Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brittney Small. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brittney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest risks I have ever taken was choosing to completely rebuild my life after realizing that many of the spaces I had been loyal to were no longer safe or healthy for me.

For most of my life, I tried to survive by being adaptable. I learned how to keep the peace, how to stay quiet, and how to push through difficult situations without drawing attention to myself. I believed that if I worked hard enough to be understanding, forgiving, and accommodating, things would eventually stabilize. But over time, I began to see a pattern. The more I tried to hold things together, the more I found myself in environments that required me to shrink, silence myself, or accept behavior that did not align with who I was becoming.

The moment that forced me to confront this reality came during a deeply traumatic family incident. Someone I was related to attempted to harm me with a firearm during a gathering. In that moment, something in me shifted. It was not just fear. It was clarity. I realized that continuing to remain connected to dynamics that normalized chaos, disrespect, or danger was no longer an option for me or for my children.

The risk I took was walking away.

Walking away from familiar relationships. Walking away from expectations. Walking away from the idea that I had to maintain connections simply because they existed. It meant creating distance from people I once believed would always be part of my life. It also meant stepping into uncertainty. I had to trust that choosing peace and safety, even when it felt lonely or misunderstood, was the right decision.

At the same time, I began rebuilding in intentional ways. I moved, restructured my daily life, and focused on the things that aligned with the future I want to create. I returned to graduate school to study clinical mental health counseling. I began developing projects that reflect my values, including creating a retreat designed to help women heal and reconnect with themselves. Instead of investing my energy into managing dysfunction, I began investing it into purpose.

The outcome of that risk is still unfolding, but one thing is clear. I have more peace now than I did before. My life feels more aligned with who I actually am. Taking that risk taught me that sometimes the most courageous thing a person can do is refuse to keep participating in environments that harm them. Choosing to walk away was difficult, but it created space for growth, clarity, and a future that feels far more authentic.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the founder of The BeeautifulXperience and The Garden Retreat. My work sits at the intersection of healing, personal development, and intentional community building for women. I am currently pursuing a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and much of what I create is informed by both my academic training and my lived experiences.

My journey into this space did not begin as a business plan. It began as a personal transformation. I spent many years navigating environments that required resilience, emotional strength, and deep self-reflection. Through those experiences, I developed a strong passion for understanding human behavior, trauma, and the process of healing. That curiosity eventually led me to pursue counseling professionally while also creating spaces where women could slow down, reflect, and reconnect with themselves.

One of the ways this vision has taken shape is through The Garden Retreat. The retreat is designed as a restorative experience where women can step away from the demands of everyday life and invest in their emotional, spiritual, and personal growth. The concept of the garden represents cultivation. Just like a garden requires intention, patience, and care to grow, so do our lives. Through guided discussions, reflective activities, and community building, the retreat encourages women to examine what they are planting in their lives and what they may need to uproot in order to grow.

In addition to hosting retreats, my broader work focuses on creating experiences and conversations that help women move from survival into intentional living. My goal is to eventually expand this work through counseling services, mentorship programs, and community initiatives designed to support women and families who are navigating trauma, life transitions, and personal development.

What I believe sets my work apart is authenticity. Everything I create comes from real experiences and a genuine desire to see people heal and thrive. I am not approaching this work as someone who has everything figured out. I approach it as someone who understands the complexity of growth and is committed to walking alongside others in that process.

What I am most proud of is having the courage to build something meaningful out of experiences that could have easily discouraged me. Instead of allowing adversity to define my path, I chose to use it as a catalyst for purpose. The work I am doing today is only the beginning, but it represents a commitment to creating spaces where women feel seen, supported, and empowered to build lives that reflect their true potential.

Ultimately, what I want people to know about me and my work is simple. Everything I create is rooted in the belief that healing is possible, growth is intentional, and every person deserves the opportunity to cultivate a life that reflects who they truly are.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the most important lessons I have had to unlearn is the belief that loyalty means enduring everything.

For most of my life, I thought loyalty meant staying. Staying quiet, staying patient, staying committed to people and environments even when they were clearly harmful. I believed that if I loved people enough, supported them enough, or showed enough understanding, things would eventually change. I thought endurance was a virtue.

The backstory behind that belief is complicated, but it is one many people can relate to. When you grow up learning to navigate difficult dynamics, you often develop the ability to adapt. You become the person who smooths things over, who absorbs tension, who tries to make things work. Over time, that ability can start to feel like responsibility. You begin to believe it is your job to keep relationships intact, even if it costs you your peace.

At some point, I had to confront the truth that loyalty should never require you to abandon yourself.

That realization did not come easily. It came after years of recognizing patterns where I was giving far more grace, patience, and understanding than I was receiving in return. I had to learn that boundaries are not betrayal. Choosing peace is not disloyalty. Walking away from environments that consistently harm you is not weakness. It is wisdom.

Unlearning that belief changed the way I approach relationships, work, and even my purpose. It taught me that real loyalty begins with honesty and self respect. It also shaped the work I do today, because so many women are carrying the same burden of believing they have to endure everything to prove their love or commitment.

The lesson I carry with me now is simple. Loyalty should never cost you your safety, your dignity, or your peace. If it does, it is not loyalty. It is survival.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There was a period where my children and I lived in a hotel for three months. It was not the kind of place people imagine when they hear the word hotel. It was survival. Every day I was trying to figure out how to maintain stability for my kids while quietly carrying the weight of everything that had fallen apart around us. From the outside, it might have looked like everything was unraveling, but internally something different was happening. That season forced me to confront parts of my life that I had been avoiding and decisions I needed to make for my long term health and future. It led me to make the difficult decision to enter rehab and do the deeper work of rebuilding my life from the inside out.

Rehab was not just about breaking habits. It was about understanding the patterns, environments, and beliefs that had shaped my choices for years. It required honesty, humility, and the willingness to start over without pretending I had everything figured out.

What makes that time a story of resilience for me is that it became the foundation for everything I am building today. Those experiences did not define my future, but they clarified it. They showed me the strength it takes to rebuild and the importance of creating spaces where people can heal without shame.

Today I am pursuing a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and creating initiatives like The Garden Retreat to support women who are navigating their own journeys of growth and healing. When I think about that season in the hotel, the repossession, and the hard work of recovery, I see it not as the lowest point of my life but as the turning point that helped me become the person I am today.

Resilience, to me, is not about pretending life was never difficult. It is about having the courage to rebuild even when everything seems to have fallen apart.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thegardenretreat.my.canva.site/the-garden-retreat
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DEjx1jxda/?mibextid=wwXIfr