Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Burnett.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In February 2012, I walked away from a three years relationship. One that had some abuse sprinkled throughout, but not enough for me to walk away. I was devastated because I was 37 years old. Still single, still childless. Alone once again. This loneliness wasn’t like the other times before. Nope, this one brought depression. So, I sought therapy. I can remember sitting on her sofa after about 5 months. I thought I was miraculously healed. So I said out loud in my car, I’m ready to meet someone. 2 weeks later, I met my last abuser. This relationship was riddled with red flags from the very beginning. I’ll spare you the details. But because I was 37 and all the things, I decided that I was ready to have a family.
Fast forward even further to February 2015. I found myself in a situation that I never thought I’d be in. Here I am 40 years old with a 20-month-old daughter. I had just left my abusive non-husband and now I’m a single mother looking at an annulment. What do I do with myself now? I went to therapy once again. She helped me dig deep and face some really hard facts. I had to acknowledge that I had really been in cycles of abuse since my teenage years. I had to accept the fact that although I didn’t choose to be abused, I chose to be with these people. It was a hard truth to swallow.
Then I had to accept the fact that even though these things happened to me, even though I chose them, the abuse wasn’t my fault. And none of it made me a bad person nor did it say I was deserving of any of it. I had to accept that I am worthy of a healthy love.
I spent time in therapy, I spent all of my time with God and made a decision that I wanted to be better and not bitter. After therapy, I continued my relationship with God and started learning all I could about supporting other women who had experienced abuse and needed a fresh start. I asked God what I should do next. He told me to share my voice with others because there is someone going through what I went through.
By January of 2017, with the dynamic duo, therapy and God, along with attending conferences, workshops, webinars, etc., I had created the Better Days Conference Series. It was a series of conferences that address different issues and traumas that we deal with in our lives. It was created for people who had experienced abuse and traumas and were ready to begin picking up the pieces of their lives. The conferences provided access to experts in different areas that would bring wholeness to one’s life. It has changed the trajectory of people’s lives. They have published books, created better family dynamics, they’ve created standards for themselves that now set them apart and have elevated the way they think and feel about themselves and what they now expect… It’s amazing to see that the clients that have worked with me and the people that have come to my conferences and sat under me for coaching are now embracing their new lives and are happy about the direction they’re going. They are now accepting themselves for who they are and who God created them to be and they are thriving.
In 2022, I established The Life Transformation Academy; An academy for women who seek to end cyclical dead-end relationships, domestic abuse, and unhealthy patterns in their lives. Women are educated, empowered and encouraged to reposition themselves to live free, loving, and purpose-filled lives.
Today, I am better and have recovered everything I lost in the past, established a legacy for my daughter and most importantly, I found a better version of myself.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was not a smooth road to get to this space. Many times I doubted myself and my ability and my authority to lead others. When starting over, I questioned if I could do it and be successful. The one thing I knew is that I didn’t want to be a statistic. I didn’t want to be a number. The hardest struggle came when making life-changing decisions. I didn’t trust my own thoughts and opinions because I had made so many bad ones in the past.
However, with learning to trust God, who He is and who He is to me, I learned to trust that He wouldn’t steer me wrong. I began trusting myself little by little because I knew I wasn’t moving forward in my own strength. I had help.
The other struggle was forgiving my abusers. Forgiveness can be challenging because I wanted to hold on to what happened. It’s hard sometimes because I continued to rehash what happened. Challenges came and I blamed them. But when I became intentional about my healing, forgiveness had to be a part of it. I could no longer play the blame game and I found tools to help me shift my thinking when I found myself dwelling on the past. Forgiveness is essential to healing, becoming better and changing your life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a certified life coach, author and motivational speaker. I’m most proud of the growth I get to see in the lives of my clients. When I see how they develop and intentionally make changes in their lives, I celebrate with them.
Changing the trajectory of their lives doesn’t stop with them, it spills over into the lives of their children and their loved ones.
What sets me apart is the fact that I have life experience with abuse and I understand first-hand what it looks like to want to take this journey to healing. I relate on a peer level with my clients and am skilled as a coach to guide them to their own life transformations.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
During my healing and even today, I listen to podcasts, music and read books that uplift me and equip me with new tools to share.
Inyanla Vanzant, In the Meantime was one book that helped me get real with myself about where I was and give me hope that it wasn’t my end.
Prayers that Avail Much by Germaine Copeland is a book of prayers that helps me when I don’t know what to pray. They are short and simple and give words to my feelings. It’s great for those who are learning to pray.
She.Confidential is a podcast that I watch and listen too that helps me focus on my self-care so that I do not get caught up on caring so much for others that I neglect myself.
Worth by Anthony Brown and Group TherApy is a song that reminds me that I am loved and that God thought I was to die for. It helps me to remember that I have a purpose.
There are many others, but these are the most important to me and I keep them in my toolbox when I need them most.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.veronicaburnett.com
- Instagram: betterdays.llc
- Facebook: VeronicaBSpeaks
- Youtube: Veronica A Burnett
Image Credits
Lindria Dockett
