Today we’re excited to introduce you to Haley Harris. We were introduced to them by one of our community members and content partners – Eli Lyon . Check out our conversation with Haley below.
Haley, thanks for taking the time to share your story with us today. So, let’s start with your personal story – what can you share with us?
Well, let’s see….. I struggled with severe alcohol and drug addiction for a decade of my life. My whole world changed 5 years ago when I received the news that I was pregnant in a holdover cell in Dallas County Jail. At that point in my life, I had lost hope of recovery or ever seeing my family again. I was completely lost and surrounded by people who did not care if I lived or died. When they let me out of jail, I had no idea what I was going to do and at the time had no resources to help myself. I will never forget googling the phrase “homeless, addicted to drugs and pregnant”. I weighed out my options to the best of my ability at the time and decided that suicide or slow suicide of myself and adoption for my baby was my only choice. I had completely lost my mind and my will to live but I did however still have somewhat of a conscience. I fell to my knees somewhere on Live Oak Street in East Dallas and asked God to take my life over. I let him know that I was out of options and that I could no longer run my life. I wanted to die right then and there alone on that street in Old East Dallas but that is not what happened. I heard His voice plain and clear in my heart, I mean I knew exactly what he wanted my next step to be. He told me to get on the first bus I saw and go to Rehab and that is exactly what I did. At the time I thought His plan only included my unborn child, I thought He was wanting me to get sober and healthy enough to have this baby, find adoptive parents, and then He would stop guiding me and let me go about my dark days on my own, but again I was wrong. I just kept moving forward, doing the next right thing, whenever a decision came my way I gave it a lot of thought and made my next move based on what God was telling me to do not what my fear was leading me to do. After over 90 days at Nexus Recovery I made the choice to go live with The Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s Order of Nuns. It was a fantastic experience, and it was there that my confidence came flooding back. They taught me a lot about unconditional love and perseverance. They were the most amazing group of women that I have ever met and if it were not for them, I would not have persisted on my next life changing move. I had heard of Exodus Ministries while I was at Nexus Recovery and I remember thinking that was where I needed to be but getting accepted into their program did not make sense at the time. Even my counselor at Nexus had to tell me to let that idea go because I just didn’t meet their criteria – I wasn’t coming from prison and besides that I was pregnant and they didn’t accept pregnant women. It was the Sisters that pushed me to go and talk to the case manager at Exodus in person. I prayed, I did what the Sisters suggested, and I showed up 7 months pregnant in high heels and tried my best to explain why I needed to be in their rehabilitation program. Fast forward a week or so I finally got the call and they had accepted me! I was scheduled to have a c-section on June 15, 2016 and would be coming home to my brand new fully furnished apartment made ready especially just for me and my brand new, beautiful baby girl, Lucy. Lucy and I stayed at Exodus for a little over a year. Just a few weeks before graduation a lady came to Exodus to discuss with Ms. Susan (Head Director of Exodus) and idea that she had for hiring on a lady from the program to help her with marketing for up and coming staging business. I happened to be home the day that Nikki showed up and I also had a little real estate experience so they put me in a room with her and her business partner and they interviewed me there on the spot. I was shaking with nervousness when I walked in that room but by the time I left I was overcome with joy, I literally felt like I had just met my fairy godmother. This lady, Nikki Watson was about to give me my life back. She hired me on as business development, gave me a salary and opportunity for commission. I was able to support myself and my daughter on my own. 3 1/2 years later I have been promoted to Manager of Operations – I run the day to day operations for her now million-dollar staging, design, and flooring company. I am engaged to a wonderful man, we recently moved to a home in Farmers Branch and our wedding is set for the end of February. My daughter is brilliant, happy, beautiful, and hilarious. She wants for nothing, most importantly her mom. My 8-year-old son who has been living with his paternal grandmother since he was 3 months old has his mom back in his life full force. Though my past was less than a desirable one I pride myself on being an example of what changing the trajectory of your life can look like. I have more support than I could have ever dreamed of from all my family members. I am incredibly close to my dad and stepmom who have really taken the time to understand my struggles and help me along in my recovery. God restored everything I lost and multiplied it to infinity because I am still going and gaining in life every single day.
Thanks for sharing that with us. How about obstacles and struggles – has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, there were actually a couple of potholes along the way. About a year after I graduated from Exodus I tried to regain control of my life briefly, as I was doing things in line with my will, not Gods. I basically had to test the limits one last time but was immediately set back into place and when I say immediately I mean I had a coming to God within hours of putting Him to the side. Though I have had struggles and made a few wrong choices nothing has been able to stop me from moving forward or brought me back to my old way of life. I am 100% a New Creation in Christ.
Can you tell us more about your experience with Eli?
Well I have worked with Eli in a couple of different aspects. I was a client of hers at one point and have been back since to Volunteer at her organization. Regardless of the context of our meeting what I like best about Eli is her down to earth approach. She is easy to talk to and is one of the most intense listeners I have ever met. Empathy is her God-given trait. Eli is empathetic to the point that it has become her career choice, everything she does she does with good intentions and with the sole purpose to help someone feel better. She is easy going, fun, and is the type of person that always gets the joke – her sense of humor is pretty much unbeatable.
What role has risk taking played in your life or career?
Risk-taking got me nowhere good in my past. In fact, it was my unfocused, irresponsible, impulsive acts that got me into the most horrifying situations you could ever imagine. What some may call risk-taking I now call a leap of faith. My focused, good-intentioned “risks” are now God lead leaps of faith. I still get so nervous about being where I am. Sometimes I don’t feel like I deserve the life I live and I want to just shrink down in size so no one notices me but if I was to do that I would not be able to rise in the industry I am in. Taking a risk to me is getting up in front of a room full of people who have never skipped a beat in life and talking to them like I haven’t either. My risks involve putting myself out there, willing to take on judgment and rejection and so far it has worked out pretty good for me.
Connect & learn more:
- Website: www.thedesignquad.com
- Instagram: haleyandlucy7
- Facebook: Haley Harris
