Ep. 6. Leia Baez — Addiction, Domestic Violence, Child Custody and Childhood Trauma

If your culture doesn’t allow for showing weakness, if it’s one where you’re taught to be strong, pick your own self up, therapy’s not for us, and just keep going at all costs, sometimes you won’t even recognize when you have a problem. This is Leia’s story — a courageous, independent, strong-minded woman (and let’s not forget FUN!), who lost herself in abusive relationships and addiction.

Still a successful professional but now a defeated mom, after losing custody of her daughter, she unraveled her life journey to reveal its roots in early childhood trauma. Divorced, back sleeping in her childhood bedroom, staring at the plastic stars she’d put on the ceiling as a little girl, the light from those glow-in-the-dark stars reconnected her with the hope each had represented as she upgraded herself to a version she’d never come closer than light years away from imagining.

Takeaways

1. The combination of a series of spiritual events + faith in God + wanting a healthier lifestyle created the fuel to overcome addiction and turn her life around.

2. Her answer to her own question “Am I living my best version of me?” coached her way into transformation.

3. She asked God for signs and followed through on their direction.

4. If you’re drinking or using drugs and can’t stop, it could be a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma. There are better ways to cope and healing is possible.

5. Trauma stays inside of you. It doesn’t go away because the event(s) end.

6. If this former party girl can quit alcohol and drugs, anyone can.

7. I found grace in hard times and grew from my mistakes.

8. Every day is a new opportunity to be better. It’s never too late to change, to be your best self.

9. You have to get sober before the universe gives you the opportunities you seek.

10. Best thing from sobriety is mental clarity — can see and understand things, feel smarter.

11. You can notice your own toxic behavior once sober.

12. Through awareness you can change.

13. Clarity is priceless. My ambition is 10x what it was and doesn’t feel like too much.

14. If you’re stuck, you need to use mindset to believe it’s possible.

15. Share your aspirations with people close to you.

16. Hard times are shaping you for who you need to be.

Bio

Leia Baez is an award-winning journalist, government communications director, author, mindset coach and motivational speaker. While Leia spent most of her career telling other people’s stories as a journalist, it’s her own story of overcoming adversity that went viral online, reaching more than 6.5 million people across the globe. Read more about her at leiabaez.com.

Contact

www.leiabaez.com

IG, FB, LinkedIn

Book - https://leiabaez.com/product/a-star-for-stella/

Julie’s Contact

Julie’s Tough Stories Workshop https://www.courage-ignite.com/Tough_Stories_Workshop_waitlist 

Bold Becoming-Identity Retooled Private Facebook Group (free) https://www.courage-ignite.com/Bold_Becoming_FB - 

[email protected]

https://instagram.com/juliebrownecourageignite

Music - Happy African Village by John Bartmann

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