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Sharon’s story is a perfect example of resilience, growth, and a deep desire to help others struggling with self-esteem. As a teenager, she knew what it felt like to fight with self-esteem constantly. Like so many young people, she was caught in the pressure to fit in, and she paid the ultimate price. She found herself changing who she was, molding herself into someone she thought others would accept, but deep inside, it was like she never felt good enough.

As time went by, she started building herself. She did little things that helped her gain confidence when constantly telling herself she was just as worthy as everybody else. It wasn’t easy, but bit by bit, she started to believe she didn’t have to change to be worthy. By the time she reached her early twenties, Sharon had developed self-acceptance and learned that true self-esteem comes from within, not necessarily from the approval of others. But with all such progress, life still threw she another challenge when she moved to the UK. It was supposed to be a fresh start, but it felt like a heavy weight on her shoulders. The UK was different, and more developed, with its own culture, language, and way of doing things. The confidence she’d worked so hard to build seemed to crumble in an instant. Good as her English may have sounded, it never did sound like the British English that surrounded her. She felt out of place at this point in many moments and ways.

In the UK, she found herself facing those same old feelings of being unseen and unheard. The simple things of speaking up in class or going for a job interview overwhelmed her. Each time she needed to speak or present herself, it felt like an exam to which she wasn’t sure she could pass. She was constantly measuring herself against an ideal she didn’t feel she could reach. Her inner critic, whom she had worked so hard just to silence, boomed loudly again. It was the most difficult time of her journey all the self-esteem she worked on seemed suddenly useless. But she didn’t give up. Slowly, she realized it wasn’t about fitting in or speaking correctly. It was about owning her voice and finding worth just the way she was. Her accent, experiences, and background-all of it mattered. She did not have to change to receive acceptance. She came out; being herself would be just fine, even when that felt uncomfortable at times.

That is when an epiphany hit Sharon. It wasn’t all about her journey but one that could be of help to others too. It was out of this that Lifted Spirits was born: she wanted a space where others could feel heard, seen, and encouraged. She wanted people to understand that they were not alone in their struggles; even if everything feels like falling apart at any given time, it’s not the end of the world. It may be the beautiful beginning of something else. Lifted Spirits was Sharon’s way of giving back. Through her story, she reminds us that self-doubt and insecurity do not define or need to hold us back. It’s okay to feel unsure at times, but one needs to keep pushing forward. she has but one simple message to share: Regardless of what your background is, regardless of how you may sound, and regardless of any experiences you may have had in life, your voice matters, and you matter. You are enough. And you can do anything that you put your mind to.

Today, I uses Lifted Spirits as the voice to speak of my journey and help others establish a community of people who learn to lift themselves, one step at a time. I wants anyone who feels like life is overwhelming or currently stuck in any part of their life to know it is okay; you are not alone, and it is never too late to start believing in yourself.