We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Terri Dunbar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Terri , thank you so much for joining us and opening up about the very personal topic of divorce. So many in the community are going through or have gone through divorce and we think hearing about how others dealt with the aftermath and managed to build a vibrant, successful life and career despite the trauma of divorce can be helpful to many who might be feeling a degree of hopelessness. So, maybe you can talk to us about how you overcame divorce?
I overcame divorce by keeping a close relationship with God and staying in the race of life. The one thing that helped me the most was my children. I knew that I had to stand up and keep going because of them. I was married for ten years and like a lot of women, as young girls we dream of the fairy tale wedding with the perfect husband and raising your children in a two parent household. But, unfortunately life did not turn out the way I wanted. After my divorce, I knew I had to keep going for my kids. At first life was hard for me and I struggled in the beginning. But after a lot of prayer and meditation I got myself back in the game. I started by making myself a vision board by writing down every thing I wanted in my life. Next, I put a date by everything on my vision board. Then I executed the plan!! I started making motivational videos to not only inspire others, but to also inspire myself to keep going. I always knew my purpose in life was to be a motivational speaker, so making inspirational videos helped me to overcome my divorce. But I can say, it has a been a process for me. I have learned a lot! And mostly, I have grown and matured a lot! And my kids! My kids have been my saving grace! Because, they also helped me to overcome divorce! One day me and my nineteen year old was having a conversation and I was telling him how hard it was for me financially when me and his dad got divorced eleven years ago. I told him how I use to take him and his brother and sister to Dollar Tree to pick them out something to eat, because I didn’t have much money. And my son’s response made me tear up. My son said, “oh I remember that, I thought that was fun. I was always happy when we did that!” He let me knew him and his siblings enjoyed that moment.. One thing I never did was let my kids see me down. If I had to have a moment, I would go in my room and close the door. The best advice I would give a divorced momma to help her overcome divorce is, to shield your kids from Any arguments, don’t talk bad about the other parent, and to shower your kids with lots of love. I overcame divorce and I am finally at a place in my life where I can breathe a little easier!
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?
My story starts back in 1996 when I was fifteen years old. My heart completely stopped beating. My heart had to be shocked in order to get it started back beating. From that day forward I knew God was recharging my heart for the road he was about to take me on. I am a single mother to three kids, and it has not been easy, but in my Children’s eyes, I have been super momma to them. I consider myself a super woman because through every trail I have been through, I have flew through it all!! A woman carry so much strength!!! But through it all I don’t complain!! And now I look back at my kids and smile because I know that because of my strength they turned out to be awesome kids! Being a strong woman takes you a long way!! More about me. I am a motivational speaker, hairstylist, and upcoming actress. I enjoy being a motivational speaker. I have inspired so many young women through my motivational videos. So I thrive to keep going! Being a motivational is my passion and my purpose!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Prayer and Meditation 2. Being consistent 3. I kept going Stay focused, even when life gets hard! Always continue to alleviate that goal you are working on. Don’t ever get comfortable with your dream. Continue to find ways to make it better. When you have those down times where you are not being booked or your business is running slow. Find ways to advertise yourself. But don’t stop!!! And when life starts throwing curves at you: Turn your distractions down and your focus up!!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking forward to speaking at more conferences! As a motivational speaker, I take pride in every engagement that I am invited to speak at. At lot of my inspirational videos are located on my instagram: IAmTerriDanelle. I take pride in speaking and motivating. I make sure I am able to touch and help someone! I am available for women’s conferences, podcast interviews and speaking engagements.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iamterridanelle.wixsite.com/terridanelle?fbclid=PAAaZTw8U2GZtHl1yoQbSzr-iVsZTgNsfFDJ4AWkv2N7gJmSi4TbvQKROUTMM
- Instagram: IAmTerriDanelle
- Facebook: Danelle Fielder
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Therundownonblacktalktv
