Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Harris.
Hi Alexandra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up, my mother ran a hair salon out of the front of our house. We lived in Tell City, a small town in southern Indiana. Women came from miles around to have their hair washed, colored, permed, and cut. My mom employed several stylists and had regular customers. The salon became a community gathering place after school and weekends, much like the Whistle Stop Café from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. And like many such places today, there were plenty of women’s magazines, that served as a useful distraction for people waiting to be served or waiting for color to set.
I loved those magazines. I loved reading about people who lived glamorous lives. From them, I developed my own sense of style, and I could escape my small-town, mid-west existence and imagine a life of glamour and pleasure. But they were more than an escape. They were a lifeline.
My parents divorced when I was two, and my natural father was not a part of my life. As a toddler, my Mom, sister and I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather suffered from emphysema. I watched him – gasping for breath – kneeling beside the sofa, positioning his body to maximize his lung capacity. My mother was often bed-ridden with illness. I came to her bed one day and asked if she was going to die. I lived with a sense of helplessness, impending loss and abandonment.
My mother remarried and my stepfather did what men did at the time. He went to work and supported the family. With a one-hour car-pool commute, he was gone early in the morning. He returned from work to the local tavern, where he stayed until the hair salon closed around 8PM. On the bright side, we usually had dinner together. On the other hand, my step-dad was often under the influence. Mom was tired and stressed from the long days in the salon. Dinner was often traumatic.
Alcohol-fueled domestic violence was prevalent. I have a vivid memory of my Mom being dragged across the floor by her hair. But Mom was not passive – she fought back. In some ways, I wonder if the strength I found in my life was inspired by her fighting spirit.
And I endured sexual abuse. It started around the age of five when my older cousin promised to give me a nickel if I pulled down my panties. I was sexually molested by a family member in second grade and a taxi driver in third grade. In each case, after multiple incidents, I found ways to avoid further interactions. I quit taking piano lessons to eliminate the taxi rides and managed to avoid visits to the offending family members.
Throughout middle and high school I was susceptible to the predations of male teachers (and the school photographer). Though not physically violent, they violated my innocence.
In fourth grade I wrote the words “help me” on various papers that lay around the house: the Ohio Valley gas bill, the local Tell City News. Mom came to me and said, “I’m worried about your sister. I’m finding these words written all around the house.” I wonder if she knew, thinking it might be easier for me to talk about my sister. I didn’t tell her it was me. I stayed in silent distress.
A plant sat in the middle of our dining room table. It was withered from lack of water. Family and friends passed by multiple times paying no attention. Looking back, I was like that plant. I was suffering, but no one seemed to notice.
The one support that I did have was the lives of those celebrities from the pages of those magazines in that salon.
My first two celebrity teachers were Mother Teresa and Elizabeth Taylor. I had no agenda; I was attracted to lessons from dramatically different personalities. Taylor taught me to live large and glamorously without apology. I learned from Mother Teresa to look for my mission on earth in my own back yard.
Walt Kowalski, the curmudgeonly hero of the movie, “Gran Torino,” spent his lifetime accumulating a collection of tools. Walt had learned the value of increasing the variety of tools in his toolbox so that he could fix or repair anything.
Throughout our lives we will need a variety of tools to support the success of our relationships, our careers, our goals and dreams, and ultimately our happiness. The breakthrough events I provide offer powerful tools that I have learned from celebrities. They helped me and will help you, too.
I could go on. In fact, that’s why I am publishing my book – “Success Secrets of the Stars. Lessons from the Hair Salon Magazine Rack.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have never considered myself to be an author or a writer. But I have much to say and feel compelled to put the secrets of my success in writing, so that others can learn from and be inspired by them.
We’ve been impressed with Alexandra Harris, Author, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Personal Growth. My work in the world has been activities that provide HOPE – Helping Other People Excel.
I am a cheerleader, whether supporting cancer patients, teaching parents peaceful family dynamics, or hosting personal development workshops. I have dedicated life my life to encouraging others to reach their fullest potential.
Since 2011, I have been the Executive Director of the Community for Personal Development, creating programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, including firewalking.
I am currently writing an inspirational book “Success Secrets of the Stars. Lessons from the Hair Salon Magazine Rack” which started when I was growing up in a hair salon, reading the magazines that gave me a glimpse of a better life.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am supported in all ways and in most days by my sweetheart of nearly twenty-five years.
My mother, sister, children and grandchildren give me purpose and keep me humble.
A large community of women of all ages and ethnicities continue to support our monthly “Goddess Gatherings”. These gatherings have become my laboratory for exploration of the secrets I practice, and the women who attend have become my tribe.
As Executive Director of the Community for Personal Development, I manage a production team of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about the work that we do. Sometimes I feel like I could fall back onto their capable hands and crowd surf through our activities, tasks and responsibilities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.breakthroughworkshops.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandraharrisauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.harris.52090
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/463379853731727
