Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Stewart.
Hi Jamie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In my late teens and twenties, low self-confidence, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety paralyzed me. I couldn’t assign this anxiety and “shyness” to anything specific until one day, on Instagram, my friend told me she was unaware I had social anxiety in response to photos I shared recollecting anxious moments in my twenties. Well, that made two of us!
That was April 1, 2019. I was luckily able to meet with a psychiatrist three weeks later because I knew a professional opinion and confirmation were necessary before I rode off into the sunset with my Google diagnosis. I typed up a timeline of events and shared it with my psychiatrist, which helped him confirm my suspicions, but with a splash of adult ADHD. Since that appointment, I have been on a journey to heal from traumatic events, navigate ADHD, and become my highest self.
Months before my thirtieth birthday, I experienced an awakening, if you will. The job I had did not value me, and I believe that played an integral role in the birth of The Audacious Crew. They were complaining about the influx of Black Lives Matter protests behind my back, exploiting my kindness, and trying to put me in a box to make themselves comfortable.
Enough grew to be too much, and I made a plan to be done with them, but, most importantly, I made a plan to be done with that version of myself. I could not justify being more upset with my toxic, exploitative workplace than myself for not knowing my worth.
Enter: The Audacious Crew. I initially thought life coaching was my calling but decided to create something broader that would better foster community and a sense of collective healing. No one wants to feel alone, and the more we share our stories, the more we realize we are not! The Audacious Crew is for badass women struggling with low confidence to learn how to cope with anxiety and heal from toxic relationships.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would not describe it as a relatively smooth road. If anyone tells you life has been a smooth road – run! They have not faced any adversity, which means they have nothing meaningful to offer. It is one of our best teachers, and without it, what a boring biography to read.
I have struggled in school and at work almost all of my life because of undiagnosed ADHD and confidence so low I put up a shield pretending I could do it all. This year with my therapist, I discovered I am also working against complex PTSD. Learning these things about myself helped me understand why I tend to take people’s words and actions more personally than the average person. It all points back to my brain!
In 2012, before these diagnoses, I tattooed my motto, “Siempre en Evolucion.” It translates literally as Always in Evolution, but I prefer Forever Evolving. I spitefully exposed a former friend and later regretted making her feel horrible. The phrase came to me because I vowed never to hurt someone to make myself feel better. Hurting other people does not make you feel better. You still feel just as empty as before.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Audacious Crew is an online community for women dreaming of living uninhibited lives but aren’t sure what that means for them. It is all about being authentically you and recognizing that is your superpower.
Presently, I am building awareness while recording the podcast for its summer release. You can find motivational journal-type entries on Facebook and funny but insightful Instagram Reels and TikToks. The Crew’s online shop is bangin’, too.
What matters most to you?
Staying true to myself matters most to me. I have spent thirty-one years being Best Supporting Actress trying to make others comfortable. I lost touch with my identity, inner voice, and confidence. Now it is time for me to play the main character in my story.
Learning how to trust myself and remember that I am living this life for me and no one else is something I will do going forward, and I hope to inspire other women to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@theaudaciouscrew.com
- Website: https://flow.page/itsjaistew
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaudaciouscrew/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audaciouscoach
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theaudaciouscrew
