Episode 35 - When your worst nightmare becomes a path to freedom with Yeojin Bae
Introduction to the episode.
Note: the content of this episode may be emotionally challenging and includes trauma, violence, and sexual abuse. If this doesn’t feel the right time for you to listen, we recommend circling back when you’re ready. We are not providing any professional advice, only sharing a personal story and perspective. Please seek professional help if you need support – we shared some services that you can access via our show notes.
For Melbourne based designer Yeojin Bae, fashion has always been her creative expression for women to enjoy the confidence that comes from wearing beautiful clothes. Back to her earliest memories as a child in Korea, Yeojin was always sketching the most beautiful dresses she could imagine. And with just under three decades working in fashion, she developed a cult following for her stylish silhouettes. Yeojin was living her life as a successful designer, just as she always imagined, when at the beginning of 2020, she walked away with no explanation at all.
Yeojin Bae runway show
For the first time, Yeojin is sharing with us her intimate story of leaving behind what she had spent her whole life becoming, to embark on a deeply transformative and much needed healing journey supported by Vedic wisdom and practices. Statistically it takes on average 24 years to reveal child sexual abuse, and many never do.
Yeojin thought she was irreparably damaged and for a long time felt a dread that something terrible was about to happen. Yet even at her lowest, she never gave up, some days it was baby steps, and other times a leap, but through this process, Yeojin found a profound acceptance, joy, and trust in life. She hopes by sharing her story today, she can reach out to others who are afraid and help them make progress in their lives too.
She admits she experienced a lot of stress release leading up to recording this episode, but it was exactly because of these feelings, she wants to challenge her belief to stay silent and unseen.
There was one more pressing motivation to speak out, a promise she was determined to fulfil.
Yeojin and her husband JF