In this episode of “Surviving to Thriving: Overcoming My Darkest Moment,” I talk with author, mentor and certified life coach Andrea Owen. Andrea grew up in a family where the only accepted emotion was happiness. Negative emotions were a sign of weakness, so she often believed her feelings were wrong. This led her to a tumultuous relationship with very high highs and very low lows. She didn’t listen to her intuition that told her to break things off, so instead she married a man who defined her self-worth. Planning for a family together came to a devastating halt when her husband got a neighbor pregnant and asked Andrea for a divorce.

Listen as Andrea shares the truth about using blame as her coping mechanism, and how she was able to turn that around to take responsibility for her life. The skills she developed helped her through another traumatic experience: the loss of her dad. Today, as a life coach, wife and mother, she helps high-achieving women let go of perfectionism, control and isolation to choose courage and confidence instead. Find out more about Andrea and her work at http://yourkickasslife.com.