We recently connected with Tonya Cunningham and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tonya, really appreciate your meeting with us today to talk about some particularly personal topics. It means a lot because so many in the community are going through circumstances where your insights and experience and lessons might help, so thank you so much in advance for sharing. The first question we have is about divorce and how you overcame divorce and didn’t allow the trauma of divorce to derail your vision for your life and career.
I was married to a guy who was also my pastor. After 9 years of marriage, he stated he no longer had the capacity to be married to me any longer. He exited the marriage. After hearing from external sources that he’s active in the LGBTQ community, I was devastated and depressed. Became suicidal and self admitted to a mental health hospital. Was there for 6 days and nights, and then out patient therapy for 30 days. This is where my healing began and I overcame the pain of divorce.
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 was working as a Bereavement Coordinator for a local hospice company when I divorced in 2012. 2022, I quit my job to work for myself as a speaker and grief counselor. I also started a non profit, Let’s Talk Healing, whose mission is to help people heal from grief. I’m a 6 time author and public speaker who gets to travel the world helping others navigate grief.
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?
Self Awareness
Adaptability
Forgiveness
My best advice is to be open to the journey of healing because if nothing changes, nothing changes. Embrace the opportunities for growth, rediscovery, and new discoveries.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Emotional Regulation has been my biggest accomplishment this year. Learning to destress and pulling my body out of survival mode. This was done through decluttering my life: my physical home, my emotions, my relationships, my finances, my physical life, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drtonyacunningham.com
- Instagram: Dr. Tonya Cunningham
- Facebook: Dr. Tonya Cunningham and Tonya Cunningham
- Linkedin: Dr. Tonya Cunningham
Image Credits
Taylor Made Photography
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