Greatest Challenge - Greatest Opportunity
- Megan Conrad
- Feb 7
- 2 min read
Walt Disney had a terrible childhood. His father beat him for using his imagination, and took away all his toys. Told him he needed more work and no play. Undaunted, he turned to using sticks and mud to create his characters and play. He got caught drawing these mud characters on the side of the barn on their farm, and ran away from home -- only to build one of the most influential enterprises and animate dozens of iconic family films. The very thing he was denied -- a childhood full of play, wonder, imagination -- he ensured for other children.
Lisa Richards, author of The Ultimate Candida Diet, was so motivated to find an answer to her lifelong plague of health problems, that she became an expert in the field of yeast and what it takes to stop it's growth in the body, and how to eat so you don't feed it. Answers that have eluded health professionals for decades. She now has a handle on her health, and makes that knowledge she gained through blood sweat and tears available to others.
The stories abound. Our greatest trials, our hardest experiences, our deepest sorrows -- they can either consume us, or fuel us forward, toward something greater. They deepen us, stretch us, and teach us things we could learn no other way. The learning is hard fought, hard won. But life is so much sweeter with those tools in our belt!
And so it is with me, and with those who have gone before me. My vision is that this blog can be an inspiration to those who read it. That it might show the patterns one must follow to find healing and claim hope for the future, and that it might also give specific insight and practical suggestions to any who are suffering and unsure how to move forward.
Truly, our stories are worthy to be seen just as much as those of our applauded heroes.

A few years ago, I was led to do some energy healing. Being very conservative, this was a step outside my comfort zone but proved valuable. At one point, the healer said, "Mary ann, I don't know how you have accomplished all you have with the stuff you have been carrying!" It is as you said: "Our greatest trials, our hardest experiences, our deepest sorrows -- they can either consume us or fuel us forward, toward something greater." I knew that what I had to share would grow and come out as I healed. Hence, the mission statement I have on my wall: The Savior is healing me. As I heal, I am healing generations. I feel satisfied bringing ligh…