Alex St. Pierre - Life Lessons, Laugh Sessions

Alex St. Pierre

Alex St. Pierre is the voice and blogger behind Life Lessons Laugh Sessions. On her blog she shares her journey navigating her way through this crazy world. Alex’s goal is to provide content and resources for people to read light-hearted subjects and get away from the hard stresses of life.

Alex has a chronic medical condition (hydrocephalus) and because of it she’s had 23 brain surgeries. But if anything, those surgeries have helped to show her what’s truly important in life and that it’s too short not to go after what we want, with everything we’ve got! Through her blog, writing, and YouTube channel, Alex wants to remind people that they’re never alone in what they’re experiencing. She’s all about finding new ways to heal her chronic pain and associated ailments so you’ll be able to follow along on her journey and learn with her. Life’s basically a rollercoaster, and Alex is just trying to enjoy the ride.

Alex and I connected earlier this year and she’s truly one of the kindest, most generous and supportive people I’ve met since starting Seek The Joy. I’m so excited for you guys to connect with Alex, check out her blog and YouTube channel, and follow along as she continues to grow and inspire!

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

My name is Alexandra, but everyone calls me Alex (sorry mom). I’m 27, and live in Ontario Canada. I have a regular office job Monday to Friday but in my spare time I work on my blog and newly started YouTube channel. Both my blog and YouTube channel are centered around how to live your most fulfilling and joyful life while having a chronic illness as I was born with hydrocephalus and know all about the adventures this poses.

How did you get started?

About five years ago I was going through a particularly rough time with my illness, I got bacterial meningitis after a routine surgery and it almost killed me. During that rough patch I found myself searching for blogs, Instagram, and YouTube accounts of people going through similar things and I really wasn’t finding any that resonated with me. I started my blog rather selfishly to be honest. It was more of a place for me to write out my experiences, what emotions I was experiencing, and the things I was learning along the way. I decided that because I was going through this hard time, it didn’t have to be for nothing. We’re all on a journey and although we are all incredible unique beings, our suffering really isn’t all that different. So, I figured if I was experiencing this struggle and pain that maybe I could help others through it. I really just wanted people going through struggles (medical or not), to know that they aren’t on their journey alone.

What inspired the work that you're doing?

I feel bad for admitting this even though I know I shouldn’t but I started my blog because I needed somewhere to vent. I honestly didn’t even consider that people would actually read it, and yet here we are five years later and hundreds of people read it (which still blows my mind and makes me want to cry with gratitude). My YouTube channel was a little different. I’d been joining a few Facebook groups and Instagram accounts for people with chronic illnesses and I kept hearing about how they didn’t feel they had somewhere to go to get advice from someone who’d gone through something similar without feeling like they were being lectured. I want to just provide a space for people to come and learn things (whether they be little tricks I’ve learned that help with my chronic pain, or ways to get out of that horrible negativity mindset that creeps in on a flare day, or anything in between), but still feel like you’re hanging out with a friend.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

I think my biggest passion is helping those with chronic illness live their lives as fully and joyfully as they can. It can be incredibly hard to find joy in moments of such pain and stress but it is possible. I’d say I’m on my way to fully living this purpose. I do have a full-time job not related to this passion but I spend every spare moment working in this area; whether it’s my blog, YouTube channel, or just answering questions and messages I get on Instagram related to living with a chronic illness.

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

There are so many things that bring me joy and really make my soul come alive. When I’m writing I get so in tune with the message I want to come through that I just get into that ‘zone of genius’ where it feels like you’ve only been doing something for minutes when in reality it’s been hours. I also love spending time with my close friends. I have a few really close friends that I can just spend hours with talking about soul centered, deep, meaningful things. Being with them, sharing ideas, making big plans, and honestly just sharing each other’s company really fills up my cup and brings my soul so much joy.

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

There are so many things I do to help keep myself grounded and present (this is still relatively new for me so it’s still a daily learning practice). In the morning, the moment my alarm goes off I start listing all I have to be grateful for. That list gets my mind focused on gratitude and good things rather than letting life unfold around me and letting my attention go to every little negative thing that happens. I also make sure to do a quick one-minute meditation to get grounded and set my intention for the day. I also love using essential oils (whether diffusing them or using them on my diffuser bracelet) to help wake me up (I love orange and other citrus oils in the morning). I’m also a huge fan of EFT (also known as tapping). Truthfully, I have no idea how the mechanism works but I find it so helpful and powerful at getting me to tune out the craziness of life and just focusing on my breathing and what’s right in front of me. That’s also why I make sure to have a consistent yoga practice. Yoga is such a powerful tool for all aspects of our lives; it works out the body, it helps clear the mind, and calms the soul. I find that I get so many ideas and inspiration which I believe is because, when my mind isn’t running a million miles an hour with the craziness of life, I can let the messages from my soul come through.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

I’d hope that she’s proud. I’d hope that she knows I’m trying my best to live a heart cantered joyful life with intention. Yes, I have bad moments (who doesn’t) but I’d hope that she’d see how hard I’m trying to live into my purpose and my joy in trying to help others with chronic illnesses so just that, live with joy.

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

I’ve gotten really into affirmations and mantras lately. I’ve found there’s a few that really resonate with me that I use daily and have written down all over the place to keep me primed to remember them and focused on that awesome high vibrational feeling.

“I am happier, healthier, wealthier, and more fit than I was yesterday.” This is a really powerful mantra for me. I learned it from the awesome power couple Lori and Chris Harder; seriously you guys check out their podcasts: Earn Your Happy and For the Love of Money, they are life-changing. This mantra is so powerful because it encompasses every aspect of my being: my mind, my body, and my surroundings. Saying this affirmation first thing in the morning is also a great way of getting me to see all that I do have to be grateful for and keep me focused on what I have in my life.

“I am stronger than this challenge”. This affirmation is really important for me on the bad days. Whenever I’m having a bad flare or just going through a hard time, having this mantra and repeating it reminds me of my strength. Life isn’t easy but reminding myself that I am here for a reason and stronger than I know is of immeasurable comfort.

“I am not walking this journey alone”. This one has been really important for me since my symptoms got really bad. Illness can be incredibly isolating and lonely and it can make you feel truly alone. When I feel particularly alone, I recite this mantra to remind myself how untrue that feeling really is. None of us is on this life journey alone and in that there is incredible strength.
“I believe in a love bigger than myself”. I truly believe that love is the strongest force available to us. When we choose to see with love, the good things get better, the bad doesn’t necessarily get better but we know that we aren’t experiencing it alone. When I focus on love and how it can offer my soul protection, it makes my crazy dreams seem. a little less crazy.

What is your biggest dream?

This has been evolving for me lately but at the moment my biggest dream is to create a business and community of resources, advice, and comfort for those living with chronic illnesses. I want to create a safe space and abundance of resources so those living with chronic illness have friends with whom they can exchange ideas, learn from one another, and find the joys and laughter in spite of the awful stuff that comes with living with a chronic illness. I want to be able to know I am helping others to the best of my abilities at not just coping with their illnesses but thriving in spite of them. And I want to do this with as much joy and humour as possible because life and its challenges are that much more tolerable when you are enjoying the ride.

To learn more about Alex you can check out her blog here and on YouTube here Instagram @lifelessonslaughsessions and Twitter @alexstp711

Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here