Today we’d like to introduce you to Stevi Shari.
Hi Stevi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I come from a big family. My mom had six girls and two boys and now I have lots of nieces, nephews and counting. Growing up, I’ve experienced having some of the best things in life and also living in the struggle. My mother worked sun up to sun down being a Registered Nurse so there wasn’t a lot of that family dynamic. Not the best childhood circumstances but there was always plenty of love.
I became an athlete before my teens, always wanting to be fit, healthy and adventurous. I loved to learn new things and school was important to me. However, I observed very quickly from attending different schools in and out of the suburbs that education depended upon the demographics of where you lived. Things were not equal and resources were tenuous. I learned that depending on what you looked like was how people were going to treat you and It didn’t sit right with me. I carried this despairing weight of unfairness for a long time. I’m empathic and emotional so I didn’t understand why all people don’t just love one another. Being in sports was my outlet to steer away from all this confusion, family issues, racial issues and sexual orientation identity.
Using sports as an outlet again, I was convinced to join the All Navy Basketball team after my freshman year of college. I figured once I joined the military I could create a different life for myself and that’s when I’ll be super happy. I could serve my country and at the same time move away so that I could find my identity. I got stationed in San Diego and once I moved to Cali weather there’s no leaving. I thought this was it but I hit some of my worst years instead of being able to come out and be free. There was a clause that did not allow you to be gay in the military so I found myself drinking to escape my fears and ended up mastering having two personalities. If you were caught, you got kicked out and I definitely didn’t want that on any kind of record of mine. I was great at my job in the Navy and excelled quickly but as a black female lesbian hiding, my true self was difficult and tiring. I knew I was different but I also knew that it was deemed a bad thing in society to be gay. I wanted to be like everyone else so I tried my hardest to be “straight” and that didn’t work out for me.
Eventually, I got out of the military and still had this ball of confusion surrounding my life with added trauma from the military. I didn’t know what to do but I knew how to temporarily deal with pain. I learned how to drink in the Navy and found myself using drinking and partying to temporarily rid my problems. To be safe, still withheld my sexual orientation up until I was 26 years old, even after I served in the military. This led my life’s path to lots of grief, mental struggles, legal problems and ultimately affected my identity with trying to please others or fit into a certain lifestyle. I spent another four years in San Diego once I got out of the Navy and then decided oh I can move to LA. I can start over there, not realizing that you take You wherever you go.
For many years it was trial and error. Then through therapy and meeting some of the best people in life, I have learned to start unlearning the behaviors and beliefs that I was taught. It’s just been an uphill climb since then even when I stumble. I started being able to think outside the box. I came out to my family and they loved that for me.
In recent years I’ve been getting in touch with my spirituality and manifesting what I want my future to look like and not how others see it for me. I started getting back to basics. My passions in life were to be happy and make people happy and have fun doing it. Rather it be telling jokes, being an actress, an athlete or just a leader to look up to for someone who may not have anyone else. This path has led me to become an advocate, social media influencer/ fitness influencer/ entertainer and just someone who wants to give a helping hand to others.
I became a peer supporter and motivational coach for people especially my veterans of the service. This year will be my 2nd season competing on American Ninja Warrior and I’m hitting a buzzer!. I’ve connected with brands from all over the US and internationally and get paid to do what I love. I’ve gotten offers to compete on shows that I watched growing up and it’s an incredible feeling. I am a representation for my youth, my peers, lgbtqia+, my veterans, women and the black community. Showing women that it is ok to be strong and be you. I just want to be someone who can help make a positive difference and relate.
I started a non-profit called Veterans for The People so that all the people I have helped can help others and we all can pay it forward. If someone needs peer support, a person to help them speak for their affairs, to work out with or just someone to talk to when you’re not doing so well. We direct people to resources in the community that they might not even know were available to them (housing, food, medical, etc.). I just want to be of service and show others that even if it’s a little thing, they can be of service to, for anyone. If we aren’t here to help each other then what are we here for.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My road has not been smooth in fact, I think if your road is smooth you aren’t even on a road from my experience. I have been through some of worse traumas and internal pain that I couldn’t even imagine. Unfortunately, when you are an athlete or military or just someone who is expected to be a certain way or not talk about certain things, you are extremely limited on what you can let out. Like I said, I’m not a stranger of drinking to numb my pain or plain acting like nothing is even wrong. My partying irresponsibly led to getting DUIs which lead to legal trouble and shame. Not knowing how to deal with my emotions and not expressing them in a positive form helped perpetuate the same behaviors. I lost out on a big deal with being a female wrestler, getting involved in bad relationship, not making the best decisions and temporarily giving up on myself. It wasn’t until I met a counselor that I felt comfortable enough to talk to and let all of my yucky feelings out and shame that I began to start my journey of healing. The picture was not always pretty.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a social media influencer / fitness influencer / entertainer known on the internet for wearing more muscles and less clothes. I don’t like to wear shirts.
I’m just someone who wants to give a helping hand to others.
I became a peer supporter and motivational coach for people especially my veterans of the service. I work with brands to help create a fun and healthy lifestyle for people and keep it simple.
I compete on American Ninja Warrior this year will be my 2nd season and I’m hitting a buzzer!. I’ve connected with brands from all over the US and internationally and get paid to do what I love. I’ve gotten offers to compete on shows that I watched growing up and it’s an incredible feeling. I am a representation for my youth, my peers, lgbtqia+, my veterans, women and the black community. Showing women that it is ok to be strong and be you. I just want to be someone who can help make a positive difference and relate.
I started a non-profit called Veterans for The People so that all the people I have helped can help others and we all can pay it forward. If someone needs peer support, a person to help them speak for their affairs, to work out with or just someone to talk to when you’re not doing so well. We direct people to resources in the community that they might not even know were available to them (housing, food, medical, etc.).
I believe what sets me apart from others is that I do extraordinary things but I’m am also an ordinary person. I care about people. Once you have these qualities in the fields that I work in your blessings and happiness come automatically from the universe.
I just want to be of service and show others that even if it’s a little thing, they can be of service to, for anyone. If we aren’t here to help each other then what are we here for.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Follow me on all my platforms @Stevi.Shari IG, YouTube, Tiktok, Twitter, Facebook. You can check me out or reach out to any of these platforms. I’m constantly showing what’s new in ways to help yourself and others. Or just having fun creating magic. It’s always a pleasure to work with creatives and people in the community of all different backgrounds. My management is great with responding back to people through email at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Stevi.Shari
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/stevi.shari
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stevi.Shari/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/stevi.shari
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SteviShari
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMekn3M3W/
Image Credits
Ambers Closet, Young Ezee, Crissa Ace
