Adversity to Empowerment

By Nikki Hillhouse, Turkey

In 2015, I hit rock bottom. I was in pain and despair, watching the young, healthy woman I once knew fade away. I didn’t recognize myself anymore. Confusion, rejection, and fear consumed me, and I worried that the pain I was experiencing would define my existence. Through my tears, I thought, “If this is how my life is going to be, then I’m ready to be done.”

Then, in a moment of deep reflection, I received a message in my mind’s eye. The word was Power.

What did this mean?

As I lay in bed, waiting for the pain relief to kick in, I pondered that word. Slowly, the answer emerged: I need to take my power back.

From that moment, I had an unwavering faith that things could—and would—get better. That single realization became the catalyst for my healing and, ultimately, for my career change.

Fifteen years earlier, after receiving an osteopathic treatment for my neck, my life had changed in an instant. Within 18 hours of the manipulation, I suffered a stroke. That event altered the course of my life. But in 2015, I decided it was time to rewrite my story. I was ready to become the CEO of my health.

I signed myself out of the pain clinic I had been attending for years and decided to take control. I realized that the toll of 15 years of prescribed medications for pain management was doing more harm than good. I shifted my focus to an integrative approach to healing.

I researched, experimented, and refused to give up. I explored meditation, adopted an alkaline diet, and embraced reiki, energy healing, and massage therapy. I did the inner work, confronting my past and healing limiting beliefs. Slowly but surely, I reclaimed my health.

I want everyone to know: Freedom is possible.

Over the past nine years, I have trained in the very techniques that played a pivotal role in my wellness journey. Today, I feel privileged to share those same tools and methods at my Wellness Retreats in Turkey and through my Coaching Business.

We are all here to thrive, to live fully and completely. Yet many people are merely existing, held back by their focus on what they don’t want. This negative focus only leads the brain to attract more of the same. Instead, it’s time to shift toward what you do want.

Perhaps you’ve had a passion simmering for years. Maybe you dream of starting a business, writing a book, or pursuing your artistic or musical talents. But are you stuck on the sidelines, listening to that voice in your head—the one that whispers, “I’m not smart enough, I’m not good enough, I’m not attractive enough, I’m not thin enough”?

Stop listening to that voice. It’s not true. You are more than enough.

Don’t keep looking in the rearview mirror—it only distracts you from the path ahead. What will it take to ignite the spark within you?

We all have unique, beautiful gifts to share with the world. The world needs to hear your voice and see your light. Go out and shine.

Focus on the life you truly desire. Then make a firm commitment to align with that vision. Stay true to your goals, and you’ll be empowered to build a life filled with purpose and fulfillment.

You can’t change your past, but you can make peace with it—and write a beautiful next chapter.

As Carl Jung said, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”