From Survivor to Thriver

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Ben, a project manager for non-profit The Phoenix, began drinking and experimenting with drugs in high school. As he puts it, “very simply, I hated myself for my whole life and never really fit in anywhere; it didn’t hurt to be Ben when I was drunk and high.” After becoming a gaunt shell of a human being who didn’t feel anything, he finally faced consequences for his actions, proactively sought treatment for the third time in 2010 and has been sober since. Constant throughout his sobriety, he has enjoyed mountain biking, dirt biking, skiing and CrossFit with the dual purpose of both building self-esteem while fostering community through sober activities. For free, sober in-person and virtual programming, visit thephoenix.org, a non-profit organization that provides a sober active community to those struggling with substance use disorder. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Sarah, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and mental health therapist, opens up about her own trauma and grief, which was tied to her dad having taken his life when she was 10 months old. In her late 20’s, she realized that it was time to do the work to address her depressive tendencies and recognized that “it’s so important, as a therapist, to have a therapist.” Today, Sarah walks the walk in her own life by practicing fierce self-compassion, doing her own therapy and cultivating balance. By opening her own private practice, Rebel Mountain Therapy, she now eagerly takes the journey of healing with each of her clients while sharing the important message that it’s never too early or too late to seek help. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Mark, a multiple business owner, coach, speaker, author of Life Remixed, and international house music DJ and record producer, gets candid about his life before, during and after the DJ booth. It all came crashing down when, at age 33, his leg gave way and he couldn’t get up off the floor. This was the start of a hellish experience as his body froze up over the next 18 months resulting in him being unable to walk. In constant agony and living on painkillers, he was “in a self-imposed prison of negativity, pain, sickness and, on occasion, seriously thought about ending it all.” Today he has learned to live “at ease” by having the courage to remove the mask and changing his beliefs, behaviors, attitude and programming to become the man, son and husband he is now happy to be.Contact Us: Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Tom, a writer, blogger, qualified journalist and former international horse rider who once represented Great Britain in the sport of Three-Day Eventing, shares details about his twenty-year battle with crippling depression and severe bipolar disorder. His self-described “psychiatric safari” disrupted his life immeasurably, attacked him both physically and mentally and, ultimately, took every ounce of perseverance and determination to survive. Today, he’s in full remission thanks to a novel treatment and bibliotherapy and he’s once again riding horses. Tom is also acting as an empathetic ear through peer support and writing and blogging daily about his journey on his website dyingtostayalive.com.Contact Us: Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Lois, a South African businesswoman, mentor, TEDx speaker, coach and author of Walking without Skin – A Journey of Healing, shares her harrowing story of being raped and left for dead while working late one summer evening. Her anger quickly led her to activism, which resulted in some key changes to the law, but didn’t allow her to fully process the trauma or begin the healing phase often associated with being a survivor. Throughout her 14-year journey, she recognized that she was carrying her unresolved trauma on her back and that the journey to healing is, in fact, non-linear. Today, the forgiveness of both herself and others is directly responsible for her becoming personally empowered and has provided her with the strength to support others in their search for peace and emotional freedom from trauma.Contact Us:Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Yolanda, a certified psychotherapist, life coach, author, speaker and teacher discusses how, in 1995 at the age of 15, her life was turned upside down when the Soufrière Hills volcano erupted on her home island of Montserrat, rendering it nearly uninhabitable. Two years later, with just two suitcases and the clothes on her back, she arrived with her family in the UK where she would spend the next decade as a self-described “ball of anxiety” who lacked the emotional support with which to share her deep childhood trauma. Her personal healing journey began when she had the courage to re-visit her pre-volcanic years and has since expanded into helping others to navigate their pain and trauma so that they, too, can live purposeful and abundant lives.Contact Us: Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Sarah is a very specialized hypnotherapist, whose focus is helping people rapidly overcome mental health issues resulting from unresolved trauma residing in their sub-conscious. She shares her own personal journey to recover from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), anxiety and depression and the resulting physical pain. Her turning point came nearly 11 years ago when, after almost committing suicide while trapped inside a marriage to a covert narcissist, she recognized that she needed to heal and change her life. Eventually, through her training as a hypnotherapist, she saw the bigger picture and how the puzzle pieces fit together, and was able to heal both her physical and emotional pain.Contact Us: Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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The 28-year-old behavioral health technician, peer support specialist and recently published author recounts how, as a 17-year-old high school student, she first realized she needed to seek help for severe depression. She was subsequently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in her mid-20’s and credits her mom for being her #1 support system and confidant throughout this early and difficult journey. Today, through the empowering act of writing poetry, embracing her need for human connection and working with others to shatter mental health stigmas, she fully embraces the idea that “life is a rollercoaster that goes both backward and forward.”Contact Us: Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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After moving to Canada from her home in England at the age of 24, the wife, mother of three and self-described former “mean bartender” knew that she wasn’t “ok” and didn’t believe she had a purpose. A long-time art student who suffered with agoraphobia, she turned her focus to art therapy, most specifically through the creation of SkandleS (skandles-emporium.com), in what she now recognizes was an act of self-love. Today, the company that was originally founded with a 50-cent thrift shop candle mold has become a thriving business online and at festivals and markets across the country. It has also given her a voice to speak out about her own mental health journey. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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From his first sip of beer at the age of 9 to being homeless for 14 months on the streets of Manchester, England after losing everything, most of all his family, Dr. Robb tells it like it is. Today, as a world-renowned addiction expert and recovered alcoholic, Dr. Robb is living his dream instead of dreaming of living all while working to “make the road of recovery less of a mystery tour.” Along the way, he reminds us that alcoholism is not about the alcohol, but rather it’s about how you see yourself and, most importantly, “you can become anything you want if you can visualize it.” Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver