Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Myers.
Erin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After tolerating years of abuse and infidelity in my marriage, I hopped on a plane with only two suitcases and my two daughters to start a new life here in Southern California. Flying across the country from New Orleans uprooting all that I knew and all that my children knew was one of the biggest and hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but it was for the best. I broke my lease, left behind furniture, a car, friends, and over a decade of memories. But through leaving behind everything I thought I knew, I gained one thing that was irreplaceable and that was my freedom. I lost myself in my marriage and in the image that others thought that I should be. I spent years playing make-believe as if everything was alright when it really wasn’t. In July of 2018, I took flight to my home state and never looked back.
A few months later, I decided to launch my personal blog to share my testimonies as I began to navigate my new life. I didn’t think much of it and didn’t think things would get much traction. As I started to unfold my story little by little, I began to gain so much love and support from other women who shared similar stories. This inspired me to become even more vocal and branch out from blogging to sharing my perspective on life through my podcast entitled Discovering Strength.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My life has never been a smooth road. Healing from trauma while still trying to put my pieces back together was the biggest challenge for me. I was trying to figure out who Erin was after leaving behind all that I thought I was in the past. I felt broken and weak. What I didn’t realize was that God was using the trauma and trials I had experienced in order to shape and mold me into this amazing woman that I am now. The abuse that I endured was not the end of my story. It was only one of many chapters in my life I needed to pass through in order to get to the next.
God brought me out of a very dark place. I was depressed, suicidal, and suffered from anxiety. I blamed myself for the failed marriage when it wasn’t even my fault. I questioned everything about who I was and who I wasn’t. I walked around thinking I wasn’t good enough and that I was no longer valuable because I wasn’t someone’s wife anymore. The bible says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. This means that I was already a good thing to begin with. I had it all mixed up, but not for long.
After finding a church home, a therapist, and remaining in constant prayer, I began to grow and heal tremendously. I became equipped with the tools necessary to survive this thing called life and raise my children to live healthy lives mentally and emotionally. I no longer felt broken, but I became whole. I found strength in my circumstances.
Some days I don’t want to write or record a new episode, but I realized that my testimony wasn’t just for me. It was meant to share with others so that they would heal as well. I can’t keep that type of thing to myself.
Please tell us about I Am Erin Elizabeth (Blog), Discovering Strength (Podcast).
I have a blog titled “I Am Erin Elizabeth.” I decided to name it after my first and middle name because for so long, I hid my identity behind my last name. Whether I identified by my maiden name as a child or my married name or battled with whether or not to change my name post-divorce, I didn’t want to lose sight of knowing that God always knew my name and that I will forever carry His last name. No title that I carry here on earth can define who God intended for me to be. I now know who I am and whose I am.
On both my blog and my podcast “Discovering Strength,” I share my life’s narrative one testimony at a time with hopes to encourage other women to overcome their obstacles while continuing to push forward despite their circumstances. I talk about real-life experiences as a single mother of two girls who experienced trauma, domestic and sexual abuse, mother wounds, and divorce. I also cover topics such as self-care, body image, depression, and even my laundry routine.
I’m currently in the process of writing my first book which should be available this summer expounding more on my experience dealing with an abusive spouse and how I discovered the strength to leave. I also desire to host virtual and in-person events to better connect and form a community with others who share the same experiences.
My first event this year is called the Discover Your Goals Virtual Vision Board Workshop on February 8th. This will be a live workshop walking women through how to discover, set, and accomplish their goals for the year and beyond despite their past or present circumstance. God has a purpose for all of us and we shouldn’t be sitting on our gifts no matter what we’ve been through.
I believe what sets me apart from other women who may have a blog or podcast is that I focus on being transparent and sharing my perspective on topics that we don’t typically see highlighted very often in media within the black community. I’m not writing fluff or overloading readers with sponsored posts. I just want to spread love, healing, and God’s word. I also want to highlight the stories of other women besides myself to shed light on how they’ve discovered strength. When we find the strength within ourselves we have the innate ability to fight battles and pursue greatness we never thought we would before.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory would have to be when I was reunited with my father after being separated for almost ten years. The last time I saw him I was eight years old. I had lived in four different states before we reconnected at the age of 18. My mother and her husband moved my brothers and I out of state without telling a soul. I still don’t know why to this day.
The power of social media is real. Despite my father’s efforts to find me through private investigators, my uncle found me on Myspace. The summer after I graduated high school, I finally got to see my dad. It was so surreal to me. There was so much time lost that we’ll never get back. I finally felt like I received a missing piece to my puzzle.
Now, at 30 years old, we live right down the street from each other and he’s like my twin. We smile the same and share so many similarities. My dad has truly been my rock in the past few years. He was a pivotal piece of my story when it comes to being able to leave my situation in New Orleans and start over in my birthplace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iamerinelizabeth.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: iamerinelizabeth
- Facebook: I Am Erin Elizabeth
- Twitter: Imeelizabeth
- Other: https://anchor.fm/discoveringstrength
Image Credit:
Photo credit: Erin Myers, Aniyah Myers
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