Dominika

BEd, MEd(Psych)

*disclaimer: I am not a classically trained counsellor/therapist. I have lived [and living] experiences of C-PTSD, addiction, domestic violence, severe childhood abuse, racism, rejection, betrayal... you name it - I have been there! I have overcome everything by the Grace of God! During the times when I did not trust a soul, or even myself, I learned how to trust the Creator - and here I am today.

Storyteller's Nest is a space not only for my own life's story to be shared but also a space for every person's story to be heard and witnessed! It is built on love for people and love for helping people. I know what it is like to feel broken into one million pieces and have no one to come and help pick them up. I know the excruciating pain of loneliness and no shoulder to cry on. I know what it means grow up as an orphan with both parents still alive. I know the never-ending sleepless nights filled with tears, exhaustion and prayers, "PLEASE HELP ME GOD because I have nothing left in me". I know what it feels like to not want to live anymore because life itself hurts. I know what it takes to show up for a child when one cannot even show up for themselves.

I KNOW! I HAVE BEEN THERE! <-CLICK

All the suffering that I went through, helps me develop connections based on mutual experiences and shared life challenges as opposed to assigning dry, textbook definitions. I develop heart-to-heart relationship thanks to, and because of, what I have lived and been living through. I openly admit that I have been on both sides of the abuse, because I was told that "hurt people hurt people" and I used it as my story for much of my life, until I learned that we all have choices and I do not have to repeat the dysfunctional cycle I grew up in, I do not have to live in survival any longer - I can decide to learn new ways! So I did - I made a decision to do and to be healthier/better, and God took care of the rest!

In 2020 (5 years into my own recovery), Storyteller's Nest (prev. Whole Hearts Matter) was born on the foundation of a broken heart that was in the process of healing. God kept saying to me, "stop teaching and start listening", (I was a language instructor). Although right there and then I did not know what He meant, I quickly learned that my entire life story was about to be re-written; it became a STORY OF HOPE, RESILIENCE, PERSEVERANCE AND INCREDIBLE OVERCOMING!

After all, stories are the way we make sense out of the events of our lives. We tell stories in order to understand what has happened to us and to create meaning from those experiences. Our shared stories create a connection to others that builds a sense of belonging; they shape who we are. Yet, for each story-teller there must be a story-listener as each story is a unique creation between the two! I am here to listen to yours and help you make sense of your inner world <-CLICK

Thank you for your time reading a little bit about me. I look forward to meeting YOU!