Kelley Bonner - Founder of Let's Burn Bright
Kelley Anne is a licensed therapist with 15 years experience, social worker, burnout expert and self professed quirky, creative millennial. She’s also the creator of the Burn Bright Blueprint!
Kelley is a gender equality and victim's rights advocate, a corporate wellness trainer, and burnout expert. Her career has been vast. She started her career in the prison system and was one of the youngest women to work in the largest men's maximum-security prison in New York State. Her job there was to run a group mental health program. She has worked with military sexual trauma victims, and have run sexual violence prevention and response offices.
Kelley starts by saying she knows you’re in a tough spot, because she’s been there. Even as a little girl, she already knew that she wanted to help people. She was good at it, and it brought her joy.
Kelley became a social worker in 2006, but by 2009 she was burnt out and traumatized. She was disconnected from family and friends. Her personal life was nonexistent and Kelley would spend some days crying hysterically over her clients and other days numb and detached from her work. She knew something was very wrong with me, but denial and poor coping skills kept her from finding out the source of my pain.
It’s a all-too-common theme in the realm of mental health. We don’t want to admit we need help, but are unable to deal with the issues ourselves.
Even more disheartening was that her professional community gave Kelley no answers. Everyone around her was working hard helping others, but they had no idea how to help themselves.
So instead of reaching out, Kelley retreated within herself, where she became her own worst enemy. She would tell herself that if she cared about helping people (or her work), she wouldn’t be so bitter. She wouldn’t be so disconnected. Several medical diagnoses and 50 pounds later, Kelley finally accepted treatment.
It changed her life (no exaggeration). The guilt she’d been carrying—both physically and emotionally—lifted. She felt excited again to be helping others.
Her experiences made her realize that she is just one of the thousands, maybe millions, who feel the same. Though Kelley felt alone, she now realizes that she wasn’t. She learned as many skills as she could to fight against burnout. Once Kelley knew better, she became confident that if she practiced what she had learned,she would never feel burned out again.
From that catalyst she certified herself in compassion fatigue and burnout, and Burn Bright was born.
Burn Bright is a labor of love for Kelley where she takes the lessons she’s learned and combines them with the training she’s received to help other people like you (and me!) stay passionate about the work we love.
Burn Bright is the way Kelly takes care of the people who take care of the world.
Because how can you serve others when you’re completely depleted yourself?
Burn Bright has now grown to offer not online one-on-one coaching, but also online courses and a group program. Kelley’s story truly is one of empowerment; having gone through the fire of her own personal struggles, to realizing that they were a gift once she recovered, and then turning that gift into something positive for everyone else!
We thank Kelley for sharing her amazing story. And we strongly encourage you to please check out her social channels and website, all of which are listed below:
Instagram: @letsburnbright
Faecbook: @burnbrightllc
Website: letsburnbright.com