By Michalla Bohon
Five actionable ways to achieve growth and healing in your own journey.
I began my life in poverty, raised by parents who were professional ice skaters. Traveling throughout the United States and living life behind the scenes, I was in and out of school, raised by my imagination. Often times, our family showered at truck stops where the water ran cold, ate gas station food, stayed in hotels where I would sleep on the floor beside my parents’ mattress, or lived out of our car. While this time brought about amazing opportunities for cultural exposure, wisdom, and inner strength—it also left deep wounds.
The worst parts were the things I had to leave behind. My dad, bless his heart, would put my short-term gerbil friends into their exercise balls and let them roll off into the woods every time we had to get back on the road. Gerbils were a cheap comfort, but my heart broke every time. I also had to leave all my human friends behind each time we hit the road and, as a result, I struggled in school. I wouldn’t trade that circus lifestyle for anything, though. If I did, I wouldn’t be who I am today, and that’s a valuable piece of my puzzle.
Around the age of 10, I went to live with my grandparents in Florida due to drug abuse and domestic violence concerns. This transition brought about stability, comfort, and opportunities, and I began to flourish despite my tumultuous upbringing. However, I had no social skills with children my age, and I struggled in school. I was picked on for my grades, and, admittedly, bullied others from a state of fear. I believe I was seeking some form of control or power because I’d never had that before or been in an environment to test my limits, or the limits of the world. That will never justify my actions and I am sorry that I hurt others. I now have a clearer understanding of my own human psyche, and I know that forgiving the self is a crucial part of the healing process. It is the path to self-love, acceptance, and growth.
Despite these issues, I did develop several close friends, but I still struggled with my identity, and behind the scenes my family’s personal concerns raged on. It’s almost as if we were all finding ourselves at once, and that can be a messy space. Unfortunately, only half of us would make it to the other side.”
In high school, I developed debilitating anxiety and was diagnosed with scoliosis after chronic back pain spurred a revealing x-ray. This would be the final catalyst to launch myself forward into personal development. I decided to leave public school because I was bored, anxious about falling behind in subjects I cared nothing about, and restless searching for what I wanted from life. So I began home schooling to follow my dreams. I had to escape the typical to allow myself the chance to see what could be, and each new experience along the way enforced my belief that anything is possible.
It wasn’t just luck. It was hard work, drive, and determination. People only see what we allow them to see; we don’t post the images and videos of us crying, having panic attacks, or doubting ourselves. Perhaps we want it to look easy? But the truth is that achievement through authenticity and struggle inspires more than perfection. Perfection sets unrealistic standards for those trying to feel inspired by you. What we really need is more people with whom we can relate.
With my budding confidence I became a robot handler, inspirational speaker for youth, professional model, commercial actress, and voiceover talent. I also worked as a server, personal assistant, pre-K teacher, Disney entertainer, and gymnastics couch—and it was through these many experiences that I began to discover her life’s purpose.
My parents always cheered me on, but I have to give most of the credit to my grandmother because she changed my life. Without her support, my life could have looked much different. The saying that it only takes one person to make a difference in your life is true. All we need is one person to remind us of our potential and to let us know that it’s okay to explore the limitless possibilities of our human existence.
It also takes a willingness to look inward. I credit my bursts of success to an explorative process of the shadow self, reality, global belief systems, counseling, and opportunities. It is hard to have motivation when you don’t believe in your direction and don’t trust yourself to get there. Having an authentic vision and never settling for anything less is a great first step, but we all need to do the inner work and prepare so that when opportunity knocks, we won’t hesitate out of fear of failure or success. The outcome does not matter; what is important is the life you live while on the journey that unfolds. I think my secret is that I’m actually enjoying the experience of living. We should all be able to say that and if we can’t then it’s probably time for a shift.
The major shift for me was studying what I loved. It was as simple as that! In high school and during my early college days, I was struggling because I was leading an academic life without choice. I think these foundational roots are instrumental, but I also can see how they might deter someone from moving forward. Once you hit your bachelor’s degree, you can pick the main topics and immerse yourself in your greatest passions. I knew where I wanted to go early on because I got to explore early on. I know that not everyone has that choice. That’s why I always encourage others to find ways to re-gift themselves that chance. Take a free course online, go back to school at age 60, make time for what you love, and if you come up with excuses for why you can’t then you probably don’t want it bad enough. That is okay, too. At the end of the day, the important takeaway is that you got to paint your picture of life exactly how you wanted it.
I get a lot of resistance when I mention these things because people often feel trapped without options but—most of us do have the choice. We can choose different colors and brush strokes every second of every day. Hell, we can toss the canvas and start over if need be! Sometimes, we give others the paintbrush just because it is easier to sit back in neutral while life drives us.
With the motto “ anything is possible” ringing in my ears, I became a published children’s book author, and I have released a half a dozen inspirational, motivational, and encouraging books for young readers. I am now the founder and CEO of Barrie Patch Books, The Healing Arts LLC, and A Home 4 Arts Inc. The latter is a nonprofit organization for impoverished youth that provides creative expression and counseling services to those in need throughout Florida with plans to expand globally. I also released my first game application on Google Play for all android devices. Based on one of my children’s books, it is a “seek and find” that cultivates curiosity and encourages education.
And I’m not done yet. I hope to reenter the public speaking arena, publish young adult and self-help books, produce films or television shows, and conduct research in the fields of epigenetics and quantum healing. The main thing I have realized as a counselor is that people are comfortable in their discomfort. It is easier to continue to stay in what we know, even if that’s situational depression, anxiety, stress, abuse, anger, worry, self-hate, or the job we hate, because we can do it all on auto pilot. The negative feelings are so familiar that it’s actually easier than the changes we could make to help ourselves feel better. And, yes the changes are hard because they take dedication, accountability, awareness, time, emotional exploration, and understanding. You have to be ready and willing to put in the work and to know that you are worthy of the changes it will produce.
I would like to leave you with five actionable ways to achieve growth and healing in your own journey:
1. Have the courage each day to live as authentically as possible, admit when you are wrong, and maintain curiosity. This keeps us open to possibilities and reinforces a healthy reality.
2. Never give up on your passions and dreams. Anything is better than nothing, so infuse your life with what you need to feel fulfilled, meaningful, and purposeful. Life is for exploring human depth and possibilities, not settling into the mechanical “Matrix.”
3. Surround yourself with people who believe in you. This is a common saying but our social circles create the outside voices we hear on a daily basis, and what we hear on repeat becomes our reality and creates our perceptions. Therefore, create magic not toxicity.
4. Never stop learning. The more we know in any field, the better equipped we are to make the best choices for ourselves, and the more humility and humanity we can uncover. Study what lights you up inside.
5. Understand yourself, your pain, your beliefs, values, origins, and allow that to help you make sense of who you are, your desires, possible roadblocks, and what you want from your life. We have to understand our foundations in order to build a strong system.
There are always struggles on the journey. We all make mistakes, and that’s okay. At the end of the day, we can choose to live so connected to our highest selves that we inspire everyone we meet simply by living. Imagine a world like that…
Michalla Bohon is a Humanistic and Existential Registered Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern, Expressive Arts Therapy Intern, Certified Life Purpose Coach, Past Life Regression Coach, Meditation Practitioner, Energy Healer, and HeartMath Therapist located in sunny Florida. She is an author, the founder and CEO of A Home 4 Art and The Healing Arts. She also is a former Disney entertainer, robot handler, voiceover actress, commercial model, party planner, foster care worker, and public speaker. Michalla has been featured in Inspiring Lives Magazine, on the Kind Army Podcast, on The Fierce Women Project, on Episode 2 of The CoLab Series with Kristen Kish, and various local news and radio sources for her current work and aspirations. Michalla holds a bachelor’s degree in both Human Developmental Psychology and Creative Writing from Eckerd College, as well as a master’s in clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands. Michalla aims to complete her second master’s in creative literature from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Expressive Therapies in the future.
Michalla Bohon is a Humanistic and Existential Registered Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern, Expressive Arts Therapy Intern, Certified Life Purpose Coach, Past Life Regression Coach, Meditation Practitioner, Energy Healer, and HeartMath Therapist located in sunny Florida. She is an author, the founder and CEO of A Home 4 Art and The Healing Arts. She also is a former Disney entertainer, robot handler, voiceover actress, commercial model, party planner, foster care worker, and public speaker. Michalla has been featured in Inspiring Lives Magazine, on the Kind Army Podcast, on The Fierce Women Project, on Episode 2 of The CoLab Series with Kristen Kish, and various local news and radio sources for her current work and aspirations. Michalla holds a bachelor’s degree in both Human Developmental Psychology and Creative Writing from Eckerd College, as well as a master’s in clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands. Michalla aims to complete her second master’s in creative literature from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Expressive Therapies in the future.