My Story
From Survival to Self- Discovery.
I grew up in a military family, and like many children in similar situations, I was sent to an all girls boarding school at a young age. Having devoured every Enid Blyton book I could find, I was swept up in the idea of midnight feasts, best friends for life, and wholesome adventures.
But the reality was very different.
Instead of adventure and belonging, I entered a world that shaped my identity around feeling “not enough.” A world where I learned, far too early, to silence my needs, toughen up, and swallow my feelings because “you’re privileged” “you’re so lucky to be here,” “you’ll thank us one day” or “you like it really.”
Being left at school as a child didn’t build character....it built a quiet storm of insecurity, suppressed emotions, and a deep, aching sense of being alone. I adapted (as children do) by growing up way too fast. I learned to detach, to numb out, to build a shell around me because it felt safer than feeling anything at all.
Each term break followed the same painful cycle: I’d go home, begin to feel safe, feel like myself again…and then be sent straight back into an environment where I had no control, no real sense of safety, and no one I could trust with how I truly felt.
The bullying, the abuse, the emotional neglect, the constant pressure to just “get on with it”… it took a toll. And because speaking up wasn’t an option, either I wouldn’t be believed, or it would be dismissed, I stopped trying. I learned to turn inward, to question my own reality. That’s when doubt and numbness set in like lifelong companions.
On the surface, I became fiercely independent.
Resilient. The girl who “can handle anything.”
But inside, I was just surviving. Not thriving. And for a long time, I didn’t have the tools, the language, or the support to change that.
Having spent my formative years in an all-girls boarding school, I struggled deeply to relate to, communicate with, or form healthy relationships with men, leading to a series of unhealthy dynamics in my young adult life, all born from a desperate longing just to feel loved.
But all of that, every hard moment, every wound, every silent cry for help, is now part of the reason I’m here.
I’ve walked the path of disconnection, separation, abandonment, low self-worth, self-doubt, and survival. And I know what it feels like to long for something more real, more whole, more healed.
For years, I lived in the shadows of old stories, not good enough, too much, too dramatic, always seeking something more. But the moment I decided I was worthy of a different life was the moment everything began to change.
I started by rewiring the way I spoke to myself, catching those deeply rooted thoughts that whispered failure and unworthiness, and choosing instead to speak with compassion and truth.
I sought out tools, mentors, and a healer who understood the complex layers of childhood trauma and boarding school syndrome.
I said yes to coaching, to mindset shifts, to the painfully honest moments of looking in the mirror and facing the parts of me I’d buried for decades. My healing journey wasn’t a straight line...it was an intense spiritual awakening, a gradual unfurling of all the armour I’d built just to survive.
I started tending to the wounded inner child within me, uncovering the limiting beliefs that shaped my identity, and I learned how to love myself back into wholeness.
I slowly began to build a life that wasn’t based on survival, but on empowerment, authenticity, and trust in who I truly am. And that inner transformation, brick by brick, breath by breath, is what brought me here today, ready to guide others through their own healing too.
Today, I live with a sense of alignment I once didn’t think was possible. I trust myself in a way that feels anchored, not forced.
I’ve cultivated confidence and self-worth that are no longer shaped by the wounds of my past, but by the truth of who I’ve become.
I can now look back at the younger version of me with compassion, not shame, and understand why I felt, reacted, or coped the way I did. And that understanding has brought me a sense of peace and calm I spent years chasing.
I’ve broken generational patterns, reclaimed my voice, built healthy relationships, and created a life rooted in purpose and emotional freedom.
This journey has taught me that transformation isn’t just possible....it’s powerful. And if I can step out of survival mode and into a life of self-trust, healing, and joy, then so can you.
The inner work changes everything.
And that is why I became a coach.
Not just to heal my own inner child, but to walk alongside others who carry those same invisible wounds. The adults who weren’t heard, the kids who had to grow up fast, the people who still feel suppressed or unseen.
Together, we can begin to reclaim the parts of you that were left behind. The parts that still deserve love, attention, and space to belong.
This is my invitation: You don’t have to keep surviving. It’s safe to start thriving
Let's work together
Begin your journey towards a happier and more fulfilling life by taking the first step today.
© 2026 Kara Blackmore Coach. All rights reserved.