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Gillian Stevens confesses she's been a helper her entire life and has written about what she knows; the cost to self when you help and why we need to flip that paradigm of self sacrifice and put ourselves first! She believes as human beings, we're all helpers and that we need to prioritize our well being for our health and to help those we serve. As a teacher she took a leave of absence from her job, burned out, depressed and emotionally exhausted, as a single mom working full time, while embroiled in lengthy adversarial divorce proceedings. She learned firsthand the need prioritize her wellbeing. She had to be there for herself first, to help her children and in her other life and professional responsibilities.
Gillian returned to teaching and spent the last 15 years of her career as a guidance counsellor/ student success teacher supporting students at risk of not graduating. To meet those students' needs, and unable to find the professional development within the education system, she pursued learning from the experts in the areas of grief, addiction, trauma and mental health. This experience was beneficial in supporting those students and also the teachers, administrators, parents, social workers and community organizations that worked with these students and families. Her expertise and success in this unique role was acknowledged and recognized as an Everyday Hero by her school Board.
Gillian has always been interested in wellness and prior to teaching she was a competitive swimmer and coach, a fitness instructor and Lamaze birth coach who focused on supporting the needs of expectant parents. Her formal education includes degrees in Kinesiology and Education however she credits her most significant personal growth to her relationships with her three children. She raised them to adulthood while managing codependency related to addiction, single parenthood, and the financial stress while embroiled in the legal system.
While extremely grateful for those challenging life experiences and the resulting personal growth she experienced first hand the cost of helping; compassion fatigue, ill health, feeling defeated, overwhelmed and stuck and now passionately shares her messages of hope and inspiration emphasizing the necessity to put ourselves first!
Her message of encouragement is that we possess an inner power, courage and strength, and we can rely on these during times of struggle. We're not, however, meant to do it alone. Together, we can do more than survive, we can flourish! When we put ourselves first we heal our lives and positively impact those around us and that will change our world.
Gillian enjoys an active lifestyle and being with family and friends. She lives in Barrie, Ontario, Canada and loves to connect with her grown children who live in Ontario and on the west coast. She spends time writing and speaking from her experience, passionate about helping the helpers and always prioritizes her well being!
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