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What The Experts Have Taught Me: 8 Lessons On Resilience
- Julie Lokun
- Oct 20, 2021
- 6 min read
This roller coaster of life, at points, seems unfair. Especially when we are thrust into a traumatic situation.
I have the privilege of talking with amazing experts every day. This privilege is not taken lightly. In fact, I believe it is my duty to be the ambassador for their platforms as they give of their selves tirelessly to mend broken spirits. My conversations weave in and out of grief, trauma, resilience, toxic families, reactive situations and so much more. I have been educated by the best and today, I share the wisdom imparted to me by these prolific professionals.
I like to give a nod to Mercury being in retrograde. It seems like the past few weeks have been riddled with life-stopping experiences. The weight of this stress has compounded upon my shoulders, so I am putting my pen to paper. Perhaps this is a cathartic indulgence, and more importantly, this may be life-changing for you.
QUESTION:
Are you stressed out? Are you reeling from a trauma? Are you in the middle of a life-altering adjustment? If so, read on. If not, read on because the tools that you learn when life is smooth will be the weapons you have to fight when life gets really rocky.
Lessons From The Masters:
Heidi has taught me a new narrative when talking to someone who is experiencing loss. Loss can look like death, a job loss, a breakup, or even something transitional like a move. Heidi lost her husband, unexpectedly the day before her 40th birthday and is now a warrior in grief awareness. Heidi taught me what matters most is that you are there for your person. Loss is triggering for us, and often we are immobilized and unable to find the right words to comfort those closest to us.
Just being there is often enough.
Julie Riga: Thought Leader and Tedx Speaker: The power of one person can change the trajectory of someone's life. One kind word, one kind gesture can give another human the power to get through their day. We never know the challenges another person faces-and the power of one person who cares has an exponential ripple effect. When she was a teenager, she suffered from Graves disease and felt she was invisible. One person, believed in her and extended a friendship that gave her the courage to be better, do better and stay on course.
Dr. Doonick (aka) Dragon teaches that there is so much untapped potential in taking a pause. How we react distinguishes ourselves from others. The power between the stimulus and the reaction is the moment where we can choose to emotionally respond, or take a pause. This pause gives us the opportunity to look at a situation objectively and respond in accordance. Dragon's wisdom can be heard bi-weekly on his podcast, Rise Up With Dragon. If you want to think a little bit differently about your life- you need to listen.
Tamara is running for US Senate in the state of Georgia. When I asked her how she dealt with naysayers in her life and in her campaign, she clearly stated that she was so strong in her mission that nothing else could distract her from her purpose and mission. She has a firm foundation in her faith and finds resilience in her purpose, she is leading her community towards change and is unwavering in her fight to right the wrongs her ancestors have endured.
Tamara is a testament to grit and perseverance. Tamara taught me that if you see wrong, make it right- no matter what distractors throw your way.
The odds were against this Olympian from day one. She suffered from learning disabilities that predicted a bleak future. She rose to the occasion and eliminated the white noise from her ecosystem.
She was told she was not good enough, fast enough, or talented enough. Every time she was knocked down-she got up again. This was solidified when she suffered a compound fracture on her ankle and was told she would never skate again.
Kelly's sheer determination and hard work led her to the 2014 Sochi Olympics where she represented the United States.
Reinvention is her middle name. And setbacks have made Kelly "The Comeback Kid"
Somatic healing, also known as somatic experiencing and somatic experiencing therapy, somatic therapy incorporates the mind, body, and spirit into therapeutic healing work. Somatic therapy aims to treat the effects of PTSD and other mental and emotional health issues through the connection of mind and body and uses a body-centric approach.
Dr. Nima Rahmany is leading the revolution on how to live a trigger-proof life. His gobsmacking approach to getting to the root cause of trauma changed the way I look and lead my life. His intuitive approach to understanding how our childhood experiences directly affect how we operate as adults are life-changing. When we understand the experience we had, validate its power and then recognize it and how it affects our current life-we are able to make impactful shifts in our relationships.
I had the opportunity to have a conversation with her just months after her 16-year old son, Sammy, passed away.
Dr. Laura is living proof that in moments of deep pain it is possible to experience flickers of joy. Her testimony and her years of research were met with a collision of unimaginable darkness that defies this world's natural order of existence. On February 7th, Dr. Laura walked into her sixteen-year-old son's bedroom to have a chat with him and found him lying on the floor aspirating. Despite a valiant effort from medical responders, he remained listless and unresponsive. That moment was the demarcation of a new way of existing. On that heartbreaking day, Dr. Laura began a life that was void of the earthly connection to the child who infused laughter and joy into her life.
Dr. Laura immediately accessed her default mode. By nature, she is a helper, and through her blinding pain, she knew she had to reach out to help others. She understood that her celebrity status could help spare other mothers the pain of losing a child. Dr. Laura taught me that even in our darkest moments, there are flickers of light.
“What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.”-Rumi
Have you ever been thrown a curveball? In particular from your family? If so, listen closely. Dr. Sherrie Campbell is talking about things no one wants to talk about: toxic families.
The truth is, Dr. Sherrie is an intellect, who empowers her clients and readers with the tools to break free from relationships that are like poison to your soul. Dr. Sherrie is an author, nationally recognized thought leader, and a regularly featured expert in TV and radio. Her accolades include her tenure as a blogger for the Huffington Post, weekly contributor for Entrepreneur, and Licensed Psychologist with over two decades of clinical training and experience. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2003, where and specializes in psychotherapy with adults and teenagers. If that is not enough, she prides herself on being a connected mother to her teenage daughter. What is more powerful, is that Dr. Sherrie brings to the table a personal account of how she was subject to years of manipulative abuse.
Dr. Sherrie gives permission to disengage from family members who keep you in a cycle of abuse. Dr. Sherrie teaches that it is every single human's birthright to live an empowered life.
Mic Drop
I recognize that I am beyond blessed to have had powerful conversations with these experts. Every day I remind myself that it takes a community of healers to uplift our collective souls. Do the work, reach out for help.
If you want to hear our conversations with any of these experts, listen to them wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts-or click here:
And remember,
YOU GOT THIS, -Jules
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