Meet Brianna Barrett

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

Hi Brianna, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?

Suffering from a chronic illness brings new light to your outlook on life. I’ve faced seasons of isolation and loneliness which have birthed a ministry to encourage and support my fellow chronic illness warriors. The world can seem lonely as it is and adding chronic health problems exacerbates the situation. The seasons of hard health issues have allowed me the opportunity to bring hope to others battling similar situations.

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?

On my fortieth birthday my debut book launched, Hope in the Healing. This book provides those facing health challenges a forty day devotional journey through my own story sharing where I’ve found hope and encouragement. Chronic illness can be a lonely journey but when you find others in similar situations your journey and outlook brighten knowing you aren’t alone.

Writing has been a source of encouragement and hope for myself which launched a community of people from across the world that have joined together to pray and encourage one another. This community online has brought joy into my life birthing friendships and partners in prayer.

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?

Some words of advice for my fellow writers: Don’t ever give up. When you want to give up because you’re tired or overwhelmed, don’t. One foot in front of the other, even if it’s a baby step it’s still moving forward. Too often people give up when it gets hard and miss out on the blessings that follow obedience.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Through the self publishing process I didn’t know what to do but reaching out to others along the way, I found a community of support. People are willing to help you if you ask.

Whatever you are passionate about, feed your passion. If it’s travel, take the trip. If it’s photography, take the picture. Whatever it is that brings you joy do it, live and be thankful.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

If I knew I only had one decade left, I’d make sure to take the trip, eat the cake (gluten free of course) and enjoy every moment I’d been given.

Actually that’s no different than I live because we never know what tomorrow holds and enjoying the beauty of life that we’ve been given is important.

I think we can all say we learned what was important to us during COVID. The things we missed and the relationships that were important.

I would encourage you to live and be where your feet are, meaning be with your people and love them. Lay down the devices and really be present. My family and I have been making a conscious effort to lay the devices down and spend time with those around us. The change in attitudes and stress levels has been amazingly wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: HTTPS://briannagrams.com
• Instagram: Https://www.instagram.com/briannagrams1
• Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/briannagrams1
• Other: You can find my debut devotional here: https://a.co/d/e47plIm

  Also if you check out my website you can download your free companion journal here: https://briannagrams.com/hope-in-the-healing/

Image Credits

My own