I never thought I’d be the one to have a blog that didn’t pertain to movies, tv shows and a woman named Bellamy Young. But here I am. There’s a special reason for this blog and it isn’t to just share my everyday activities with the world.

Bullying played a role in my life as a kid/teen and it was a painful one. It was one I never liked to speak about because it was too much. Talking about my pain meant confronting my pain, and I just wasn’t ready.

Finally I put those words on paper in 2014 and I remember being scared, nervous and emotionally overwhelmed before I finally clicked the ‘post’ button. Now my story was no longer just embedded in my soul but was now on the tumblr-verse for all to read. Writing those words gave me permission to finally just feel the pain – and the support and love I received helped nurse that pain.

After that, I promised myself I would do more. I wanted to do something beyond Tumblr or a post on the Bully Project website. I wanted to actually speak to a campaign that would get my story to those who needed to read it the most. This all took time as sharing a painful part of your past is very personal. Again, I felt scared and nervous putting my story out there again…and this time to a possibly bigger audience. So, I kept putting it off.

It was towards the end of 2014. I was in my room getting ready for work. As always, Good Morning America played in the background as I chose what outfit I would wear, or how I’d style my hair. I kept hearing about a sneak peek to the first Cinderella trailer. Now, I grew up on Disney…but Cinderella was never a favorite. It wasn’t until I found out that Cate Blanchett was in it that I decided to see it. Finally, Lara Spencer (I believe it was her, I can’t remember) introduced the sneak peek. I wasn’t watching the TV but I heard the sneak peek begin. Within seconds, I could hear Ella’s mom say, “Ella, my darling. I want to tell you a secret, a great secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer. You must always remember this: Have courage and be kind. “ And it was as if my world briefly stopped in that moment and I had to catch my breath. It was the message I needed to hear. Have courage. I knew in that moment that I had to share my story. I needed to join others and share my voice. After more time, I finally took that extra step…

In summer of 2015 I wrote to Bullies Keep Out and they shared my story on their website. You can read it here. I then participated in an interview where I went into more detail about my experience.

This all inspired me to continue doing more. In 2016, my ultimate goal is to walk onto a stage, step behind a podium and microphone and share my story with elementary, middle and high school students in North Carolina. I’m hoping, with this blog, this allows schools to ‘get to know me’, read about my story and invite me to speak at their school. It’ll take time and attempts at contacting the right people, but I’m determined. Just as Robin Roberts once said, “make your mess your message” and I plan to do just that.