Melisa Dunkley-Smith Overcame Adversities Through Faith and Resilience
Melisa Dunkley-Smith is a firm believer that she can do all things through Christ, who strengthens her. As a bestselling author and certified Christian life coach, it is her hope to use her experiences to help other women unlock their hidden resilience potential.
What many people don’t know is that her early life was marked by tumultuous hardships. Navigating an unstable family environment due to her parents’ separation, constant feelings of rejection, and lack of positive reinforcement and affirmations led to self-esteem issues. She had to endure being called names and being constantly teased about her appearance, which resulted in feelings of inadequacy and caused her to always question her worth.
One of the hardest challenges she faced was being forced to grow up too quickly as she took on the roles and responsibilities of caring for herself and her little brother along with taking care of the home. With the family always struggling to make ends meet, she often went without basic necessities such as personal care items. Her bath soap was sometimes multipurpose, serving also as deodorant and toothpaste. Despite this turbulent backdrop, her faith served as a steadfast anchor.
The deep-seated self-doubt and insecurities led her to confront her deepest fears, and so in 2018 she enrolled in a personal development course, which led her on a path of self-discovery. That course changed the trajectory of her life, as she discovered her strength because of the struggles she faced. Melisa is now embracing her God-given purpose. She shared with Freedom Come Rain that it was her deep-rooted faith in God that allowed her to persevere through the challenges and setbacks.
“Through my relationship with God, I discovered my identity in Him. I find strength in the promises of God, knowing that it doesn’t matter the storm I’m facing; God is with me, and He will deliver me from them all. My faith is the driving force behind my success,” she asserted.
Still, she admits that there were moments when she felt overwhelmed and wanted to give up. Acknowledging that those feelings were fuelled by fear, she reminded herself that fear was not of God.
“2 Timothy 1:7 says; God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. I then shift my focus from the struggles and focus on God. There is a quote that says, “What you focus on expands,” so when I focus on God, who is much bigger than my problems, my problems diminish. I also seek comfort in prayer and worship so that I reconnect to God’s promises and His strength,” she informed.
Dunkley-Smith used her life’s experience as the backdrop for a book she hopes will also empower others. She hopes the book ‘Strong Girl, Get Up: Helping Women Overcome Adversities’ will be a road map to overcoming challenges.
Reaching out to those who may find themselves in the same position that she had to overcome, she said the key is not to give up.
“No matter the storm that you may be going through, remember that every storm will run out of rain. When life knocks you down, get back up and keep moving,” were her sage words. She added that it is good to find a support system—be it a church, a friend, or someone in your community that you can trust.
“We were not meant to do life alone, and sometimes when we share our struggles, we realise that someone else has gone through or is going through the same thing as yourselves,” she noted.
Born in Somerset, Manchester, Dunkley-Smith is a past student of Holmwood Technical High School and Excelsior Community College. After graduating college, she ‘found love’ and returned to Manchester.
Now attending the Shining Light Apostolic Church, she said her passion is empowering women through personal development so they become the best versions of themselves by igniting their confidence and unlocking their hidden resilience and potential.