Glow Girl! Natasha Raey

Natasha is the founder and brainchild of SheTalks. SheTalksYVR, the inaugural event is this Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the Chandos Pattison Theatre in Surrey, in celebration of International Women’s Day. As CNN.com stated earlier this week, SheTalks is one of the Top 10 International Women’s Day Events around the world that you would be crazy to miss! You can still get your tickets and see Natasha and 15 other women speak for 8 minutes each. Grab your tickets now! Watch for SheTalks in other Canadian cities soon starting with Toronto this fall!

What is YOUR story? Who are YOU? What is YOUR life journey all about?

I think my story speaks to faith, hope and happiness.  Like everyone else in the world, I haven’t had a perfect life.  But I’m reminded every day about how blessed I am.  I’ve been lucky to have the most loving, supportive family and boyfriend, and a network of really amazing friends.  My relationship with God is the most important relationship in my life, and having such a strong faith has helped me to weather some really hard and painful times in my life.  My goal every day is to love everyone I encounter.  It’s so important to me to care for others.   I feel like that’s my gift and my purpose.  I’m also a workaholic in a sense, but because I love my work so much, and feel like everything I do is impacting the world in a positive way, I’m always driven to do more.  I think that’s what brought me to starting SheTalks – it didn’t just seem like an opportunity to hold another event – but I see it as a platform and a vehicle for giving all women the chance to tell their stories in a number of venues and environments.  I truly believe that women are better together, and I think SheTalks exemplifies that.  So I guess what I am trying to say, is that my journey is about helping to create a world that is filled with love and opportunity…and I’m so excited about what every day has to bring!

What has been YOUR biggest challenge or life obstacle that YOU feel has dimmed YOUR GLOW?

I think I’ve faced a number of challenges that I’ve been fairly public about.  I’ve had relationships in the past that had various forms of abuse, and that really put me in a place where I was scared, anxious and sad all the time.  It’s a hard, painful place to be….and it certainly dimmed my glow.  But as I spoke about earlier, I’m so blessed to have a family and network of friends who supported and loved me when I needed it the most.  And that really helped me to weather through the hard parts of my life.   I’ve also struggled with anxiety and for a couple years, I thought that drinking was the solution to making my anxiety go away – but that just resulted in more issues.  I quit drinking a little more than a year ago, and it was the best thing I could have done.  My life and my productivity improved immensely.  I don’t think I would be where I am today if I hadn’t made that change.

How have YOU grown as a woman in the last year? What lessons, insights or ah-ha moments have you had?

I think I’ve grown in so many ways in the last year.  I’ve learned that I can lead and create.  I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do the things I’ve done this year in previous years.  I’ve also learned that when I’m in the right relationship, my capacity to love is incredible. I’ve really learned how to be a good woman in a relationship this year (I hope).  And that’s because I’m with someone who makes me feel so loved and cherished and safe.  I think it really speaks to what I said before about creating a world filled with love and opportunity.  It’s so much easier to do when you surround yourself with the right people and do what you feel is good in your heart.  I’ve tried to learn to listen to my heart more this year, and to speak up more.  This has definitely been a year of monumental change and growth for me.

What else do YOU want to share with the YOU GLOW GIRL!® Community?

Women are amazing – never let anyone dim your sparkle.   Know your self-worth and know that you deserve whatever you need to make you happy.  Life is so short, I experienced a really hard and tragic loss a few months ago that stays in my heart every minute of every day as a reminder of how brief our time on this earth is.  We can’t waste this time.  Every second counts – so fill your time with as much love and good as you can.  You deserve it, and the world deserves it.

Each week in the YOU GLOW GIRL! Community we feature a different woman and her story. Be a part of this amazing community where women are consciously creating the lives their hearts and souls desire. You belong here! Join us today. Simply click here!