Courtney Herrera is an Interior Designer living in Austin, TX with her husband Tato and dog Frida. Courtney lost her mother to suicide in 2014 after a long battle with mental illness and depression. Courtney has spent the last 7 years healing from this loss and has made it her mission to share her unique and personal journey with the hopes that it will help others who have lost a loved one to suicide or who may be battling mental illness. She has done everything in her power to take her trauma and turn it into an opportunity to grow and become the best version of herself. Her grief process consisted of psychotherapy, movement, yoga, meditation, cooking, and mindfulness, which she still practices to this day. She hopes to remove the stigma of admitting you are not okay, and to help others realize they are not alone in this world.
Topics discussed include:
- Courtney’s childhood & growing up with a mom who was suffering with mental illness
- Courtney’s experience of being parentified and taking on the role of “caretaker”
- How Courtney managed the uncertainty/fear in childhood through engaging in athletics, being social, and sticking to routine
- How Courtney moved through the initial shock of her mother’s suicide and learned to walk through the grief one day at a time
- How Courtney moved through denial/avoidance after her mother’s death
- How Courtney’s body showed her that she had to slow down through hormonal issues and more.
- How Courtney learned to live all over again after her mothers death, and hoe she found strength in stepping away from chronic “business”
- The tools that Courtney used to consciously process her grief and reparent herself: therapy, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, walks, cooking, movement, nurturing relationships, hiking, photography
- The importance of slowing down to feel emotions
- The 5 dimensions of post-traumatic growth
- How Courtney continues to live her mom’s legacy through doing the actions that brought her mother joy
- Courtney’s career pivot to interior design
- How Courtney used being of service & helping others as part of her healing process
- How it is one of Courtney’s missions to break the stigma & normalize talking about suicide and mental illness
- The importance of finding support & creating a community of people who share similar experiences
- How Courtney found balance with food and movement, and learned to lean on healing rituals vs. rigid routines
- Using spiritual signs & messages to connect to loved ones on the other side
Mentioned People / Books / Prayers:
Adam grant: https://www.adamgrant.net/
Serenity Prayer: https://www.celebraterecovery.com/resources/cr-tools/serenityprayer
Life After Suicide: Finding Courage, Comfort, & Community After Unthinkable Loss: by Jennifer Ashton, M.D: https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Suicide-Community-Unthinkable-ebook/dp/B07FSQ42H1
Connect with us:
Rayna’s Instagram / Tik Tok: @raynaclairee
https://www.instagram.com/raynaclairee/
https://www.tiktok.com/@raynaclairee
Courtney's Instagram: @court_herrera
https://www.instagram.com/court_herrera/
