MEET ARIANA
Her parents got separated when she was only seven years old. Prior to this she witnessed a lot of violence. Her dad abused her mama physically as well as emotionally. Her mother escaped from it and the violence was re-directed to her and her brother. This experience affected her emotionally. As a result, she developed poor self-esteem, she was afraid to speak out in public in case she said the wrong words. She suffered from anorexia because she was nervous most of the time; as her dad was an alcoholic, with unpredictable mood swings’.
Unfortunately, this narrative is becoming more and more popular in our communities, a lot of us have grown to accept, this stereotype which promotes a cycle of depression and trauma.
Everyday heroes are the champions that ward off the demons of low self-esteem. The people who rise above their own fears to create light in the dark. This has been the life mission of Evelyn Leigh Pindura. She has her mind set on inspiring people to live a purposeful life.
It’s no surprise that Evelyn is a qualified nurse of over 25 years and she has created something beautiful for herself while helping others through her writing, coaching and counselling. She takes us through her journey with some nuggets of wisdom.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
How do you describe a holistic lifestyle?
A holistic lifestyle is one that is balanced in every area: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically and socially. For many, aspire and strive to live a holistic lifestyle but might not be able to do so, as we all have our flaws and shortcomings. We live in a world where we encounter challenging situations that can throw us off track. For example, you could be well physically but may be struggling with other issues that may in turn affect your health.
What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give people suffering from mental and physical abuse.
Seek help, talk to a confidante and depending on the level of abuse, report it. The goal is to put an end to abuse and not suffer in silence.
‘Why fit in when you were born to stand out?’ How would you use this popular quote in therapy with a patient with low self-esteem?
Be comfortable in your own skin, you are unique, you are loved, you are special in your own way and you have a purpose to fulfill in life.
Writing in your own words; makes the impossible possible, which of your projects to date is your favourite and why?
‘Helping women get their stories published.’
It gives me the greatest joy to help these women realise their dreams, especially , when society has given up on them, or when they think all hope has been lost.
Evelyn, share with me something about yourself that, you’re working on improving and how you think, you will become better once you’ve accomplished your goal.
I am working on improving my speaking skills. As a child, a teenager and even during my adulthood I’ve struggled with poor self-esteem. The fear of speaking in public places was big drawback. I’ve come a long way and have worked on my self-esteem. My role as a health practitioner and as an entrepreneur involves speaking with people and this is one way of helping me overcome my fear; I am now better at it and working towards becoming an expert. The more I get involved in speaking engagements and in teaching, the better I become.
If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would that be?
Injustice – I would like to see people treated fairly regardless of race, colour, sex or age. I would like to put an end to injustice against women and children in particular.
As an author, what writing project has challenged you most and how did you overcome that challenge.
The collaborative writing project: bringing people together to write, getting started and completing the project. Doing the project made me learn that people were not ready to start when I thought they were, I realised that I was working at my own pace and not their own and learnt how to adjust to make room for other people.
