In a deeply moving episode of the Rosabel Unscripted Podcast, host Rosabel Zohfeld sat down with author Adriene Caldwell, whose memoir Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines brings readers face to face with unimaginable pain, yet also unwavering strength.
From childhood trauma to emotional rebirth, Adriene’s story captures what it truly means to live unbroken — to rise from despair, embrace healing, and ultimately inspire others to do the same.
1. “Unbroken” Begins with Owning Your Story
Adriene’s life was far from ordinary. From a very young age, she faced poverty, homelessness, and abuse. But Unbroken is not a story of tragedy — it’s a declaration of survival. As she shared on the podcast, her life “didn’t fit neatly into one picture.” Instead, it colored outside the lines, messy and raw, yet still beautiful.
That realization became the foundation of her title: Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines. It’s a reminder that healing begins when we stop hiding our scars and start honoring the story they tell.
2. Unbroken Strength Is Forged in Adversity
When asked when she realized how abnormal her life was, Adriene reflected on being only twelve years old when she became aware of her family’s extreme poverty and instability. Her days were filled with survival — from sleeping on floors to using dish soap as shampoo.
Despite it all, she turned to education and books as her refuge. Reading became her escape and her form of freedom. Through learning, she built a bridge between the life she knew and the one she hoped for.
“School was where I got positive affirmation. It’s where I felt seen.”
That kind of resilience is what Unbroken embodies — the strength to create beauty even from brokenness.
3. Writing as a Path to Healing
Caldwell began writing Unbroken about four years ago, after finally opening a box of documents from her childhood — court reports, therapist notes, and records from foster care. The process, she admitted, was “absolute hell.”
Yet writing became her way of reclaiming power over memories she had long buried. The act of writing forced her to confront her pain, process it, and transform it into purpose. For readers and listeners alike, her journey reveals that healing doesn’t come from forgetting the past — it comes from facing it.
4. Hope: The Heart of Unbroken
When Rosabel asked what message she most wanted to leave her readers with, Adriene didn’t hesitate: “Hope.”
She explained that hope can literally mean the difference between life and death — the thread that keeps people moving forward when everything else feels impossible. Her message is especially powerful for teens and young adults in crisis: even when you can’t control your present, you can shape your future.
“Your situation is not permanent. You can make choices that change your life.”
This central truth — that life can change for the better — is what makes Unbroken more than just a memoir; it’s a roadmap for survival.
5. From Broken Past to a Purposeful Present
Today, Adriene lives a life she once couldn’t have imagined. After years of instability, she found love, became a mother, and built a life grounded in gratitude.
Her journey wasn’t without loss. She became disabled at 35 and lost her first husband the same year. Yet she continues to live unbroken — not because life is perfect, but because she chooses gratitude over bitterness.
“It hasn’t been perfect, but presently, it’s amazing. I’m just so grateful.”
6. Gratitude Changes Everything
Rosabel connected deeply with Adriene’s message, sharing her own reflections about the power of gratitude and faith through hardship. Together, they explored how gratitude reframes pain, turning suffering into wisdom and fear into peace.
In fact, gratitude became such a recurring theme that Rosabel later announced the creation of a Gratitude Journal — a free resource for listeners to begin practicing this transformative habit.
To learn more about resources like this, visit Rosabel’s Free Resources.
7. Living Unbroken Means Living with Purpose
At its core, Unbroken teaches us that healing is not about erasing the past — it’s about transforming it into purpose. Adriene’s courage to speak openly about trauma breaks the silence for countless others still searching for their voice.
“Stay positive, stay hopeful. Hope can be the difference between surviving and not surviving.”
That message rings true beyond trauma — in every human struggle. Because to live unbroken is to live with faith that your story isn’t over yet.
Her memoir Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines is available now at:
To explore more inspiring conversations like this, visit the Rosabel Unscripted Podcast Library for more episodes about resilience, courage, and purpose.
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Rosabel Zohfeld, APRN, MSN-Ed, NP-C
Rosabel Zohfeld is a neurology nurse practitioner, educator, and host of the Rosabel Unscripted Podcast. Through authentic storytelling and faith-driven insight, she helps listeners find hope, resilience, and clarity in the midst of life’s challenges. Her mission is to empower others through meaningful conversations that connect science, spirit, and everyday purpose.
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