💬 Thursday Thread: What have you had to overcome from your childhood?
And what impact will that breakthrough have on the next generation?
This week on the Firestarters podcast, I talked with Daria Burke, an award-winning business leader, motivational speaker and now memoirist. Daria had to overcome significant struggles during her childhood, including the drug addiction and related neglect of her parents. She could’ve allowed the trauma of her childhood to negatively impact her adulthood, but instead, she chose to chart a new path and went on to lead an incredibly fulfilling life, and she chronicles that journey in her new book, Of My Own Making.
We are all combatting some belief or experience or obstacle from our upbringing that shaped who we are now. And how we address those traumas, frustrations or even opportunities can impact future generations.
👉 For today’s Thursday thread, here’s what I want to know:
What did you have to overcome from your childhood and how did that experience shape who you are today?
How is your breakthrough shaping the next generation?
Welcome to the Thursday Threads, a weekly chance for us to connect with one another in the comments. Join me and other readers as we navigate important discussions. And a note: a difference of opinion is always okay, being unkind to one another is not. Let’s keep these conversations respectful.
My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.
I had to overcome being raised by a single mom who was sometimes suicidal. I also survived a mass shooting when I was in middle school. For years, I suffered from anxiety and hypervigilance and have found healing through Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. Through consistent practice and meditation, I am able to relate to “parts” of myself that are still in need of healing with compassion and am so much better regulated.
Such a great question!
My childhood (although pretty perfect by all other measures) was full of shame, frustration and confusion -- full of "you have so much potential if only...." and "if you wanted to, you would..." and "you're smart, you just don't apply yourself."
I didn't know I had an ADHD Fancy Brain until I was in my forties.
So, I stumbled into a host of coping and defense mechanisms before even knowing that's what they were. They got me through, and when I learned there was an actual *reason* for my struggles, it all suddenly made sense, but the shame persisted.
Fast forward to now, and my overarching goal is to relieve that burden of shame from current and future generations by shifting the way we understand, discuss and approach ADHD.
Second only to becoming a mom, the experience of having my whole life explained by a diagnosis was probably the biggest transformation I've seen (so far!) in my life. Onward to a world where ALL brains are valued exactly as they are!