Corrina Pages from Try and Stop Her PAPERBACK 1
In this autobiographical excerpt, Corrina Rawlinson recounts her lifelong struggle with mental health while simultaneously navigating family‑run businesses. She opens with the paradox of being “fully sick” yet hiding her invisible illness, explaining how concealment drained her physically and mentally. Corrina describes her early exposure to entrepreneurship—working in her parents’ retail and travel businesses from age three—while also confronting childhood trauma, sexual assault, and her parents’ divorce. Over the years she battles anxiety, depression, and post‑natal mental‑health crises, repeatedly seeking but finding limited help from psychologists and Medicare. A pivotal moment arrives in 2016 when her family’s new construction venture triggers a massive legal battle, compounding financial strain and prompting further concealment of business woes. In 2019, after a suicide‑planning episode, she finally discloses her suffering to her family, leading to a PTSD diagnosis, hospitalisation, and the discovery of art therapy and group support. The COVID‑19 pandemic forces her to pivot her retail franchise, ultimately resulting in a successful transformation and sale. Throughout, Corrina emphasizes the power of honest disclosure, the danger of perfectionism, and the importance of seeking help. She concludes with reflections on a potential ADHD diagnosis and a reaffirmation of her “done over perfect” philosophy, illustrating resilience, vulnerability, and a commitment to authenticity in both personal and professional realms.
Topics
Honest Mental Health: The Gift of Transparency
Corrina argues that openly discussing mental‑health struggles, even when messy, is a powerful tool for personal healing and for breaking stigma.
Early Life and Family Business Foundations
Chronicles her childhood in a small‑business family, early work experiences from age three, and the influence of her parents' entrepreneurial spirit.
Trauma, Abuse, and the Onset of Anxiety
Details experiences of sexual assault, parental divorce, and the resulting chronic anxiety, shaking episodes, and early attempts at therapy.
Motherhood, Post‑Natal Depression, and Work Overload
Describes the birth of her first two children, severe post‑natal depression, the pressure to return to work, and the compounding effect on her mental health.
Legal Battle and Construction Business Crisis (2018‑2019)
Explains the shift to a civil construction venture, a costly legal dispute, financial strain, and the concealment of the retail business’s decline.
Suicidal Crisis, Family Disclosure, and PTSD Diagnosis
Narrates the moment she wrote a goodbye letter, confessed her suicidal intent to family, received empathy, and was diagnosed with Complex PTSD.
Therapeutic Journey: Art Therapy, Group Therapy, and Hospitalisation
Covers her experiences in mental‑health facilities, discovery of watercolour, cross‑stitch, and word‑puzzle therapies, and the realization that hospitalisation is a valid treatment.
COVID‑19 Pandemic: Business Pivot and Resilience
Details how the pandemic forced rapid adaptation of her retail franchise, home‑delivery initiatives, and eventual successful sale of the business.