We Contain Multitudes

Every one of us is more than one descriptor and so much more than our jobs. I relate to this on so many levels: as a survivor of childhood abuse and trauma, as the daughter of a father who had multiple suicide attempts and died when I was 22, as someone who grew up on the very lowest edge of middle class and ate cereal for dinner, as a former spouse of a partner with severe bi-polar/ADD and was a pathological liar, as the sister of an alchoholic brother now 26 years sober, as a former anorectic, as a Cause-Focused Storyteller who chose to sell her home and possessions to create a volunteer literacy program and had no idea what she was doing but somehow it worked out, to the 51 year old woman I am today who became a traveler collecting, presenting and performing stories worldwide and now sharing Steer Your Story across the US all the way to Alaska to provide workshops for other survivors to steer their internal narratives to be more empowered and better reflect their strength and truth of who they are today Oh yes, we contain multitudes. And when we see each other as complete human beings including our challenges and those traumas that we survived which then informed who we are today, we are so much more! I started sharing my truth publically about what it was like living with and trying to care for a parent with multiple suicide attempts. Then I spoke more on social media and in presentations about my own experience with different brain chemistry (episodic situational depression and anxiety). This vulnerability and sharing my full self resulted in others sharing their journeys too. It opened up amazing conversations with such depth. Since April 2016 I've also gone public about the childhood s*xual trauma and it peeled back another layer for others to share their stories too. And here I am on a journey all the way to Alaska in service to creating space for people to share their stories too. I am grateful. If you want to learn more, please visit: www.steeryourstory.com Hugs from my heart to yours, Kristin

Thank you, Kristin for sharing your inspiring story. Your honesty and sincerity shines through it. Love, Sidney

Thanks so much, Kristin! My path is similar to yours: anorexic (borderline); suicidal, schizophrenic father; depression, in my case it's on-going with periodic severe dips;lowest edge of middle class (althonot *very* lowest.) Maybe our biggest difference is that I'm a male and have had to somehow own up to "manhood" with perpetual silence about my past. I'd love to talk to somebody with a similar past but they are few & far between. I'll definitely check out Steer Your Story. Thanks again!