Sep 29, 2021
Shelly uncovers what it was like to be bullied at school, residing in a small town where there are ‘small town unspoken rules’ to abide by, dating all the way back during her pre-teen and teen years, and the emphasis on one particular year that took a toll on her overall mental well-being. It is from this experience that she believes self-worth has been her core life-long issue in her journey and therefore, she must implement consistent strategies and tools to combat that unwanted voice from showing up. She spoke about her love for life, her extroverted personality and strong voice and the inner feeling of being able to do anything she wanted, quickly came to a halt when the bullying she faced exacerbated. Shelly shares how it felt to go from an extrovert to an introvert, how she felt so “little”, and would proceed with caution as she felt the need to tip-toe around her peers. She mentioned not having any support, no one really checking in on her or opening safe dialogue for her to converse, she just went silent. During the toughest part, she held back from things she liked doing, she didn’t feel worthy or good enough, there was a great deal of pressure that she placed on herself, there was a need to be amazing at any task she was assigned. She talks about self-awareness that she cultivated, she matured faster, was able to tap into inner resources, and has allowed herself to connect to community. Her key message to the listeners is that: tap into those fears, unlearn behaviours that hold you back, your voice and story matter, when you feel down and low, reach out to people and help them understand what you are going through -- even when you don’t feel like it, don’t let your past define you, and whatever you are sensing and feeling no matter how awful it is, you have the power to beat it down.