Trisha Bailey, Ph.D., is sharing her journey of healing from relationship trauma and seeks to help those who share similar journeys.
Unbroken: The Triumph of a Woman’s Journey is a compelling memoir of the Jamaican-born entrepreneur and philanthropist and her remarkable ascent to becoming a billionaire in the United States. Bailey discussed her blessings and how she can help others.
How did your life change when you relocated from Jamaica to the U.S.?
When I came from Jamaica to the U.S., I used to get whoopings. When my mom whooped me, I told myself, “I will never let her see me cry.” I used to repeat to myself, over and over, “You will never break me.”
And in all my trials, I constantly say, “You will never break me. I was born for this.” And so that’s how I found this title, Unbroken, because I know now that my purpose is greater than [me]. God has allowed me to be healed and continue to love.
What did you discover about yourself on this journey of healing?
I have this gift from God that allows me to love the next person equally, like [it’s] nothing, no matter what pain or hurt I’ve been through. It’s almost like it’s the craziest thing.
My ex-husband is Ricardo, that’s not his real name. The book is about 60 percent of all the stuff he did. I dumbed it down for my son on purpose. And then I met my current partner, and I love him just as much as if I’d never been hurt before. So that’s the complete gift. One of the ways to overcome things is to give myself 48 hours. So you get 24 to cry and 24 to sulk, then I’m gonna let you watch me win.
How did therapy transform you?
I started therapy in 2010 because I knew that I needed to make better decisions when it comes to my personal life. And so I started doing EMDR [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing] therapy.
Going to talk therapy helps … because it helps create boundaries and [helps me] see things differently. But they’re also things that you have to implement for yourself.
In doing so, I was able to melt my traumas, and in melting my traumas, I was able to release them. And then, when you release, you get the opportunity to fill it back with what you want: peace and love. And it just has completely changed my life.
My next journey is to be able to impact the world by providing scholarships, assistance and guidance to young Brown and Black women across the world and across the nations. I’m working on that now. I’m building, building, building.
I have about 500 scholarship kids right now. I hope I can continue to bless my finances so I’ll have more. Because there are so many people, there are so many young people who need just a small chance to make a difference in their world.
