How To Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin - Episode #50 W/ Christine Errico

Christine Errico was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Throughout her life, she has had more than 20 surgeries, beginning when she was 2 months old and ending in her late twenties. Her appearance caused her to be bullied constantly at school and she was told that she would never amount to anything because of the stigma attached to having a facial difference. As an adult, Christine faced numerous challenges including an abusive marriage, borderline personality disorder and other mental health issues. She has had to overcome many challenges in life, including lack of self worth, self esteem issues, self acceptance, feeling unworthy of love, and loneliness. As part of her journey, Christine developed resilience, learned to overcome adversity, and accept herself and her appearance to become who she is now. Christine's accomplishments include earning a PhD in business administration and accounting and a successful career as a college professor for more than 12 years. She owns multiple businesses and advocates for the cleft lip and palate community. Christine is a certified confidence and transformation coach and works with adults who have a cleft lip and palate and other facial anomalies to help them improve their self-acceptance and self-esteem. As part of her commitment to strengthening the cleft community, Christine traveled to Africa and Columbia to meet with children who have a cleft lip and palate and to gain a deeper understanding of the work Smile Train performs in those locations. Christine shared her experiences growing up with a cleft lip and palate and her cleft lip and palate advocacy work in her TEDx Talk. Connect W/ Christine on IG: https://instagram.com/christine_errico