finding my passion

I’ve lived a pretty unconventional life.

I was raised by a single mother, my father left before I was born and we haven’t heard from him since. I have 3 siblings. I went to public schools and my mum did her absolute best, it’s actually quite impressive to look back on because I don’t know if I could do it.

I had my first boyfriend at age 14. The relationship was extremely toxic, but he was my first ‘love’, so I put up with a lot of things that I would never put up with now. He was abusive, manipulative and quite simply, horrible.

My mum and I didn’t get along when I was a teenager. We really struggled to live together and I acted out a lot. This resulted in me living alone at 15 years old. I worked full-time hours at McDonald's and finished high school though!

From ages 18-23, I worked a high-paying job that drained me mentally, physically and emotionally. I didn’t enjoy the job, I worked crazy hours and truly hated going each day.

When I was 21, there were quite severe storms in my town and the roof quite literally flew off of my home. I lost almost everything I owned.

I was in a life-changing car accident when I was 23 years old. I physically walked away from the accident but I was left with a back injury which could potentially cause chronic pain for the rest of my life.

In between all of these events, I had the usual struggles – problems with boyfriends, a lot of bullying through high school and dramas with friends. All of this contributed to my mental health issues which also led to a lot of self-harm. At the age of 14, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. This seemed to ‘worsen’ as I got older and went through more of these events.

Quite honestly, I was in a dark, dark place and didn’t want to ever come out of it. It obviously took me a long time to turn things around, but one day, I’d just had enough. I was tired of living this sad, dark life and that’s when I changed things. That’s when things got better.

All of these events and experiences have led me to be where I am right now. As cliché as it is, I wouldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for these things happening.

If I hadn’t spent 3 months on bed rest after the car accident, I would have never started my counselling qualification or thought of my first business.

If I hadn’t had that horrible relationship, I wouldn’t have the strong and healthy relationship I have now and definitely wouldn’t appreciate my partner every single day.

If I hadn’t lived alone for such a long time, I wouldn’t have matured and grown up as quickly as I did (which I see as a huge positive!!).

If I hadn’t worked that draining job, I wouldn’t have known that I wanted to work for myself and create my own income sources.

If I hadn’t suffered so badly, I would have never known people felt like that and in return, I would have never realised how much I wanted to help people live happier lives. I would have never known how important self-love, purpose and personal growth is.

Finding my passion wasn’t a quick step by step guide. It took years of what felt like torture but I can see why all of these things happened now and it’s so that I could help you.

I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come and I’m incredibly excited about how far I plan to go in the future.

With love & support,

Shorina | Mindful Soul Collective

Holistic Counsellor, Wellbeing Coach & Business Mentor

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