We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brianna Terry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brianna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I’ve undergone a whole lot of surgeries, which have left a whole lot of scars. For most of my life, I was ashamed of them, doing everything in my power to keep them covered.

One summer, while visiting my best friend in Louisiana, she helped me find the cutest romper. While I liked this new summer staple, I was concerned because it was a bit short. I voiced my apprehension about the length of the romper, to which my best friend, who happens to be a black woman with albinism, responded, “So what if you have scars! I have white skin and I show it off every day!” To know my best friend is to know that she will combine wisdom with humor…EVERY TIME, lol. But I can’t do anything else but love her!

She encouraged me to let go of the shame I felt about having so many reminders of the surgeries I’d had and to begin embracing the fact that I’d survived all that I’d been through.

My perspective shifted after that conversation. No longer were my scars viewed as embarrassing, but as scars from battles I’d overcome. I then started to reflect on the fact that many of us have been scarred from life’s challenges, but because there is still breath in our bodies, we are reminded of how we weren’t defeated by the trials but claimed victory.

When considering the vision and mission of my organization, I wanted a name that reflected the stories of all the people I would serve. I wanted the name to reflect the fact that everyone has gone through something, and if they hadn’t yet overcome it, that victory was on the horizon. For that reason, I chose the name “Scarred Not Broken”, because we may be scarred but we are certainly not broken!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Brianna Terry and I reside in Baytown, Texas. I was born blind, and at age two, diagnosed with Osteopetrosis, a very rare bone disorder in which the bones do not produce enough marrow, causing them to be extremely hard and fragile. The doctors told my parents I would not live past the age of ten, and if I did, my quality of life would be poor. I would not be able to stand or walk and would be heavily reliant upon those around me. Now, I’m 30 years old and still standing, even after having broken almost every bone in my body, some more than once.

Growing up I lived a normal life, with the exception of the many fractures I experienced. Just like any other kid in elementary school, I had many friends and participated in numerous school activities. My middle school involvement was no different; however, when I entered high school, everything changed. I’ve always enjoyed school and looked forward to my high school days in particular- making new friends, sporting events, high school dances- but those four years failed to meet my expectations.

I attended a school with a population exceeding four thousand students. I hardly knew anyone, and the few people I was fortunate to befriend, I barely saw. Most of my teachers had no idea how to work with a blind student and were not always willing to learn. To put the icing on the cake, I was diagnosed with a chronic infection called Osteomyelidous freshman year. Because of the infection, along with a few broken bones, I was hospitalized several times throughout high school, a total of four times one of those years. It seemed like every time I started to get better and enjoy my time as a teen, I ended up in the hospital.

While fighting to stabilize my health, I dealt with feelings of loneliness and the lack of acceptance among others. I spent many days wondering why no one would talk to me, invite me to hang out, or if I had done something that prevented more of my peers from including me in their circles. I often alluded this exclusion to my blindness and the fact that I primarily used a wheelchair at school. Instead of getting to know me for who I truly was, I believed people judged me based on my outer appearance. Sometimes I even thought about quitting school, but quitting was never really an option. Despite my feelings, my family has always encouraged me to achieve every goal I set, so I did not relent. In fact, when I was in the tenth grade, I decided I would aim to graduate in the top ten percent of my class. I knew being in such a position would allow me to attend any college I wanted; and at the time, my goal was to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Because of my many hospital stays, I graduated in the top twelve percent, which is still a win in my book!

As a result of my health challenges, I couldn’t go off to college as planned, so I decided to start Scarred Not Broken to help people thrive in life. I truly wanted to fill a gap because I realized that there weren’t many resources like SNB in my community. In addition, I wanted to create a job for myself, one that was fulfilling, allowed me to work around doctor’s appointments or health crises, and give myself an opportunity at self-sufficiency,

I think the thing that sets us apart is that we serve marginalized communities. We help individuals who represent different minority groups gain an education, find jobs, or start businesses, if that’s what they desire.

This year, we awarded our first scholarship to a blind doctoral student!! I’m proud that we were able to give back in this way and look forward to awarding more scholarships in the future.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Prior to starting SNB, I wanted to be a vocational rehabilitation counselor. I wanted to help other people with disabilities become independent and gainfully employed. In order to accomplish this goal, I would have had to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree and then take the CRC exam to become a certified VR counselor.

I enrolled at my local community college but was forced to withdrew because of health challenges. From there, I wondered how I could still help others even though I knew that earning a college degree was likely not in the cards for me. Thus, Scarred Not Broken was born. While I am not credentialed, I have all I need to serve the disability community and others similarly to that of a certified rehabilitation counselor. My plans unfolded differently than I ever could have imagined, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2021, SNB hosted its first Blindness Awareness Day. While planning a big event is a rollercoaster of a journey for anyone, as a person with a chronic illness, this was one of the wildest rides of my life.

I had just undergone a major surgery, but I wanted to bring to life an idea I had only thought about. The only events I’d planned in the past were birthday gatherings, so this was certainly new territory for me. With limited support, virtually no knowledge, and a short amount of time, three weeks to be exact, I did all I could to pull this event off.

Despite low energy levels and constant pain, I made phone calls, attended meetings, rallied a team of volunteers, and gathered all the supplies we would need for the event.

On the day of the event, I was a ball of nerves. Did we have everything we needed? Was it going to appear thrown together? We’d planned the event in less than a month, and prior to that day, I felt confident that we could pull it off. The morning of, however, I wondered whether the vendors would show, or even more, attendees! To my surprise, everything worked out better than I imagined. Despite all I’d gone through, I was able to pull off an incredible event and present SNB to the community.

This event was monumental because I was able to prove to myself that despite everything I have fighting against me, that with God and my incredible support system, I’m able to do what I believe I was called to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.scarrednotbroken.org
• Instagram: @scarrednotbroken.us
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068073721340