"I'm built for this." That is what Kiya says now, and by the end of this conversation you will understand what it cost her to be able to mean it.

In this episode of Barefoot Conversations, I sit down with my friend Kiya, a photographer, a dancer, and one of the most tender and self aware young women I know. For most of her life she was the strong friend, the one everybody leaned on, the happy face in the room who was quietly carrying far more than anyone knew.

We talk about where that armor came from, the wounds that taught her she could never break, and the generational trauma she decided to stop passing down. She is honest about her mental health journey, about the seasons that pulled her into the dark, and the night in a closet when she asked God to take her and woke up certain she had been kept here on purpose.

This one is tender in places, and it is full of hope. Kiya talks about choosing herself, laying down what was never hers to carry, doing the scary thing while she was still scared, and the words that carry her now: I'm built for this.

If you have ever been the strong one, the person who holds it together for everyone else, pull up a chair. Kiya has a word for you.

A gentle note before you listen: this conversation includes honest talk about depression, self harm, and suicide. Please take good care of your heart. If you are struggling, you are not alone and you do not have to carry it by yourself. In the US you can call or text 988 any time to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

IN THIS EPISODE

- Why the strong friend so often carries what nobody sees

- The wound that taught her never to break, and how she started to heal it

- Choosing to stop passing down generational trauma

- Healing the little girl still standing in the mirror

- The night in the closet, and waking up sure she was kept here on purpose

- Doing it scared: how fear and faith live in the same room

- The words that carry her now, I'm built for this

ABOUT KAYA

Kiya is a photographer and dancer who speaks openly about mental health, healing, and faith so that other people know they are not alone. Find her at [add Kiya's Instagram or website].

CONNECT

Kiya: @nhimagesphotography

Rachel: www.racheldfox.com | rachel@racheldfox.com

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