Dr SHANA GOURDINE of upstated on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Dr SHANA GOURDINE and have shared our conversation below.

SHANA, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What battle are you avoiding?

*What Battle Am I Avoiding?

*Answer by Dr Shana Gourdine*

The battle I’ve been avoiding is **truly healing from the past trauma I thought I had already overcome**.

For years, I put on a brave face. I smiled through the pain, showed up for others, and told myself I was “fine.” But deep down, there are wounds from abuse, abandonment, and betrayal that I never fully gave myself permission to feel. I buried them because facing them meant reopening chapters I wanted to forget. But healing doesn’t happen through hiding it happens through honesty.

I’ve realized that avoiding the pain has only delayed my freedom. God can’t heal what I pretend doesn’t exist. So now, I’m choosing to sit with the uncomfortable truths, to cry when I need to, to journal, to pray, to talk it out and most importantly, to stop judging myself for still being on this journey.

Healing is not a destination it’s a daily decision. And I’m finally learning that I am worthy of that healing. Not just so I can keep going, but so I can truly thrive.

This is the battle I’ve been avoiding, but I’m ready to face it. Because on the other side of this pain is peace, purpose, and power.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
**Meet Shana Gourdine**

*Empowerment Advocate | Author | Founder of Shana Unmasking Ministries*

My name is Shana Gourdine, and I’m a poet, author, motivational speaker, and empowerment life coach ,but more than anything, I’m a woman who turned her pain into purpose. I’m the founder of *Shana Unmasking Ministries* and *Unmasking Motivation Magazine*, platforms created to uplift, educate, and empower others to heal from trauma and walk boldly in their God-given purpose.

My journey hasn’t been easy. I’ve overcome domestic violence, chronic illness, miscarriage, and unimaginable loss. But instead of staying silent, I chose to speak up. My brand is about removing the mask—being real about what hurts so we can be free to grow, love, and live fully.

Through books, coaching, challenges, retreats, and virtual series like *Healing Through Words*, I create safe spaces where healing and hope can rise. Right now, I’m working on new devotionals, empowering anthologies, and preparing for our *Turn My Pain Into Purpose* conference in 2025.

Everything I do is rooted in this belief: **you can rise, even from the deepest pain—and you don’t have to do it alone.**

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
**What Moment Really Shaped How You See the World?**

*Answer by Shana Gourdine*

One of the moments that truly shaped how I see the world was surviving **domestic violence**. It wasn’t just the pain—it was the silence. The way people looked past the signs, the way I learned to smile through the storm, and how I felt invisible while crying out for help in ways I didn’t have the words to express.

That experience changed everything.

It showed me how deeply people can hurt, how easy it is to wear a mask, and how powerful it is to finally take it off. It made me realize that behind every strong woman is a story and often a battle no one sees.

But it also awakened a fire in me. It gave me a new lens: one that looks at others with compassion instead of judgment. One that recognizes resilience in the quietest survivors. And one that believes healing is possible, no matter how shattered life once felt.

That moment didn’t break me. It built me. It gave me purpose. And it’s why I now fight so hard to help others unmask their pain and step into their power.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

**What Have Been the Defining Wounds of Your Life And How Have You Healed Them?**

*Answer by DR. Shana Gourdine*

The defining wounds of my life were never just physical they were emotional, spiritual, and deeply personal. They were the moments that almost broke me, yet somehow, they became the foundation for everything I’ve built today.

One of the most defining wounds was surviving **domestic violence**. I remember what it felt like to lose myself in the silence walking on eggshells, trying to be enough, hiding bruises both seen and unseen. It stripped me of my confidence, my voice, and my sense of safety. But more than anything, it taught me how easily pain can be hidden behind a smile.

Then came the wound of miscarriage the silent grief of holding dreams that would never come to life. That loss shattered me in a way I didn’t even know was possible. It made me question my womanhood, my worth, and my faith. I carried that pain quietly, feeling like the world moved on while I stayed stuck in the “what-ifs.”

I also lost my brother to cancer and my spiritual father men who covered me, believed in me, and loved me unconditionally. Their absence left a hole in my heart that still aches. And through it all, I’ve battled chronic illness , fighting a war within my body while still showing up to serve, speak, and lead.

These wounds could have turned me bitter, angry, or numb. But I made a choice I chose healing . Not the kind that comes overnight, but the kind that’s messy, intentional, and sacred.

I began to heal when I gave myself permission to stop pretending.
I healed by **writing my truth**, by **sharing my story**, and by **creating safe spaces for others to do the same**.
I healed through **therapy,prayer, journaling, and surrounding myself with women who could hold me up when I felt too weak to stand.

I realized that healing doesn’t mean the pain never existed. It means the pain no longer controls your future.

Now, I use my story as a weapon of hope. My wounds have become my wisdom. My scars are now the ink that writes books, speaks life into others, and builds platforms like *Unmasking Motivation Magazine*, *Shana Unmasking Ministries*, and the *Turn My Pain Into Purpose* movement.

I’m not just healing for me I’m healing for every woman who thought she wouldn’t make it.
And if that’s you, I want you to know: **you can rise too.**

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Is the Public Version of Me Real?

*Answer by Dr Shana Gourdine*

Yes—**the public version of me is real.** But it’s not the *whole* story.

What you see publicly my strength, my smile, my passion, my voice is real because it’s rooted in everything I’ve survived and overcome. The woman who encourages others, who speaks life, who walks in purpose and faith that’s not a mask, that’s the healed version of me. That’s the me who fought to be free.

But behind that public version is also a private journey of a woman who cried herself to sleep, who questioned if she was worthy, who had to rebuild from rock bottom. There were days I didn’t feel strong, days I wanted to give up, and days I doubted everything I now stand for.

So yes, what you see is real. But it’s real because I earned it. I walked through fire to become her. I healed publicly and privately. I turned wounds into wisdom. I still have quiet moments where I wrestle with fear, but I refuse to live behind a mask.

I share my truth not just to inspire but to remind every woman reading this that your scars don’t make you weak. They make you real.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
**What Is the Story You Hope People Tell About You When You’re Gone?**

*Answer by Dr Shana Gourdine*

When I’m gone, I hope people don’t just remember *what* I did—but **how I made them feel**.

I want them to say, *“She made me believe healing was possible.”*
That I loved hard. That I spoke life into broken places. That I showed up for people when they were silent, hurting, and unseen. That I didn’t just talk about faith—I lived it out, even through pain.

I hope they say, *“Shana didn’t just survive—she helped others rise too.”*

I want to be remembered as a woman who turned her wounds into wisdom. A mother, sister, friend, and servant who stood unapologetically in her truth, loved God fiercely, and used every part of her story—every scar, every tear, every loss—to remind others that they were never alone.

Let them say:
“She unmasked her pain, walked in purpose, and lit the path for others to do the same.”

Because in the end, legacy isn’t just what you leave behind—it’s **who you helped rise while you were here.**

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