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Canberra Today 25°/28° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

How Kerry was ‘saved’ by being hit by a bus

Ms Pink Herself, Kerry Howard… “I was forced to re-examine myself, understand who I truly was and determine that I really liked her, my true ‘authentic’ self.”

AFTER being hit by a bus at the age of 28, Kerry Howard (or “Ms Pink Herself”) developed PTSD and secondary depression, which soon saw the psychology student and mother of two with little desire to live.

Looking back on that time, the now confident 48-year-old psychologist says that bus saved her life.

Kerry describes this in her new semi-autobiographical, self-help book, “Define Your Inner Diva: How to turn your mid-life crisis into a mid-life revolution”.

“I became aware of my own limiting beliefs when I was hit by a bus as a pedestrian as a young mum,” Kerry says.

“My sense of self up until that time had been built on a false ‘ego’, an outer shell that I used to believe was me.  

“I was forced to re-examine myself, understand who I truly was and determine that I really liked her, my true ‘authentic’ self.

“I spent about nine months working with a psychologist and working through all of the issues that had impacted my life to that point and was amazed at how that therapy (EMDR Therapy) allowed me to really change my sense of self.”

Currently sporting bright magenta hair, Kerry aims to support others to find their own diva that, she emphasises, refers to its original meaning, “female deity”.

The book covers six areas; self, relationship, career, finances, health and well being, and spirit.

“Primarily, I wrote the book for women like me; 40 plus, with kids, divorced and professional,” Kerry says.

She says it’s okay to be a strong, driven and independent woman and it’s also okay to have the relationship you secretly desire.

“It’s about being unique and accepting of your uniqueness but also empowered and understand that, as a woman, you can look after yourself,” Kerry says.

“People often don’t understand the importance of loving themselves.

“It’s natural to want to drop everything and spend all this time with the one person.

“But the key to having a healthy relationship is maintaining some level of individuality.”

The book acts as a roadmap and can be used in combination with resources from the “Ms Pink Herself” website.

Readers from around the world who finish the book and would like to help themselves further can then take their notes to a psychologist of their choice.

Kerry’s ultimate goal is for different groups within the world to stop using judgement to justify how they treat each other.

“I would love it if we lived in a world where we could just accept people for who they were, how they wanted to live and we are not trying to change them, but just embrace their difference,” she says.

For more information visit mspinkherself.com

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Danielle Nohra

Danielle Nohra

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