““There comes a point in life when you realize that nothing will ever be the same and that from now on, time will be divided into parts: for me, the division lies before and after March 31, 2015.”
— STEPHANIE MACLEOD
Hi Beautiful Soul!
I’m Stephanie.
Isn’t it crazy how life is one thing and then in a single moment it becomes something entirely different. That’s how it happened for me anyway.
Here I was, Stephanie Alexis MacLeod, the girl who loved to wake up and go to work where Monday to Friday I taught students with Autism. Weeknights and weekends, I hung out with friends and family and in the summer months I travelled. My biggest challenges were picking an outfit for work, deciding what I would make for dinner each evening, and when was the best time to squeeze in the gym.
And then, one morning, while driving to teach, a vehicle coming towards me veered into my lane for a total of 3 seconds, hitting my car head on.
And in an instant…everything changed.
My Journey Inward
I had suffered severe, life threatening injuries. I had broken a total of 15 bones, including both femurs and multiple vertebrae in my back and neck. I was airlifted, underwent a 12 hour surgery, and spent Easter weekend in a coma and on life support. My family was told I might not make it, and even if I survived, I would likely never walk again. The road to recovery would be a long one…
I submerged myself in my physical recovery and I thrived. Every ounce of my energy went into the physical journey. I was determined to use my hands again to feed myself and sign my future children’s birthday cards. I was determined to not only walk again, but kick off my shoes and dance my heart out. I spent the next 3 years of my life focused on the physical recovery and gaining back my independence. In the process, I stuffed down all of my emotional pain, believing that it would dissipate with time.
“You cannot heal your wounds if you’re too busy hiding them”
Who I Am Now
I began by reading every self help book possible, attempting to meditate daily, journaling, walking and listening to podcasts. Yet nothing was changing. I still felt completely empty and lacked any sort of self love. I hated myself, I hated how I was feeling and I became angry that after a month of “work”, I wasn’t making any gains.
While aimlessly scrolling Instagram one morning, I stumbled across a quote: “happiness is an inside job.”
I could speak to that first hand. The happiest I had been in all my recovery had been when I was laying in that hospital bed. I had proven to myself that it is completely possible to be ridiculously happy even when life was screaming at me not to be. I was alive, and I was going to walk again. I used the power of my thoughts to create my own happiness daily. I belly laughed, I had wheelchair races, I woke up and had daily dance parties and I celebrated with family and friends. There was never anything but joy and laughter coming from my hospital bed.
And that’s when I had my “ah-ha” moment. If I was able to create my own happiness, I must equally have the power to create my own healing. The podcasts, the therapists, the self-help books were complimentary, but the real healing was going to begin with ME.
Healing Is An Inside Job
Healing happened for me, when I finally gave up looking for external solutions to my problems.
As they say, “The WAY OUT is the WAY IN”.
I turned inward, towards my pain, and that’s when the true process of healing unfolded.
That’s when the magic happened!
The accident was the greatest gift this life has even given me. A gift wrapped in barbed wire. When I had the courage to look within, and face my pain, I was able to discover who I truly was. I discovered the beauty of this life.
Ways We Can Heal Together
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Breathwork
If you’ve ever said “I can’t meditate”, then Breathwork is for you. Learn how to instantly release stuck emotions in your body to feel more peaceful, relaxed and grounded.
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1:1 Coaching
If you have been struggling for a long time or you have tried everything you can think of but still don't feel the way you want to feel, this is where you begin.
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Corporate Experiences
Bring mindfulness to your workplace or event! Create a personalized experience for your staff, with Breathwork as well as my life-changing keynote, 3 Seconds and 10 Life Lessons.