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Gillian teaches, guides and supports others in transforming their lives believing as we change, we impact those we live and work with, and that will transform our world.
Well-being has been Gillian's priority since her teenage years. She was a nationally ranked competitive swimmer and swimming coach. She holds degrees in Kinesiology and Education and has always pursued courses related to wellness and health. She became a fitness instructor and trainer, worked in a hospital ECG department and completed her Lamaze childbirth education qualifications. As a secondary school teacher she taught physical education and a variety of other courses. The last fifteen years of her teaching career she held a position in Guidance where she empowered at-risk youth to overcome barriers to success. To meet the complex needs of those students and in support of their teachers, she completed training related to compassion fatigue, trauma, suicide, addiction and codependency, grief and bereavement. Gillian credits her most significant personal growth to her relationships with her three children.
"Deep inside the darkest moments of our lives lies a golden core of spiritual powers, which can wake us up and tranform our identity and our lives."
– Steve Taylor
THE CATALYST
As a helper concerned for others, including animals, it hasn't been without cost to her health and joy. Due to an intensely emotional separation she was burned out and on a short term leave from her teaching job, she realized her personal health had to be a priority. She had to help herself before she could help others. Her lived experiences during that time included managing codependency, single parenthood, work-life balance and financial stress while embroiled in a legal system that had little understanding of the relationship between mental health, trauma and addiction. As a result of her experiences she believes helpers need to prioritize their wellbeing AND also need the relevant education and strategies to meet job demands based on a changing societal landscape.
THE WHY
Helpers have greater resiliency when they are healthier and have the relevant, up to date resources to appropriately and compassionately meet others' needs. Gillian's passion to make a difference and help others by sharing her experiences became the impetus for her first book: Explore, Transform, Explore: Support and Hope for Those Who Help Others. That book and her subsequent books encourage us to prioritize our well-being and she hopes it will become accepted practice to value ourselves, our wants and needs as much as we value those we help.
THE HOW
Within her writing and speaking platforms, Gillian thoughtfully and compassionately melds her stories with the wisdom of other writers that inspire and support. Her books are practical and contain information, strategies and resources that help the helper. In her speaking and coaching practice she supports individuals experiencing life's challenges encouraging them to shift their perspective from victim to victor and empowers them to live life authentically. Her message is we possess an inner power, courage and strength that we can rely on in times of struggle and through adversity our gifts are revealed. It's necessary to shift the paradigm from others to self first and ironically that focus will make a difference in the world by transforming our lives.
"The opportunity of our times is for each of us to understand at a very personal level that we can have a profound impact on the world in which we live. The greatest possibilities for global transformation exist in the fabric of our individual lives."
– Lenedra J Carroll
Steve Maraboli
Copyright © 2022 Gillian Stevens - All Rights Reserved.
Images of Gillian Stevens taken by Live Pixels Photography