Lindsey’s Story…

Living with the stigma of not having her dad around when she was growing up was just the start of the restricting labels that had been put onto Lindsey. She struggled to fit in or have a sense of belonging, and she drifted into dead end jobs and dysfunctional relationships. Her academic studies have been her saving, and she now advocates for improving our self-concept, and find our own identity by examining the labels that we have allowed to define us in the past.

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Laura’s Story…

Coming from a middle-class family, going to good schools and having her own horses looked to the world as though Laura’s life was perfect. What wasn’t seen was the physical and emotional abuse that she and her mother endured. Laura had to find her escape by leaving home as a 16-year-old with nowhere to go. A series of events including going to university and cutting contact with her parents, has now resulted in her having a much better life with her husband and three children. She says sometimes we have to walk away and not look back.

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Shelley’s Story…

Her husband’s terrible and disfiguring accident turned life around for Shelley and her family. She’d already had her share of adversity and perhaps that has helped her to remain courageous, resourceful, and to face life with humour and optimism. She learnt how to turn things around and now even shares her menopausal symptoms with her husband – who is receiving female hormones as a part of his recovery from prostate cancer.

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Gill’s Story…

Gill had to endure sexual abuse from her father for years and wasn’t protected from him by her mother, other family members or outside authorities. Sexual abuse decades ago was a taboo subject and she suffered in silence. Her deeply dysfunctional family was well-regarded in society and there was no help or rescue for her. These experiences affected her relationships – particularly the sexual and intimate aspects – as well as her body-image, self-esteem, and who she trusted (at her considerable financial cost). Her process of healing is ongoing.

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Brenda’s Story…

A childhood of parental mental illness and domestic violence – and the extra emotional abuse from a later step-father – meant that Brenda was emotionally on her own from a very early age. She had to become responsible for adults in a way that no child should have to, and she later became a teenaged mum. Healing her own emotional wounds has helped not only her own children, but also her mother who can now see the cycle of abusive relationships come to an end. In spite of her many challenges Brenda kept up with her education and can now help others to be proud of themselves – despite their past.

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Susan’s Story…

Having a happy background didn’t prepare Susan for the trauma of marriage to an alcoholic man. When things became so bad after 27 years of trying to cope she filed for divorce – which made her husband’s drinking worse and resulted in him dying in front of her and the children. She had to deal with the death of her marriage and the death of her husband – the father of her two children. She is honest about her mixed feelings which include those of relief and freedom from the emotional pain – and the need for herself and her children to survive and thrive

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Barbara’s Story…

Barbara’s teenaged mixed-race marriage and pregnancy set in motion a massive change in her outlook, and mental and physical health problems. Battling Post-Natal Depression and undiagnosed Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder years ago was enough for Barbara to consider suicide as she was left alone with the heavy responsibility of child-care whilst medicated. It took a breakdown and psychotherapy to help her to make sense of what her life had become and how she could improve it. She has now healed her relationship with her family and offers words of encouragement to others.

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Yasmeen’s Story…

This is a very unusual story of having the courage to walk away from a restrictive religion and culture, and having to re-build a life from scratch. The pressure and threats to conform and return to her marriage were great. Yasmeen even became estranged from her children for a time, but her need to become the type of woman she had dreamt about becoming was too strong for her to give in to this cultural bullying, despite years of hardship. A story of never giving up on your dreams.

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Vanessa’s Story…

School experiences had left Vanessa with little sense of her own self-worth – which was reflected in the relationships and sexual assaults she encountered. She then became a dutiful wife and mother, but was seriously put to the test by her husband’s drug and alcohol addiction and aggressive behaviour – to the point that she even contemplated killing him to set herself free. She has since learned how to not only stand up for herself with gratitude, but to encourage other women to gain hope and take charge of their lives… to move beyond the roles and expectations and to become ‘sensibly selfish’.

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Irene’s Story…

After a shock diagnosis of bowel cancer Irene found herself quickly admitted to hospital, and after surgery being in intensive care for two weeks. She found out that she had been given only a 40% chance of survival and yet her own grit and determination got her through – and instigated a move to a better hospital that enhanced her chances of recovery. She offers wise words for anyone battling with acute ill-health and how to thrive and become the best you can be.

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