ORLANDO, Fla. — Navigating life can be pretty difficult, but being a student can be even tougher. Sometimes, young teenagers can be fearful of a new school or even being misunderstood.
A business in Central Florida is paving the way for people of all ages to feel seen, be heard, and be part of a community that will change their life.
Life coach and founder of Hi-Lite coaching Jessica Villegas says the program is a place where those teenagers can come and feel safe.
“They can be seen and heard and validated for who they are, who they want to be and then be given the tools to make those decisions for their future and their current self,” Villegas said.
One of her clients she’s most proud of is Zoey Ready.
“I mean, she barely spoke when she first joined, now she’s volunteering,” Villegas said gleefully.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 5 million kids struggle with some form of social anxiety.
Ready has a creative spirit for as long as she can remember.
“I’ve been doing art since I was in like preschool or kindergarten and it never stopped,” Ready said. But while she’s always painted, there was something she stopped doing, creative writing.
She has expressed herself through art for as long as she can remember, but once she entered high school, she lost the passion for writing and began to doubt herself a little. But, through Hi-Lite, she regained the passion again.
Ready has already done the seven-week course over five times just out of sheer enjoyment. She remembers her first meeting ever where she went home, almost in tears out of disappointment, but she gave herself that pep talk and had the support of her family and new friends.
“I returned the next week and the next and I made progress and I felt better. I’m so proud of myself now and I’m so glad I did, because I like where I am,” Ready said.
Even though the program hasn’t changed much, she says every time she goes through the course, she learns something new about herself and continues to evolve as a person, artist and a writer.