Her Story
About Crystal
My journey into mental health and wellness began when counseling literally saved my life. After retiring from the Army, I found myself in a deep depression, struggling with PTSD and anxiety. I was wearing Walmart PJs everywhere and was not the person I am now. I wanted to be better, to come out of that dark place, so I went to counseling, and it made all the difference in my life. Through my own counseling experience, I learned that things were not my fault, that I shouldn't own them or let them hold me back from being who God has assigned me to be. I really had to get out of my own way and realize that I am the master of my faith. I had to own who I am and who I'm becoming, and do that unapologetically. As a disabled veteran, I still take medication for illnesses that require it, but I don't let that define me or stop me from being who I can be to help others. Now, my passion is to help others live authentically, deliberately, and deliciously well. I want to add to people's lives and really help them live better. I'm so excited about the possibilities of working with people who are open to learning about how to live better, and just inspiring others to want to be better. Even if my presence just encourages someone to think, 'Hey, maybe I need to find out what she's on to be so happy, and get my life together, and get to therapy,' then I've made a difference.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Crystal
01What do you attribute your success to?
God has been and continues to carry me my whole life. Without him, I would be completely lost. God has carried me through everything and continues to carry me forward.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Love yourself first, so that way you can help others love themselves. You can't operate from an empty vessel, so if you're not loving yourself the right way, how are you going to help somebody love themselves? Or how are you going to love somebody else if you don't love yourself? It all starts with you.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The opportunities in my field are to help others live authentically, deliberately, and deliciously well. I really want to add to people's lives and help them live better. I am so excited about the possibilities of working with people who are open to learning about how to live better, and just inspiring others to want to be better. Even just my presence, if my presence encourages someone to think, 'Hey, maybe I need to find out what she's on to be so happy, and get my life together, and get to therapy,' then go for it. I just want to be an inspiration to help people be a little better. As for challenges, my own growth has been the biggest challenge I've faced in my career. I had to go to counseling myself to understand why and how I think, and how I process things, and how to make sense of things that happen to me in my life without becoming a victim of those things. Counseling helped me to understand that things were not my fault, that I shouldn't own them, I shouldn't let them hold me back from being who God has assigned me to be. I really had to get out of my own way and realize that I am the master of my faith, and I had to own who I am and who I'm becoming, and do that unapologetically.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Loyalty, honesty, respect, and openness to learning and being better are the values most important to me in both my work and personal life.
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