Episode 17 — Don’t Let What’s Happened to You Define You —with Shahara Crist

The things you feel. The things you have experienced. What seems to overwhelm you and weigh you down. All of that isn’t you. The anxiety, the depression, the trauma. It doesn’t define you.Shahara Crist, founder of STRiV Forward, grew up with a heavy pressure to gain a good education and do well in life. That plan seemed to be right on track when she received a full ride scholarship to college, until she had a traumatic experience in the beginning of her freshman year. From then on, things began to unravel quickly and that trauma stuck with her in the years following. She tried coping with substances, finding friends, transferring colleges, and nothing changed. It wasn’t until she got a job at a residential recovery center when things turned around for Shahara and her passion for young adults sparked. After years of working with clinically complex adolescents and young adults, Shahara started her young adult transition program called STRiV Forward.On this episode of Success is Subjective, Shahara joins Joanna to share her experience as she dealt with intense trauma with the added pressure of college, to eventually find herself at a job that would help her find the healing she longed for, allowing her to give back to others. Shahara is proud to say that the break she took in college to pursue her passion allowed her to not only change the lives of others but also become a business owner without a college degree. Listen in for Shahara’s insight on the importance of not allowing your struggles define you and silence you. What You Will LearnThe big emphasis on education in the familyThe expectation to have a full ride to schoolDealing with a traumatic experience while in collegeThe struggle of not having the necessary life skills needed to live away from homeGetting into the wrong crowd As a parent, the importance of trusting your child, and still verifying gradesShame and hiding the truth of the struggle The process of Shahara telling her parents how things have unraveled in her life Transferring colleges without help Academic Advisors as resourcesThat life isn’t a linear line from A to B Taking a break from college to pursue her passion with her jobCollege can wait!Shahara’s life changing experience in the wildernessBecoming a business owner of a young adult transition programMental Health off-campus Connect with Shahara CristShahara Crist of STRiV Forward Call 385-283-1100Email [email protected] Connect with Joanna Lilley  Lilley ConsultingLilley Consulting on Instagram Lilley Consulting on Facebook Sponsored by: www.ParentTrainers.comEmail [email protected]