Beauty in Brokenness with Bonnie Gray (ep. 412)

Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary

John O'Leary

Self-improvement, Bestsellingauthor, Education, Dailyinspiration, Society & Culture, Liveinspired, Johnoleary, Inspiration, Joebuck, Inspiredliving, Onfire, Relationships

4.9 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2021

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We all have stories, and yet frequently, they're not the ones we share with the world. After being burned on 100% of my body, spending five and a half months in the hospital and losing my fingers to amputation, my dream was not to stand out, but to disappear and be ordinary.

Bonnie Gray spent 39 years hiding her story, too. Growing up as the Chinese American daughter of a mail-order bride and a busboy in San Francisco's Chinatown, Bonnie's childhood was far from idyllic.

Join us as Bonnie shares the journey that led to understanding her own identity and what it means to be loved.

Today's episode is a reminder that in boldly owning, embracing and celebrating our stories, we are gifted the chance to live authentically and breathe life and possibility into others.

SHOW NOTES

Bonnie's mother was sent from Hong Kong to America to marry a man 10 years older and serve the family.
An unintentional vow: After Bonnie's father left, she made an unintentional vow to not ask about things she cannot change and stay quiet unless she&s able to add peace and joy.
Without support from her parents, other mentors in Bonnie's life helped shine a light on her full potential, provide support and guide her forward.
l'm here for you. After being assaulted, Bonnie's former youth counselor gave her comfort + security.
All of us have a defining moment where something happened that we did not plan. We long for love. Were tempted to hide our brokenness. I carried that until I realized that sharing my story is going to draw others closer.
Amidst life difficulties, Bonnie's place of safety was her journal because using words was the key to unlocking her heart. Her future husband Eric captured her heart with a month-long series of emails.
Bonnie shares an excerpt from Sweet Like Jasmine depicting a toxic conversation she had with her mother.
Learn more about Bonnie on her website here.
Get a copy of Bonnie Gray's book Sweet Like Jasmine here.

If you enjoyed today's episode, you'll love Brian Walsh. At 17 years old, Brian found himself clinging to life after being caught in a burning building. His hard-won resilience + tenacity will shift your perspective and help you see how you, too, can overcome the obstacles in your life today. Listen to Brian Walsh on ep. 272.

BONNIE GRAY'S LIVE INSPIRED 7

Q. What is the best book you’ve ever read?
A. The Color of Water by James McBride.
Q. What is a characteristic or trait that you possessed as a child that you wish you still exhibited today?
A. My artistic self.
Q. Your house is on fire, all living things and people are out. You have the opportunity to run in and grab one item. What would it be?
A. My journals.
Q. You are sitting on a bench overlooking a gorgeous beach. You have the opportunity to have a long conversation with anyone living or dead. Who would it be?
A. Jesus.
Q. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A. Whenever I feel lost, I try to embrace that I'm right where I need to be.
Q. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
A. Choose your path now. Don't edit yourself. You cannot live someone else's story.
Q. It’s been said that all great people can have their lives summed up in one sentence. How do you want yours to read?
A. You are beloved.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I want you to think about how much life has changed in the last 10 years.
0:06.6	Professionally, technologically, politically, globally, in your relationships,
0:12.2	think about how much change you have experienced, how different life is.
0:15.9	Well, for the last 10 consecutive years, Keeley Companies has been named a top workplace by St. Louis
0:23.9	Post's batch.
0:25.4	Their most important assets are their people, also known as the Keelians, and are credited
0:31.3	as the backbone of their business.
0:33.9	You can learn more about the Keely Company's dedication to their employees by visiting
0:38.4	keelie Companies.com.
0:41.4	Welcome to the Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary. John is the number one national
0:50.6	bestselling author of the book On Fire. He's a world-class inspirational speaker, and he's the host of the Live-inspired podcast.
0:58.2	John interviews extraordinary individuals on their life story so that you can wake up from
1:03.7	accidental living and more fully live your life story.
1:08.1	Here's your host, John O'Leary.
1:15.5	Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the live-inspired podcast with John O'Leary. One of my favorite expressions to share is this, that everybody's got a story.
1:23.7	It's just frequently not the story they share with the world. Everybody's got a story. That's true.
1:29.8	It's frequently not the story we share with the world. Frequently, we hide that story. We bury that
1:34.9	story. We cover it up. We mask it up. We put makeup up over it. That was my experience for the first
1:41.7	20 years or so after recovering from Burns as a child.
1:46.1	My dream as a kid was not to become a podcast host, believe it or not.
1:51.8	It was not to become a speaker, believe it or not.
1:54.9	It was not to write books or run a business or whatever else might be going on in my life
	...

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