We were lucky to catch up with Annette Whittenberger recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Annette, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I am a mother to two young adult children, a military spouse of 24+ yrs and an army retired combat veteran. I share my story of living with mental health struggles and choosing a path that will help my self-healing journey along with others. I am a serial entrepreneur passionate about ending the stigma and suicide prevention.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a mother to two young adult children, a military spouse of 24+ yrs and an army retired combat veteran. I share my story of living with mental health struggles and choosing a path that will help my self-healing journey along with others. I am a serial entrepreneur passionate about ending the stigma and suicide prevention.
I am a speaker, author, podcaster, and independent artist. I chose to start sharing my story in order to not feel alone in a world where I became a master at hiding my true self. Being raised in the ’80s, we did not talk about depression, trauma, and assault. We did not have an outlet to express ourselves except through self-destruction. It took me 4 decades to finally learn how to figure out what was wrong and what I was allowed to feel. Now that I have children of my own, I had to learn how to become the best version of myself in order to leave a legacy for them.
I help my children and others learn how to find the courage and strength to use their voices. Our trauma and our invisible wounds do not have to define us.
I wrote my book in order to provide peace and hope to those who have lived a life in silence. I wanted to share that we can do hard things and make it through just about anything in life.
I chose to be a speaker so that I could reach a wider audience in order to provide inspiration.
I am currently finishing up my last quarter of music school as an independent artist. I want to help use our words, feelings, and thoughts and create music. Our words are much more than what we put on paper. Why not create something beautiful from something that caused us so much pain? Our mess is our message and I am here to help you spread that message.
I created A Wild Ride Called Life to be a safe space for us to share our stories. Now, it is much more than that. It is a movement filled with people who want to overcome life’s obstacles. Together we are stronger.
For the past 5 years, I have poured my heart and soul into all that I do and will continue to do so in order to leave a legacy for my children.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In 2018, both my daughter and I were involved in a very traumatic car accident on the way to take her to her first semester of college. Although we both suffered injuries, I suffered the worst part of it. I was hospitalized for 5 weeks and underwent 6 surgeries. During my time in the hospital, I had to re-learn how to do the things we take for granted like walking, using the bathroom, and taking a shower.
I lived there in anger and felt completely hopeless. It was not until I was home that my husband reminded me that I had a second chance at life. He asked me what was I going to do with that chance. He also made me think of one of the most important things that I will never forget. How was I going to continue this life? Will I choose to continue to suffer through my struggles or learn to live with them? It was one of the challenging and humbling things that I had to work through. It was also one of the most inspiring ideas that led me to where I am now.
Before the accident, I was operating on a seesaw. I knew that I wanted to help people but often felt lost and overwhelmed.
After the accident, I knew that there were other plans for me and I needed to continue to live life to the fullest.
This is not to say that everything is great and perfect. This is to say that I am still human and need days to step away and give myself grace. We can not pour from an empty cup right?
I now teach that our feelings are valid. We do not have to work 9-5. We do not have to keep up with social media and it is ok to step away to take a time out.
The little things we take for granted may not always be there, so it is up to us to remember where we came from.
I will always remember that on 18 August 2018, I almost lost that chance.
Now, it is my passion to help others to gain the strength and courage to use our voices and do what sets our souls on fire.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is to look at the number of followers, likes, and comments I had on my social media pages. It is a hard lesson to learn when most of what I do is online.
The thing I had to remember is that there is always someone listening, watching, and reading what we do.
It is not always about numbers and followers. Not everyone is going to “like or comment” on your post.
I have continued to be authentic and post when I feel I have something to say instead of just because.
It is not a race to be the best. Continue to be yourself and the right people will follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.awildridecalledlife.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_wild_ride_called_life/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annettewhittenbergerinternationalspeakerandauthor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-whittenberger-a-wild-ride-called-life-/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Awldridecaldlfe
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOl9HoRZ3NFBpUV5zcOyetg
Image Credits
annette whittenberger