We recently connected with Stephanie Shelling and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I was a 911 operator and severely depressed, dealing with suicidal ideations. I was very good at talking others “off the ledge” I lived in fear of nothing going right for me, and yet nothing had really gone wrong. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. I lived comparing myself to others. I was on a downward spiral and I only knew one way to get out – leave the planet But, I was raised in church and had my own personal feelings about taking my life. So, I decided I would give God an ultimatum. I quit my job, sold my house, gave away most of my possessions, piled what I had in my car and drove across country to a place I did not know. I did not have a job and I told God, “If You can’t keep my, I can’t be kept. You take care of me and show me what faith looks like.” It was the risk of a life time because had it not gone well, I would not be typing you this today. It was literally the risk of my lifetime.

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.

Being a person that has over come deep depression and thoughts of suicide, I realize people hide behind the shame of it and so I wanted to normalize talking about those feelings. I wanted people to know that we are more alike than we aren’t and that no matter how polished a person appears, we all have gone through something, we just don’t talk about it because we don’t want to be judged. The more people we get talking, the more we can share in our feelings and not feel like outcasts. I created Obsidian Design Studios. Obsidian because when you are able to make it through the fire, your foundation is rock solid. You’ve been through something that did not break you. I like to put sayings on t-shirts or jackets to remind people that they are worthy, that they are needed and to encourage them to stay in game of life and my life’s mantra is, “Fight for your Righteous Mind” I want people to know life is a gift that we can open everyday and get something brand new out of it if we do not allow fear to envelope our creativity and our ability to move when we need to move.. I am in the beginning stages of a shift in my career and am embarking on a huge project that is my life’s work and that is opening a retreat center for pastors and their families in crisis. There are some retreat centers in existence, but we will have a different approach to healing the whole person. The thing I am most proud of is not what anyone would think is a big deal, but I absolutely do and that is when people tell me how I inspire them or encouraged them to think differently or to see themselves as worthy and valuable, I am moved to tears understanding that I fought to stay here just so I could plant a seed or water a person’s life so they can go on a bit farther in their journey. And while the big accomplishments in life have their place. it’s the connective tissue of relationship that keep us all finely knitted together.

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

Having to save yourself when others do not understand or believe you is an awful place to be. I had a house, a great job and my life appeared great on the outside. So when I sold my house, quit my job and moved to a place where I knew no one, my friendships of 30years deteriorated. I realized then who I was to those people in their lives when they could not be there for me. I realize that as I ran to do what I needed to do to save myself, all the people that said they loved me, did not even check on me to see why I my behavior was so drastic. Times I did share how I was feeling, they told me what I was saying to them was not true and if someone tells you they don’t want to be here anymore, that is the worst thing you can do. It was a painful and dark space to live. It was literally like living between life and death, but which would I choose? What I learned in that year and a half that I was fighting for my mind was that I had to be important to me. My life had to mean something to me. Not my friends or family. I had to learn to love me and that I deserve to be here. I deserve to live and thrive and I did not need anyone’s permission to just be. I was enough the way I was even though there was much room for growth and improvement. I am not the person I used to be….thank God!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

What I know is there are so many people who do not know who they are. They are unhappy and unfulfilled trying to be everyone but themselves. They haven’t even met themselves yet. Trying to be someone you’re not will injure you. Comparison can kill you. I want people to be free to be whoever they really are. It’s hard in a world of people that can manipulate their bodies, turn into AI perfection on the World Wide Web – people don’t want to be who they were created to be. There is only one of them and some are dying to be someone else they think is happy and had it all. My mission is to introduce folks to who they are and then get them to accept all the beautifully perfect imperfections about them. That is our superpower as humans, to allow others the grace to be who they really are.

Contact Info:

• Other: [email protected] My books are available on Amazon Casting Your Pearls Before Swine and Afraid to Live: Confessions of a Believer Who Didn’t Trust God

Image Credits
Stephanie Shelling