Perfectionism Pitch it to the Pile
I am a survivor, and at a very early age realized I wanted to be able to impact others with what I didn’t fully understand were my gifts at the time.
Today I am privileged to speak with you as someone who has healed herself and been able to do that for others who have been through some of the same fires. You see some of my choices caused great damage to heart, body and soul. For many years others were affected due to the damage being on the reciprocal end of my being not whole.
And what caused the most damage to my spirit were choices I made in partners. Now that I have done so much work on myself after four failed marriages I understand that I was, me alone, responsible for fixing or healing myself.
Because of some situations early in life I believe I really felt unworthy of anything or anyone good in my life. Then choosing dependant co-dependant relationships I lived very unhealthy marriages. Domestic violence is a control issue and when I did not behave as my partner desired the abuse started. As a survivor of intimate partner domestic violence I realized quickly after a violent attack with the intent to kill me that talking about it was going to be a big part of the healing therapy as I went to counseling.
In working through this trauma with a counselor I soon realized that the best therapy is sharing with other people, being transparent, talking about my past. And it was amazing how many women God placed in my life who shared with me they felt totally alone and no one else could possibly be going through the same experience. Because when you are in it you feel like, well, sort of like somebody on a desert island with no one else around except for the abuser.
Now I knew I had to help others who were suffering and in 2012 my opportunity presented itself. I had owned a business but when I moved I decided to morph it into something that could really focus on loving on women, so I became a Personal Stylist which led me to producing fashion shows. And because I have a servant’s heart I placed my focus on Non-Profits. One of those turned out to be with Women’s Healing and Empowerment Network. In 2014 I was invited to produce a fashion show inside an event. But it couldn’t be just any show it had to speak to the cause and be a powerful statement of healing, coming thru the fire of domestic abuse.
So I lay out the plan and in sharing with my personal shopping clients, I found many had suffered at the hand of an abuser. I was shocked!! These were strong, confident women. I started putting together my show with a group of willing models who would share their stories from the stage about what it was like to live with an abusive intimate partner and how they got the strength to leave, start the healing process.
Presentation by Cheryl Smith on How To Heal Domestic Abuse
ABOUT CHERYL
Cheryl M. Smith
Owner of Positive Presentations since February of 2012, an Image Consulting Business, and Talent/ Fashion Production Company.
As a Personal Stylist Image Consultant I focus on empowering women through helping them create signature styles that make them feel beautiful and powerful in their own skin. As a Producer I have incepted and brought to final production over 50 fashion shows to date.
Fashion Mediums: Featured in a six page spread in Prime Magazine for the Aug-Sept 2013 issue, I both styled as well as produced the article for "Looking Great at Any Age."
Featured in the Spokesman Review in the front page article, “The Thrill of Thrift,” Jan. 2014 speaking to who thrift shopping is now commonplace.
Featured in Spokesman Review in the article “Fashionably Frugal,”April 2014. A story on being part of the Goodwill Industries of the Inland NW fashion shows as a personal Stylist.
Featured in articles in Spokane CDA Woman, “Be Present in Your Own Presence,” 2014 and “A Journey out of Darkness, “2015.
Helped launch Contessa’s Court a High Fashion ezine online, published an article, “Hollywood’s Fashion Icons,” 2014. Currently featured in monthly column “What’s Haute,” and contributes monthly articles to same.
Follow me at : https://www.facebook.com/positivepresentations
