If You’re Not Healing, Are You Growing?

In this episode, we hear from John Ilawan, a young Filipino fitness enthusiast from Queens, New York, and graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

John shares with us his reflections on his own healing journey prior to 2021 and how it has shifted coming into the new year. He talks about the need to engage in healing work so we may consistently grow and not be comfortable in one place for the rest of our lives. John discusses what it was like to grow up in a Philipino household where he learned toxic masculine behaviors that would later show up in his relationships and lead to him hurting someone he cared about. John describes healing as a marathon and an ongoing process that prepares one for tough situations much like athletes prepare for sports.

John also reflects on how tough days can be used to know where we are in our healing journey and to think about what we need to keep working on. He talks about the need to look deep within ourselves to accept what we have gone through and to learn to hold ourselves accountable to the process. John goes into the importance of making time for ourselves to engage in positive activities that allow us to keep up with the healing journey. He suggests purchasing a 5-year journal and engaging in writing or poetry with intentional prompts to reflect on different areas of our healing, and looking back on how our responses may change over time.

Listen to John’s episode and connect with him via:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.ilawan/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-eric-ii-ilawan-760a17181/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.ilawan