Meet Bailey Reber

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bailey Reber a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bailey, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
This is a very interesting question that I’ve actually thought a lot about lately. Growing up, I was miserable. So miserable, that it was apparently visibly noticeable, and friends that I’ve known since grade school have recently opened up and told me that they saw this in me. Back then, I used books, TV and my imagination as a form of escapism because although I did not enjoy my life, I knew that there was a better life out there for me.

I’ve faced adversity in an array of different forms, from receiving a bipolar 2 diagnosis at the age of 16 that no one understood to moving into my own apartment at the age of 18 and struggling to make ends meet to facing my alcoholism at age 25 and overcoming it. With each new difficulty that hit my life, I think the thought that there was something better awaiting me is what’s kept me going.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an entrepreneur who loves to get involved in way too many things. My two biggest endeavors at the moment are the podcast that I launched in 2020 and the Etsy shop that I launched in 2022.

My podcast, Distressed to Joyful; Bailey’s Way, is about my journey with accepting my bipolar 2 disorder and overcoming the challenges that I am often faced with due to this disorder. It’s currently in its 4th season, which is a major accomplishment that I’m very proud of. Before the podcast’s debut, very few people knew that I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder or that I struggled with it for years before learning how to successfully manage it. For the longest time, I chose to keep this information private for fear of judgment or mistreatment. Bipolar disorder is considered one of the most misunderstood mental health disorders and due to this, many people choose to struggle in silence like I did. Once I got the help that I needed and began to see a transformation within myself, I knew that I needed to share what’s helped me in order to encourage others to seek the help that they may need. My hope and ultimate goal of the podcast is to provide a safe space for people to hear that they are not alone in their struggles, that seeking help is a sign of strength and to encourage everyone to be kinder to those around them. You never know what’s going on in the mind of the person next to you and choosing kindness above all is always the answer.

As for my Etsy shop, this was a long-time goal of mine that I was finally able to bring to life last year! I learned how to sew in elementary school and was given my first sewing machine when I was 10 years old. By the time high school hit, I began learning how to make clothing for myself. I’ve been designing and creating my own clothes and costumes for over a decade now and thanks to the encouragement of my fiancé, I am currently enrolled in the Fashion Design program at Houston Community College. My Etsy shop, Bailey’s Way Designs, features baby/kids clothing along with t-shirts and useful accessory items! I’m very proud of myself for finally taking the steps to launch an online shop to sell my creations. All of the funds generated are put towards paying for my college tuition to help me move further into a full-time career in fashion, with the end goal of launching my own fashion line.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first quality that comes to mind is the desire to always be a student of life. You can’t grow without learning new things and as my favorite author, Brené Brown, puts it, “if you’re not growing, you’re dying”. My life seems to get better and better each year because I’m always willing to learn new things that improve the quality of my life.

Next, it’s so important to understand that failure is required in order to achieve success. If you’re afraid of failure, you will always be holding yourself back from moving forward and from achieving any of your goals. Once I understood this fact and that having failures in life is not a reflection on me as a person, I was able to get “unstuck” and move forward with building the life that I wanted.

Lastly, the willingness to get back up and try again is necessary in any journey you’re taking in life. This is actually how you build resilience! If you fail, get back up and try again, as many times as needed, until you succeed. If you choose not to, you’ll stay stuck. Personally, I was tired of being stuck and tired of living a life where I wasn’t happy, so I was willing to get back up, time and time again, until I achieved what I was aiming for next that would help elevate my life.

The best advice I can give for those beginning a new life journey is to find people who are trying to achieve the same things as you or, better yet, find someone who has already achieved what you’re aiming to achieve. I’ve done both of these things multiple times and these are the benefits: Accountability is almost always needed when achieving something new for the first time, and having one person (or a group of people) participating alongside you makes continuing through tough times much easier. Additionally, talking with someone who has already achieved what you’re aiming to achieve is incredibly valuable! Having already been through it, they’re likely full of advice, do’s and don’ts and they can help guide you, making your journey less lonely and a bit easier.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest challenge that I’m facing right now is not letting my past traumas affect my relationship with my fiancé. I come from a very dysfunctional family and he comes from a very healthy family, which has caused a lot of conflict in our household. I want us to have a happy, healthy marriage, but my past traumas are holding me back. My therapist of 11 years recommended that I do Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR therapy) to help me heal and move forward with my life. This process has been emotionally draining and very challenging at times, but I’m glad I’ve chosen to do this. I’ll be releasing a podcast episode soon about my experiences with this intensive therapy, and I’m happy to report that there are good outcomes that I will be sharing!

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Image Credits
Darrell Williams – 713 Photo Focus

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