Transfer collision forces from attached component to root

Hello!
I’m making a flying game with physics-based movement.
I have a root component that’s a simple physics object (invisible cube, no collision) that I’m using to drive the movement of my pawn, and a skeletal mesh attached to it for the visuals/animation (including some rotation/offsets from the root based on movement inputs).

I’m trying to understand how to transfer collision forces from the mesh to the root. Currently collisions are being detected in my mesh’s physics asset (e.g., bones with simulated physics bend and react on collision). However, there is no force transfer back to the root. So, although the bones deform to avoid blocked objects, the player can clip through them no problem.

I’ve tried doing this manually (detect hit → apply impulse to the root) but it behaves super wonky, I figure there must be a way to have normal physics interactions apply.
Appreciate any thoughts!
-Toby