Breaking the Silence, June 21, 2026

Breaking The Silence with Dr Gregory Williams

Unconquerable: Chief Matt Antkowiak on Trauma, Resilience, Faith, and Becoming a Protector

Guest, Chief Matt Antkowiak, Former Police Chief, Detective, Author and Survivor

This week's guest is Chief Matt Antkowiak, Author and Survivor

Scoop was conducting an interview with Chief Matt, when something amazing happened.

You Will NOT want to miss this life-changing program!

A Father’s Day Conversation About Resilience and Hope

In this Father’s Day episode of Breaking the Silence, host Dr. Gregory Williams welcomes Chief Matt Antkowiak for a deeply personal conversation about childhood abuse, trauma, resilience, law enforcement, faith, and the mission to protect vulnerable children. Dr. Williams opens by reflecting on his recent visit to a juvenile detention center, where many young people had experienced abuse, trafficking, foster care, fatherlessness, and serious criminal charges. He uses that experience to introduce the theme of resilience, stressing that children need adults who teach them how to recover, adapt, keep moving forward, learn from failure, and believe that there is always hope.

Learning Resilience the Hard Way

Chief Antkowiak explains that resilience is not simply something people are born with; it must be taught, modeled, and practiced. He says he did not learn healthy resilience as a child, but later encountered it in the military through drill sergeants who taught him that each step forward is a choice. He describes how, as a young person, he dealt with trauma through hiding, shame, drinking, fighting, and suppressing pain. Looking back, he says he was leaving “breadcrumbs” and wanted someone to notice, ask the right questions, and help stop what was happening, but the adults around him did not respond in the way he needed.

Abuse, Silence, and the Need for Protectors

Much of the conversation centers on the silence that surrounds childhood abuse and the urgent need to equip parents, teachers, pastors, coaches, and other adults to recognize warning signs. Chief Antkowiak says most abusers are known to the child, often occupying trusted roles within families, schools, churches, sports, or community circles. He argues that society must shift from merely responding after abuse happens to building protectors on the front end. For him, breaking the silence means removing shame from survivors, asking better questions, teaching children what trusted adults look like, and understanding that the shame belongs to the abuser, not the victim.