Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Stiles.
Hi Courtney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Courtney. I grew up in Southaven, Ms. I graduated from Southaven High School. I grew up in a broken family. My mom was an addict and I grew up with my dad as the main caretaker. I have 3 sisters that I love more than anything in the world, and my sole priority has been to take care of them physically and emotionally. They are quite literally my reason for living. They’re my rocks. Trigger warning. In 2014, about 8 months before graduation, I was raped. That took a huge toll on my life. I lost all sense of hope. In the summer of 2015, I attended College where I then had to walk the halls with my abuser. I couldn’t take seeing them every day and I eventually missed too many days of school and had to drop out. I felt like the biggest failure. I started to work at Edible Arrangements, a company that literally saved my life. The people who worked there were God-sent.
I slowly started to pick back up the pieces. I met my now husband at Edible Arrangements, and he too has been a big part of my healing journey. I sought out therapy a few years later and learned that I was Autistic and had obvious PTSD which contributed to a lot of the way I deal with things, and started a lifelong journey towards healing. I went back to college and graduated with an associate’s. I soon plan on going back to get my master’s in psychology. I want to be able to help people heal their inner broken children like myself. This isn’t even half of my story. Soon enough I’ll be able to speak about things I’m not yet ready for. But here I am now—20 steps further than I was. I guess the moral of the story… for now, is to keep going… Your feelings are valid… You are enough… and it’s okay to not know how to be okay… just yet. This isn’t the end of OUR story.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently work for a company called EA Langenfeld as a sales assistant. I love my job and the people I work with. I would say I’m most known for my humor, and kindness.
I LOVE to give to others. I wouldn’t say anything sets me apart from the other average person. I try my absolute best to show others that they’re valuable even in their feelings of not being unique enough.
What matters most to you?
Being kind to people and just helping people in their time of need is huge for me. I feel like one thing the world lacks is genuine kindness. It’s not often that I meet people who care to help others just because they can.
Most people worry about what others are going to do with their help, rather than just being glad they were able to help in the first place. I think we forget those feelings we get of loneliness in our own time of need.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/courtneyoderia
- Facebook: Facebook.com/courtneyoderia
