Julie Morrison Warrior Uprising: From Trials to Triumph ALETHEA MORRIS Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado, Julie Morrison may have never realized that her sandy brown hair color or the piercing hue of her beautiful brown eyes would invite the comparison to a “Fierce Lioness.” A self-described champion of women’s causes, Julie can trace her life from a time when it was full of trauma and despair to today when it is full of confidence, tenacity, and resolve. Having earned the stripes to prove that she is a fierce fighter and survivor of the pain she endured, she has pressed forward while reaching back to pull others up. As her mother’s only child, Julie watched her mother struggle with addiction, and with her father and other siblings living elsewhere, she had little parental support early on. She experienced abandonment, fear, anxiety, anger, and issues with trust and entitlement. Her mother “had her own issues, and every woman has their own story,” Julie says. She developed certain character flaws in order to maintain her sanity. “I recognized some issues, and I wanted to understand why, so I had to get educated on how to fix them,” she says. “Later, I wanted to share this knowledge and information with other women, to empower others to make a change.” Julie’s biggest accomplishment so far, she says, has been founding an organization for women that has been in operation for eight years. She was inspired by her aunt – Minister Diamond Preston of Dallas, Texas – a mentor who encouraged her to take that big leap of faith and launch her foundation, as well as by others such as Pastor T.D. Jakes and Brene Brown. Julie realized she had a purpose to serve others by sharing her healing journey. After coaching women through their own healing journeys, Julie soon found herself in need of her own healing following a diagnosis of breast cancer. She is now on the winning side in that fight, she says. “Yes, I am excited about my recovery, but I want people to understand the importance of early detection, that the treatments I went through were very harsh physically and emotionally, and that the mental anguish is real,” Julie says. Julie emphasizes the importance of early detection, regular mammograms, and asking family members about any history of breast cancer. “When you first hear the word cancer, the first thing you think is you are going to die,” she says. “I want women to know there is technology out there, as long as you have found it early.” She also believes women should learn how to perform self-examinations, as that is how she initially noticed her cancer. “Little did I know that I have what is called dense breast,” she says. The mammogram would come back clear, but I could feel the knots in my breast.” Julie recommends that women who get a diagnosis join a support group. “There are some dynamic women out there that have been dealing with this for years and have an education that you could never imagine,” she says. In addition, she suggests researching doctors and different treatment options to figure out what might work for the individual patient and creating a support team. ENVISIONPROVENSUCCESS.COM | 41
42 Publizr Home