How Patience is Using Her Story to Help Others

In this earnest and moving episode, Miriam speaks to Patience Abonge a trauma awareness activist. Patience opens up about her own mental health journey, the message she is trying to get out to the world and how she is using this to help others.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

 

  • There is no one who is going to believe in your more than yourself.
  • Patience grew up living with her grandmother and auntie. At first, she thought her auntie was actually her mother but later realised she was not. This affected her psychologically at such a young age.

  • One of patience’s driving forces to changing her outlook and the way she lives her life is her daughter. She doesn’t want her daughter to have to experience the same trauma she did. She wants her daughter to be able to express herself however she wishes and the only way she can truly do that is be an example for her and create a lasting legacy.

  • Although patience recognises that her family have been supportive, she knows that they still do not really understand poor mental health, the complexity of it and her own personal struggles. This made her determined to use her story to both inspire and teach others about the true seriousness and impact of mental health.

  • Often we shame our real feelings, especially around mental health. This means that people do not know what you are going through but it also means those who are struggling in the same way don’t know to reach out. By talking about our own mental health and struggles we can build communities and support networks.

  • The mother wound is real. In order to heal and move on we have accept our mothers for who they are and let go of who we think they should have been to us as children.

 

BEST MOMENTS

 

No one knows you better than yourself”

 

“I am going to talk about mental health, I would use my story to inspire those who are struggling and trying to make the African community understand that mental health can actually kill someone”

 

“What am I leaving behind to empower others?”

 

“If we share knowledge, if we talk, these things will not continue”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Patience Abonge

From silence to speaker.A journey from the other side of the wall❤️

Find Patience on Instagram at

IG: @patienceabonge

IG: @freemindsfoundation

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Miriam is a Trauma Informed Coach, an African, a mom of three daughters, a blogger and writer.  After graduating from the London School of Economics, she built her international career in the fields of banking and international development, working for organisations such as the World Economic Forum, Lombard Odier Private Bank, JP Morgan, the Mastercard Foundation and the United Nations. She now uses her passion for psychology and dedicates her time to coaching others to free themselves from the burden of childhood trauma.  Her wish to help other women connect to their inner wisdom, love themselves and follow their passion. In her effort to destigmatize mental health and normalize mental health conversations in black communities, she wrote her memoir about surviving childhood and finding her worth.  

CONTACT METHOD

Instagram: @_miriamnjoku/

Facebook 

Linkedin

CLUBHOUSE: @miriamnjoku

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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