Kelly AlhooiePelviBiz, Pelvibiz · Healthcare Business Strategy Assistant

I Ripped My Ear Off at Age 3 and Built a 7-Figure Business

12 Mar 2026 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:52

In this motivational talk, Kelly Alhooie recounts a traumatic childhood accident where she ripped off her right ear, resulting in permanent hearing loss and being labeled with a learning disability throughout school and college. She describes growing up with a single mother who worked multiple jobs to support three children, which instilled a strong work ethic and awareness of financial hardship. Kelly explains how these challenges shaped her purpose to help others, emphasizing the need for a compelling "why" to avoid burnout. She shares that despite her learning challenges, she built a seven‑figure coaching practice within two years, and she challenges the audience to believe they can achieve similar success, asking for live feedback in the chat.

Chapters

When I was 3 years old, I stuck my head in a banister and I tried to get my head out. I couldn't. My sister came, put her head right here, put her hand right here on my forehead, and I pulled my head back out and I ripped my whole right ear off. I can't hear out of my right ear, guys. I cannot hear out of my right ear. I couldn't read, I couldn't write. I'm about to get real personal, is that okay? Okay. Like, I couldn't read, I couldn't write, I couldn't hear. And I couldn't talk, all because this thing shut everything down. Okay? And that right there labeled me as having a learning disability all the way up through college. All the way up through college, I was in these classes that they were like, oh yeah, you're the slow one, you can't do it, we're labeling you as learning disability. That was painful. This is why I truly believe when I dig deep and find my purpose, I want to be the helper. I grew up with a single mom. She had 3 kids. Well, I was one of them, and she was a teacher. She worked 4 jobs, and I knew how hard it was to live, for— to be able to afford braces, to try to get me a car, like all the different things, right? So like, when I talk about finding your purpose, I need y'all to have a big why. Otherwise, y'all will get burnt out, and you will get tired, and you won't live the freaking life that you're meant to live. So I have such a passion for this. I really have a passion to help y'all because I was one of you guys. And if I can do it with someone that was labeled as learning disabled, where I couldn't hear, I couldn't read, I couldn't write— by the way, I still don't read a lot, okay? I listen to podcasts, but I don't read a lot, okay? Um, if, if I can do it and I can create a 7-figure practice in 2 years, do you think y'all can do it? I need to know in the chat. Do you think y'all can do it?