Life for Stephanie Cooper has been far from easy. She has faced her fair share of pain and suffering but has emerged victorious in the fight to overcome and defeat them.
She stood her ground in the face of trauma and despite keeping it a secret for many years, found the courage and strength to share it. As a child, the Brunswick native was sexually abused and like other victims hid it, trying to move past it and live life as best as she could.
Cooper remarked that she did not tell anyone not even her mother for the longest time because she knew that it would hurt her and that was the last thing she wanted to do, even at that raw and innocent age of 6-8, she was aware of the impact it would have on her family and all those near and dear to her.
The 35-year-old shared that it was extremely hard to bear the burden of not letting her past come to light and trying to control things when they went astray. She soon realized that the root of her problems was that one tragic incident.
In her days of grief and struggle, she would lean on her deep faith and turn towards the Almighty, seeking His guidance and praying to ease the agony. By letting go, Cooper was able to find her footing.
She graduated from high school in 2004 and went on to pursue a degree in education. She started to teach and along with building her career worked upon one of her other passions, writing. Her path to authorship began when she narrated some of her experiences in an online prayer group.
Her dedication and hard work lead to her publishing her two amazing books called “Dear Young Woman” and “Dear Young Woman: Readjust Your Crown” co-penned with her best friend Alandria Lloyd whom she met virtually and two immediately clicked.
She has touched upon themes of domestic violence, rape, and physical assault and suicide, etc., and written from the perspective of an adult giving advice to her younger self.
Her readers have sought inspiration from them and opened up to her with their own challenges and struggles. The response has been lovely and Cooper feels that it was her duty to do so and help those who may be going through the same things that she did.
She said, “It makes you vulnerable. I’ve had people who have messaged me to say ‘Thank you or That’s what I needed to hear’. It reinforced that I was doing the right thing.”
Cooper believes that talking is essential and therefore wants to continue on this path and lead by example.