one, there's this concept like everyone is there at the beginning, right, like it's almost like this overwhelming feeling of everyone being present. And then when, as time goes on, that's when the grief actually gets deeper and that's when the grief tends to. You know, you have to fight off even spirits of oppression and depression and all kinds of rejection. You know, I went through a season of blaming myself and blaming my husband, and then blaming God and then blaming everybody else around me, right. And so there's all these aspects that, you're right, are on the inside. That tends to lead to like the actions that we see on the outside, and it's so important that we work with the inside first, you know, before we try and attack, in a sense, like the outside.
Speaker 1:I I just had coffee with a lady and we were talking through some aspects of grief and she was expressing like that this particular person is kind of struggling with turning to alcohol, and you know, the thought has been like let's attack the thing of alcohol. And I'm like, well, like let's attack the thing that's causing that the run to the alcohol, right, that's just a symptom of like this is what they're going to, to try and help fill the void. But if we attack the void on the inside, it will automatically help us deal with that thing that we're seeing on the outside. And so I yeah you, I was gonna say I love how you're walking women through that yes, you gotta first identify the problem of what's keeping you set yes, absolutely so.
Speaker 1:Our listeners I know they may be tuning in right now and saying, okay, like I want to be a part of this safe place, I want to be a part of, like I have a grief that I'm processing, or they just want to be connected for empowerment. What are the ways that they can be connected to you? How can they stay in contact? How can they even get your consistent hope and joy coming out through to them?
Speaker 2:So you I am on Facebook, which you'll link that Nicole will link the link below and you can just follow me there. You can. You're able to schedule a one-on-one breakthrough session with me to hear about your story, to identify what you're struggling with, and we'll paint a picture of where you want to go. But not just only that. You'll be invited to a group where other women who have suffered the same grief or loss that you have and you'll have a community that supports you and encourages you and motivates you.
Speaker 1:Yes, All right, I love that. So y'all you heard Miss Sophia, we will. We have the link there in the show notes there for you. So please go and connect with her on Facebook. Stay connected If you need the help and the resources. We always say at Graceville Community. That's what we're here for. We're here to help you find connections just like this, so that you can get the resources and assistance and community that you need. We all need community. It doesn't matter what stage of our walk that we're in, what stage of life that we're in, and I even venture as far to say it doesn't even matter where you are within your stage with Christ. We need community. We were not created to do life alone, and so do not isolate, but go to Facebook and connect with Sophia Before we go. I do want to ask Sophia I tend to ask our guests sometimes from time to time just like what's the scripture that you hold to? What is the scripture that is like? This is my verse. This has carried me through.
Speaker 2:What's one for you? My favorite has been since I was a child. Um has always been I can do all things through Christ, um through who strengthens me, and the reason so is because um everybody's told me I can't do this, I can't do that, but I say um, I will show them, because actions without words, without actions, is dead. So, yeah, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely, I love it. I love it. I mean, all scripture is good, all scripture is life, because this Bible that we read is a living word. Right, it is Jesus, and so I love that scripture. Definitely hold true to that as well. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, and I think the key component of it I cannot get off this podcast without saying is through Christ, through Christ, to do all things through Christ.
Speaker 1:So I would say to our listeners and our viewers today if you are someone that's like I'm not so sure about this thing with Christ, I encourage you, feel free to connect with us at Gracefield Community. You can always email us at grow at Gracefield Community or connect with us Facebook, instagram, gracefield Community and we would love to walk you through answering the questions. Y'all, we ain't scared, we're not running from them. Whatever questions you have like, look, if we don't know the answers, guess what? We don't find them out. We don't do this together, and so I must highlight that that is a phenomenal scripture and that is absolutely true.
Speaker 1:You can do all things through Christ, who strengthened you. So make sure that you're connected with Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. So, sophia, I want to thank you so much for tuning not tuning in, cause, I mean, we were tuning into you. I felt like I was able to just sit here and be like girl, tell me your story, and so thank you for being willing to come on and just be vulnerable and share your transparent heart behind your own experiences and what's carried you through.
Speaker 2:You're welcome, nicole. I love your, your upbeat attitude and you just do the. You just have fun, enjoy your podcast.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, I mean, that's what it's about. Right, we talk about joy, we have to carry joy, and we got to carry joy and share it amongst each other. So thank you.
Speaker 2:Bye.
Speaker 1:Bye, all right. Graceville community listeners, thanks once again for tuning in, as always. If you are in need of community or looking for a place of support, know that you can reach out to Graceville community through grow at grow at gracevillecommunitycom. Once again, that's grow at gracevillecommunitycom Listeners, tune in too. Make sure to check your show notes. We have Sophia Carpenter's information there for you. Go find her on Facebook, connect with her and be empowered. Thanks again for tuning in, as always. May God be with you. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Graceville Community Podcast. We would like to invite you to visit gracevillecommunitycom.
Speaker 1:Graceville Community is all about doing church the way Church of Acts did, using five main principles that we see in the book of Acts. Sharing resources, as believers pooled their possessions and resources to support those in need, as we see in Acts 2.44. Through hospitality the early Christians practiced hospitality by opening their homes to others, as we see in Acts 2 and 46. By financial aid the church in Antioch sent financial aid to believers in Judea during a time of famine, as described in Acts 11 and 29. Prayer and encouragement they supported each other through prayer and encouragement, as we see in Acts 4 and 24. And finally, spiritual guidance. The apostles and elders provided spiritual guidance and teaching to help strengthen and build the community, as we see in Acts 1530. I would like to encourage you. If any of those areas are areas in which you are in need or can contribute, please reach out to Graceville Community. We are working together across the world with ministries and individuals alike to help bring back the church of Acts.
