Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Thurman.

Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

My story didn’t begin with a grand vision or a five-year plan. It began with a fall. A simple accident that, unbeknownst to me, broke my neck and changed the entire course of my life.

For six months, doctors missed the diagnosis. And for the next ten years, I lived with a broken neck, unknowingly carrying damage that would cascade into a storm of medical chaos: a sheared brainstem, traumatic brain injury, autoimmune disorders, fatigue and pain so intense I could barely lift my head. At my worst, I was confined to a wheelchair, unable to take myself to the restroom, unable to care for my family, and unable to recognize the woman in the mirror.

At the time, I was working for a university, doing work that gave me purpose and pride. It wasn’t just a job; it was my identity. When that was taken from me, I wasn’t just physically broken, I felt invisible. Lost. Worthless. Like all the pieces that made me *me* had crumbled into dust.

The lowest moment came late one night. I was drowning in pain and utterly exhausted – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I reached for a bottle of pills, thinking this was the only way to silence the suffering. But my heart whispered a different truth, one I wasn’t expecting. It said: “You can make a different choice. You can fight to live. Not just for yourself, but so you can use this story to help others find their way, too.”

That moment didn’t erase the pain, but it cracked something open in me. I realized that if I was going to survive, I couldn’t just wait for healing to come from outside me, I had to go inward. I had to stop trying to return to who I was before and begin discovering who I was always meant to be.

That’s when the concept of Polish the Mirror was born. I came across this poem by Rumi that changed everything:

“Ye who seek God, apart.
That which you seek, thou art.
If you wish to seek the Beloved’s face,
Polish the mirror and gaze into that space.”

That poem told me that every answer I had been chasing could be found within. I was looking in the wrong place all along. Everything I needed could be found in my reflection in the mirror, I just hadn’t been willing or able to truly look.

Through that process, I uncovered something even deeper than self-love. I discovered what I now call soul-love; the sacred shift that happens when we begin to love who we have the potential to become, not just who we are right now. Soul-love isn’t based on accomplishments or appearances. It’s not shaped by approval or external validation. It’s rooted in truth, in wholeness, in the unshakable knowing that we are already enough, simply because we exist.

This transformation became the foundation for my book, “Finding My Hero Within”, and the spark behind everything I now do. I began to write, speak, and share my story, not to inspire, but to connect. I was stunned when people began reaching out to say my words helped them feel seen, helped them choose hope, and even helped them stay alive.

That’s when I realized: the purpose I thought I lost had only evolved.

My story isn’t about what broke me, it’s about what I rebuilt. It’s about the courage to turn inward, to trust the mirror, and to love the person I saw looking back.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: rock bottom isn’t the end. Sometimes, it’s the invitation we never expected – to rise, to remember, and to return to the truth of who we are.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Smooth? Not even in my dreams.

The road I’ve walked has been more like a maze: unpredictable, messy, and at times, painfully unfair. There were seasons I didn’t just face obstacles, I became the obstacle, tangled in my own fear, shame, and survival. It wasn’t just about getting through the day. It was about learning how to exist again in a body that didn’t feel like mine, in a life I no longer recognized.

One of the most disorienting parts wasn’t the pain itself, it was the silence. The way the world moves on while you’re frozen in place. The birthdays missed. The dreams that expired quietly in the background while I was just trying to breathe. That kind of stillness forces you to confront the parts of yourself that achievement can no longer distract you from.

But the real struggle was letting go of the woman I used to be.

There’s a grief that comes when life takes everything you thought you were and asks, “Who are you without all of it?” I had to release her, not with resentment, but with reverence. She brought me this far. But the woman I’m becoming needed space to rise.

And rising required surrender. I had to learn how to rest without guilt. To receive without shame. To allow help without apologizing for needing it. These weren’t just practical shifts, they were spiritual ones. Each one chipped away at the belief that my value came from what I could offer, and began replacing it with the truth: I am worthy, even when I’m being still and resting.

There were financial storms, too; waves of uncertainty that came with medical bills and unconventional treatments that insurance didn’t touch. But even in the middle of that chaos, support showed up in ways I never expected. I learned that provision often follows purpose, but you have to be willing to walk the path before you see how it will unfold.

No, the road hasn’t been smooth. It’s been steep, sacred, and soul-shaping. But I no longer resent the climb. Every crack in the pavement gave me the footing I needed to become who I was meant to be.

The struggle didn’t just build my strength, it revealed it. And that strength, paired with surrender, is what carries me now.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I help people remember who they were before the world told them who to be.

Through my work, I reintroduce people to themselves, not the version shaped by titles, roles, or expectations, but the truest version that’s always been there underneath it all. I help them understand that their worth doesn’t come from what they do, the hats they wear, or the labels they’ve been given, but from who they are at their soul level.

Known by many as a soul-love guru, I specialize in helping others move beyond surface-level self-help into deep, lasting transformation. After navigating years of chronic illness, trauma, and reinvention, I discovered the powerful shift that happens when we stop trying to fix ourselves, and start learning how to love ourselves from a soul level, fully and unconditionally. That shift saved my life. Now it’s changing others’ lives too.

My heart beats for The Mirror Collective, my self-discovery group where real breakthroughs happen every single day. One member recently shared that she’s been able to reduce her therapy visits since joining the program because of how deeply the work is landing with her. That kind of impact is what keeps me going; it’s why I do what I do.

I also love writing and creating content that inspires healing and alignment. Whether I’m on stage speaking, leading workshops, writing books or resources for growth, I infuse every word with purpose and heart. My 3E Polish the Mirror Framework: Explore (self-discovery), Expand (self-love), and Evolve (soul-love), guides everything I create. It’s now the foundation for my newest book series: the Polish the Mirror series, a soulful combination of coloring book, workbook, and journal designed to help people reconnect with themselves creatively, reflectively, and joyfully.

What sets me apart is that I don’t teach theory, I teach truth. I’ve walked through the fire, and I bring that lived experience into every space I enter. I show up with honesty, heart, and an unwavering belief that healing isn’t just possible, it’s our birthright.

At my core, I’m a soul-whisperer, a truth-teller, and a creative force for healing. I believe when we Polish the Mirror of our lives, what we see reflected back is our power, our purpose, and the joy we’ve been seeking all along.

This isn’t just what I do, it’s who I am. And it’s the greatest honor of my life to help others remember who they are too.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?

If you asked me years ago what role luck played in my life, I probably would’ve laughed, because so much of what I faced didn’t feel lucky at all.

I’ve been the one who lost it all. Health, stability, career, identity. I’ve been the woman staring at the ceiling, asking questions that had no answers. I’ve walked through fires that scorched everything I thought I needed to survive. And still, somehow, I’m here.

Now, I see it differently. I’ve learned that sometimes “bad luck” is actually a divine disruption. It shakes loose what no longer serves us. It brings us to our knees; not to break us, but to rebuild us with intention.

While others might call those moments misfortune, I see them as the very catalysts that made space for everything meaningful in my life to take root.

It was only after the unraveling that I discovered my ability to create – books, workshops, programs, content, experiences that connect people back to their own inner wisdom. I discovered my voice as a writer. My strength as a teacher. My truth as a guide. None of that would’ve happened if life had gone “as planned.”

And there’s another kind of luck, too; the kind you don’t even realize is luck until you look back. The right person crossing your path. A conversation that shifts something in your spirit. A moment of clarity in the chaos. For me, those quiet graces have mattered just as much as the big storms.

In business and in life, I don’t chase luck anymore. I trust alignment. I trust that what looks like “bad luck” might just be life rearranging itself around my soul’s real purpose.

Luck may have opened a few doors, but it was grit, surrender, and a whole lot of faith that taught me how to walk through them.

And if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this: You don’t have to feel lucky to be blessed. Sometimes, the greatest gifts come wrapped in the hardest circumstances. Sometimes, the breakdown is the beginning of the becoming.

That’s not luck. That’s transformation. And I’ll take that any day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.getamyshelp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amycthurman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.thurman1
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amythurman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@polishthemirror
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/amythurmanauthor

Image Credits

Rony Armas
Live Out Loud Branding – AmberLee Fuller
Evonne Barrier
Blair Kaplan-Venables