https://www.iamirisblue.com/phoenix-stories daily 0.75 2025-06-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/2b0524a1-775d-4671-b4ec-81288825edf5/PPP-Beeldmerk.png https://www.iamirisblue.com/phoenix-stories/nellas-story-the-courage-to-remember monthly 0.5 2025-05-14 https://www.iamirisblue.com/phoenix-stories/g9svct3w4u24uggfsq9ozljuha18u2 monthly 0.5 2025-04-30 https://www.iamirisblue.com/phoenix-stories/from-addiction-and-loss-to-leadership-how-shelby-perry-turned-her-pain-into-power monthly 0.5 2025-04-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/1743628831275-849YPQJLJA8HB5A27RJ3/1.jpg Phoenix People - From Addiction and Loss to Leadership: How Shelby Perry Turned Her Pain into Power From Loss and Addiction to Recovery and Strength Shelby Perry’s story is one of deep darkness but, above all, of hope. From the young age of thirteen, she struggled with alcohol and drug use. Although she appeared to have her life together—functioning at work and maintaining hobbies—her addiction took a drastic turn during the pandemic. Alone and locked in with her demons, she drank every day and night while the world around her stood still. But it was at this lowest point that she found a way out—a path to a new beginning. A Turning Point: From Addiction to Sobriety In a desperate moment, during a blackout, Shelby sent a message to an old friend in San Diego. That friend, who was sober and active in the AA community, offered Shelby a lifeline: "Come here, and I’ll help you." That one choice changed everything. On April 28, 2020, she arrived in San Diego and was immediately placed in a sober living community. The first few months were tough—Zoom meetings, confronting her own demons, and working through the famous 12 steps of AA. But slowly, she began to feel lighter, stronger, and freer. The biggest gift from that period? Self-awareness. Shelby learned how deeply ingrained her old patterns were and how to break free from them. She learned the importance of honesty—not just with others, but with herself. She discovered the power of community and the necessity of support. She made amends with her past and found a new mission: helping others who were going through the same struggles. https://www.iamirisblue.com/phoenix-stories/rising-from-the-ashes-how-the-phoenix-became-my-guide monthly 0.5 2025-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/0e828788-af25-4857-800a-ab4483573fee/1.jpg Phoenix People - Rising from the Ashes: How the Phoenix became my Guide. - Hello, I’m Iris Blue. ’m the founder of the Phoenix People Community, a place where trauma survivors no longer have to feel ashamed or isolated, but instead can find strength and connection. I’m also a speaker and researcher in the field of trauma and resilience. My work focuses on the shared experience of trauma, particularly through connection and resilience. On stage, my mission is to teach people the Phoenix Method of resilience: true resilience comes from balancing strength and vulnerability. After all, did you know that the Phoenix rises not only with fiery wings, but also with healing tears? You see, I’m proud of who I am. Proud of my empathy, proud of my optimism, and most of all, proud of my strength. I just wish these qualities hadn’t been forged out of necessity—tested and strengthened over time. I would have preferred not to have had to be so strong. https://www.iamirisblue.com/phoenix-stories/blog-post-hopefull-hanna monthly 0.5 2025-02-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/1738616169116-TMA3M6BGPOKJBC9RL46G/JOIN+OUR+TEAM.jpg Phoenix People - From Broken to Stronger: How Hanna Turned Trauma into Resilience - At 14, Hanna’s life changed in an instant. A back injury during field hockey—a sport that defined her—left her unable to move. “In that moment, my whole world fell apart,” she recalls. The physical pain was one thing, but the emotional toll was even greater. Suddenly, she wasn’t an athlete anymore. She was lost, disconnected, and struggling to understand who she was without the thing she loved most. Her search for belonging led her down difficult paths—partying, unhealthy relationships, and moments of deep self-doubt. “I didn’t feel like I fit in, and I didn’t know how to express it,” she shares. “So, I just tried to escape.” But Hanna’s story isn’t one of defeat. It’s a story of rising. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. For years, Hanna blamed herself. She internalized shame, believing she was broken. “I thought something was wrong with me,” she says. “But I wasn’t the problem—my pain was.” At the time, she didn’t know how to share what she was going through. She tried to keep up, to survive, to act as if things were normal. “I wanted to move forward at the same pace as everyone else, but I now realize that wasn’t possible. The weight I carried was too heavy to ignore.” This realization didn’t come easily. For a long time, she coped by numbing herself—losing herself in distractions, in relationships that didn’t respect her boundaries, in a cycle of running from the very feelings she needed to face. “I put myself in situations that made things worse, because I didn’t believe I deserved better,” she admits. https://www.iamirisblue.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-09-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/f1c02c35-4d5c-447a-93fd-f3d8eea1ea36/pexels-pixabay-270815.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/ca0a06f4-f378-44ca-b11f-9d347cd2aef8/1697113374854.jpeg https://www.iamirisblue.com/about daily 0.75 2025-06-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/c95ed623-7743-40f8-9a4f-343ede496718/BN4A0134.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/66df042ab9fb6b5622fb5b40/537005ec-eda4-4855-9353-550ec966a260/BN4A9052.jpg https://www.iamirisblue.com/keynote-speaker daily 0.75 2025-07-17 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