In this episode of The Grass Gets Greener podcast, I'm joined by Wesley Chapman of A Human Project. Wesley joins me to share his story of almost not surviving his abusive childhood to how he's using his past to empower youth today.
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The Details
Traumatic experience:
Wesley experienced all types of abuse as a child. He was also abandoned by his biological father by his first birthday and then abandoned by his biological mother at the age of 6 1/2. According to doctors, he had his first suicide attempt at the age of four. He almost died of liver failure at the age of 16 because he had been prescribed so many medications for every condition he was labeled as having as a result of his childhood.
Effects of the traumatic experience:
Wesley experienced resentment and confusion from everything that had happened to him. This led him to become a troubled youth who misbehaved. He also attempted self-harm, including 12 suicide attempts by the age of 16. He was prescribed 25 different medications to deal with the different medical conditions and psychological disorders he was diagnosed as having.
Overcoming the traumatic experience:
In order to overcome all of this, Wesley had to find forgiveness for himself and his abuser, change his diet, get off of all the pills, and let go of the resentment he had, especially toward his father who wasn't around to protect him.
What Wesley does today:
Wesley is the founder of A Human Project where he is working on building a community of empowered youth.
Final Question:
Given what you know now, if you could go back to when you were going through the tough times and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Wesley's Answer: When all you want to do is prove everyone wrong, just prove yourself right, because everything else is just a waste of time.
Links Mentioned
A Human Project - Wesley's organization
WesleyDChapman.com - Wesley's website
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