Rhonda's Story - Stand tall and let your voice be heard!

I'm Rhonda and I'm a physical and verbal abuse survivor, a wife, mother, mentor, and a business owner. As a child, I grew up in an abusive household where kids were told they should be seen and not heard, eat everything on their plate at dinnertime or go hungry. I was often belittled, and bullied by my parents, Aunt's and Uncle's. My father had a very short temper and my mother would often instigate problems and my father used to beat my brother and I with a leather belt so badly we couldn't sit down. There were times we went to school with welts on our faces from being smacked and our teachers often asked us what happened and we lied because we were afraid of our parents. Being 46 years old today, I look back on those days and I often remind myself that it was not my fault. I also have to be thankful that I survived, and through all that abuse I learned something very important. My abusive parents have shown me how not to be. I have been through a lot of hardship in my life and through those hardships that is where I find my strength. I have learned to stand tall and let my voice be heard. I am married to an amazing man who has helped me realize that I matter. I have 3 amazing children who are my world. My "kids" are 22, 19 and 16 and I can proudly say I have never spanked my kids. I have disciplined fairly by allowing my kids to pick their punishment, and the punishment had to fit the offense and we talked in a civil manner about what was done wrong and what steps were going to be taken to make it right. I made a vow to myself to never harm my children as my parents did to me. I also am a parent advocate as my daughter was born with Down syndrome and I help counsel new mothers who are afraid of the unknown and I take pride in helping those new mothers see what my daughter is capable of and bring them hope for a bright future for their child. I have been through a lot in my 46 trips around the sun, and the stories of abuse, losing everything and restarting with nothing, to being on the other side, giving back to inspire others ... I live it and breathe it daily and it is my hope to inspire other women and see them become the strong, amazing women that they are destined to be. Also, being able to connect with other women business owners to talk shop is going to be so helpful as well! So, with that said ... Let's get stronger together!