From trauma to truth: How Florida’s surgeon general found courage to challenge the pandemic narrative

On a recent episode of “Back to the People,” Nicole Shanahan interviewed Dr. Joseph Ladapo — a Nigerian-American physician and health policy researcher currently serving as the surgeon general of Florida.

One of the subjects they discussed was Dr. Ladapo’s role during the pandemic. Unlike the great majority of doctors who championed masks, social distancing, and lockdowns, Dr. Ladapo was courageous enough to report the truth: “The government was doing it wrong.”

“You rose to national fame because of your early findings on the lockdowns. You studied the science around mask efficacy and mask mandates and school closures, and like Jay Bhattacharya, you came to the conclusion that the federal government had it wrong,” says Shanahan. “I still remember hearing about how Florida was going to reopen before any other state did, and that was really under your guidance and leadership.”

“Honestly, Governor DeSantis deserves all the credit,” says Dr. Ladapo.

However, his courage to speak the truth traces all the way back to a childhood tragedy.

“I was a victim of sexual abuse,” he tells Nicole.

He adds that it “stunted my emotional development — my ability to emotionally connect with other people."

It wasn’t until adulthood when he met and fell in love with his wife that he was able to finally deal with the abuse in his past.

“Because my wife is so intuitive, she found a guy, a Navy SEAL named Christopher Maher. ... And he's very talented healer, and I ended up going to work with him ... and it was the most transformative experience I could ever imagine,” says Dr. Ladapo.

“When you get rid of 95% of the garbage we carry around to protect ourselves, guess what? You have more access to your love, you have more access to courage, you have more access to virtue.”

Nicole is shocked and encouraged by Dr. Ladapo’s vulnerability.

“You generally don't hear that level of honesty from people, especially people in official government roles,” she says. “You're the surgeon general. You are literally the mouthpiece for health in your state, and to hear you use that position of power to talk about healing trauma and what comes from it and through it is so powerful.”

Dr. Ladapo’s story about his journey to well-being isn’t an isolated event, though. It’s a signal that the tides in this country are turning, especially as they relate to health.

“Think about if every person in a position of power ... did that kind of work on themselves,” says Nicole.

“The world would look totally different — definitely for people in positions of power, but even for everyone because we are all powerful. We are all reflections of God's love and God's light and God's consciousness,” says Dr. Ladapo.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.

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