Reflections From The Fire

By Whitney Schreck

Every crucible experience offers insights if only we take the time to reflect meaningfully. This book chronicles a young woman's journey to discovering her core values through the storied lens of being an author, entrepreneur, and flourishing human.

 

The book is broken into 3 sections and at the end of each section is a reflection which allows the reader to enter in to their own experience with the stories that were shared. The pace of the read is easy follow and connect with and the length of the book is roughly 60 pages. 

 

"Reading these beautiful, heart-wrenching narratives of perseverance—underpinned by the remarkable apotheosis of self-determination from a little girl who knew her worth despite the world—helps us all to affirm our own singular humanity and intrinsic value. The grace, resiliency, and self-compassion rooted in these stories are sources of strength for those of us seeking to honor our whole selves. Thank you, Whitney, for sharing your light and for helping us to find our own fence posts."

-Whitney Blackburn, Director of Marketing, Optus Inc.

 

"One defining strength of the book is the brutal honesty and openness within the author's story that is rarely seen. Some of the stories seem so raw and fresh, you can feel the anger and betrayal yourself as you read them. Leaving you with an awareness that even though these are not your stories, we each have our own fires that have burned or either need to be set ablaze, so that beauty can come from the ashes." - Alyssa Edens, Assistant Vice President, St.Bernards Healthcare

 

"The story unfolds from childhood into adolescence and ultimately in adulthood (both professionally and life). The depth of experience, insights, and strength to overcome all that life can throw at you  is a must read for any age (male or female). Not only does this book offer a glimpse into the spirit of a developing woman but it also offers suggestions on how to reframe your experience, learn from it, create boundaries, and set a course to being you." Michael Green, Master Certified Coach, Owner of Mike Green Leadership

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Whitney Schreck
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986309019

Book preview

Forward

"W hitney weaves tales of both childhood & professional core memories that show the reader how the stories of our lives reflect within one another.  A book of determination with an author who has the heart of a lion; it offers to those looking for tips and tools for healing and repair of the pain experienced in our own journey. 

She reminds us to lean into the trials of our own lives. Reflecting on how the flames of our stories dance together and are written in our bodies and our souls. And when the amber dust settles and there is nothing left but smoke, we can rise knowing we also have books inside us, waiting to be written."

Lynn Hill, Yoga Story Owner and Fitness Trainer

Ode to You

To you who wakes up and thinks no one sees you or wants to. You are brilliant and unmistaken for anything less than worthy of being seen.

To you who believed they must remain small and not need much or be a bother. May you unravel, stretch, and explore the vast parts of who you are without hesitation or guilt.

To you who is facing the dark night of the soul and thinks it won’t matter if you let go or are gone. Feeling the weight of the world on your shoulder every day and feeling it roll onto your chest at night as you attempt to sleep.  May you find grace and kindness in a stranger’s glance, even if from your own reflection. May its levity remind you to take one step at a time.

To you who is the wild sojourner who has found it difficult to find their place with anyone or anywhere. Break the restrictive molds. Bridle your strength and harness your power to create what only you can. May you find that you have belonged all along to yourself and to that beautiful wildness in our world.

To you who has never started over or who is having to start over once again and feels the pause and the daunting fear that comes with the unknown. May you be met with deep exhales that let out the worst-case scenario. As you breathe in, begin to dream, wonder, and even revel at your own resilience and capacity.

Intro

Ithink there is a wonder in every child’s heart that never really dies. It’s the spark that happens the first time they see something wild like a butterfly. This wonder pulses through your body like a heartbeat and makes you want to draw closer and explore it, to know more and to open yourself up to the power of beauty and glory. Of course, when you are a young, you don’t have all these magical words to describe these sensations happening to you, but your body responds in kind by gasping for air or squealing with delight, or in my case it was running uninhibited through open fields at my great-grandfather’s farm. We recognize in that moment that we are no longer a spark but a magnificent, wild fire.

I hope that as I share my stories with you that you hear the crackling of your own flame. I believe in the ability of stories to connect people from all walks of life, and I hope my wildness speaks to yours. I do want to clarify that this book is not meant to offer medical advice or to therapize in any way. I have the heart of a guiding storyteller. In these pages I share my own stories, their reflections, and insights as well as Letters I wrote to honor the woman within me who emerged from those fires.

The suggestions and examples in this book reflect how my heart has learned to harness the world around me, and my hope is as you read them, they will inspire and connect with you. Maybe it can offer language or tools to be a bit freer in your own experiences. I am delightfully humbled you are willing to give your time to read from this storyteller’s life. Shall we begin?

Part I- Book

Beauty can be found in the best places. The places you’d never think to look.

—Lady with a rose tattoo

My memory story begins with a desire to wonder, imagine, feel, and explore. I can recall all these sensations of wonderings without that first taste of fear or pause or withdrawal. Not unlike many children, my curious nature was matched by a need to try it out. I remember at the age of two being on the floor of the kitchen in my single mother’s apartment. I had learned to walk at a year old, so I got up and waddled over to the side of the stove. There was a counter