Rachel Freeman In an industry based heavily on aesthetics, I began to create and perpetuate an unhealthy image of myself. After undergrad and losing enough weight to resemble my 6th-grade frame, I faced my first major professional challenge. Ultimately, I had to either give up my dream of being a performer or live to tell about it. In the process, I learned to take the challenges I faced and turn them into strengths by motivating others who may be dealing with similar issues. Unhealthy and at a crossroads by my mid-20’s, I wrote a motivational piece through poetry. Although stressful at times, and still struggling daily with tantalizing old habits, I wanted to prove that I am more than my disease. Currently, I am writing a series of children’s books on tough subjects, including: cancer, separation, depression, body image, and disability awareness. This series is to help children learn strategies to cope and help them better understand the interconnectedness of the human spirit, no matter the age. If only this was around during the latch key kid era! I am a special education teacher by profession, with a focus on social and emotional learning. Personal family traumas, internal fights around recovery, and a challenging yet rewarding career path have provided me a unique story to share, advice worth listening to, and a personality that resonates with a television show binger (pun intended)! Links: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_descriptionandredir_token=QUFFLUhqbGZudG1lV2FXQldMdmU0Q0x2NEg5clFiXzRhZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttcndoakFLYW9sY1RleXNSRUoxODdYRzZ4OXdiTzlyTTNJSjIxbVkzbEhkSHBqUUlFdVdBN21maVJoX0NxWEFVOWk5Nl9xV25ybnVHSFNSdEw5WkpZSHZwd3I2djl6VWYtRWJLcjcwTEpSbzhnWVoxdwandq=https%3A%2F%2Fhungry2live.com%2F (https://hungry2live.com/) A link to my book: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_descriptionandredir_token=QUFFLUhqbDk0c1RCZlFxLUJJSHlsR2pBeHltbURFWFRSZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttRjVGZVJqMFNicXRtazZ1SnkwSkhrTXVkQk9zY3RVS29IZGxfYVFsWUd1U00wWWw1QUZTOERKX2pLNU1yMl9DOXNTcEJwVHlVeTBlOWR2VEs1elNHaDJPaEdGZV94SDZYWlVaN21oNWkwOVJfcTZzYwandq=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHunger-Rachel-Freeman%2Fdp%2F1949351939 (https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Rachel-...) https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_descriptionandredir_token=QUFFLUhqazFMZk1qQ2xDSmNyRzFyZXFNeENiUjNFQ0Ixd3xBQ3Jtc0tteGdRVXRFN2RmRjJjNEIwbmM5WDJieDRJWHQ0UkRGNUN1TTlJRTVMQmMxSEFNM0VoNWxQWWd2aFRrbUxmTDI4NVpnZ2ozMV9xa01vb3F6Y3FTSWRBaXRkVjFCeVhPc0ItaVJQMElmcndMV0R3ekxTawandq=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fmwlite%2Fin%2Frachel-freeman-882a313a (https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/ra...) https://www.Lilgrlbigapp.com (Lilgrlbigapp.com) @lilgrlbigwrds SHOW LESS This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: AdBarker - https://adbarker.com/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy