Malissa’s story of post traumatic growth is jaw dropping and completely inspiring.
She says, “For the first time in my life I am not just surviving, I am thriving. But the only way I got to this point is consistently showing up and going through it.”
Malissa goes deep with details about her experiences…
- Being raised by teen parents
- Being targeted and beat at a race riot
- Becoming a teen mom herself at 15 years old (the very first time she had sex!)
- Being shunned from the family church
- Complications of delivering her first son
- Body image issues enhanced by remarks of her son’s father.
- Brest implant and explant fiascos.
- Rejecting God and religion.
- Struggling with infertility and multiple losses (but woah did God show up in miraculous ways!)
- And finally, loosing her will to live when multiple health conditions collided into the perfect storm.
Now she has learned how to let go of the anger and find peace–finally understanding how the hard parts have worked together for good in her life.
But it wasn’t something that just happened
She went looking for it. She chose to grow and not be the victim.
It was that tecinity and growth mindset that opened her eyes to amazing insights about her past, which helped her become the best version of herself today. She turned every bad beginning into a good ending – from self worth, to motherhood, to faith, to her career, to what’s next!
Looking back it all, she believes it all had to happen they way it did for her to live her best life now. She has seen how God put the right people or messages in her path to help her move forward when she needed it most.
A woman on a mission
Malissa has gone as far as to define her “why” to keep moving forward and through the hard parts of life which is, “to walk so boldly in the image in which God has created me so that other women see and know they can do it too.”
“If we can all step into our stories and live as who we are created to be, pushing all fear aside, what kind of word that would be!”
Life Practice Q&A With Malissa
Q:
What would you tell someone who is struggling right now with their circumstance or identity?
A:
1. Know the difference between real versus feel. Peel back the layers until you get to the truth.
2. Therapy doesn’t make you weak, it strengthens you to talk it out and learn the tools.
3. Find friends who will speak hard truths to you… and lovingly be that friend to others.
4. Ask for alllll the prayers when you need it. The power of prayer is real and you can feel it.
5. Create a “gratitude folder” on your phone (This is golden – you have to listen to her explanation at the end of the recording to understand how this tactical method can bring you out of the hard moments fast.)
You can follow Malissa on instagram at @malissahamidy and check out her blog, Total Mayham.