“The power of a story has a magnitude that not a lot of people realize. You’ll learn something external about something else, but you’ll also learn more about yourself,” says Allié McGuire.

By Juliana Silva

Mother. Poet. Social Entrepreneur. Survivor. Though all these words describe a single woman, you may not think so at first glance. In Episode 45, Host Aalia Lanius invites Allié Merrick McGuire to share her journey founding her nonprofit organization Awareness Ties, while simultaneously fighting through an illness invisible to the naked eye. 

A strong advocate for the causes that bring us together, Allié McGuire founded the nonprofit organization “AwarenessTies” along with her husband, Jack. An article of clothing that simply started as simply a symbol for support, an item that “ties” us together, has transformed into a large platform where people are able to share their experiences with different forms of trauma. 

“We started with ties being the core of what we’re doing, the symbol of support,” McGuire explains her inspiration for her nonprofit. “But then we realized it wasn’t just the symbol of support, but rather it was the story the symbol was tethered to.”

From Alzheimers to Addiction awareness, AwarenessTies has given the learning opportunity for various people to step into the shoes of others and live through their experiences with trauma. McGuire explains how AwarenessTies’s role is not to create change, but to be a catalyst for change. Not to steal the spotlight, but rather, to build the stage for these voices to be heard through their magazine, podcast, and talk show: AwareNow. Our very own Aalia has been featured as an ambassador for domestic violence awareness!

“I’m not here to create the narrative, I just want you to hear a perspective, and consider somebody else’s perspective other than your own,” explains McGuire.

While helping found and co-lead her organization, McGuire learns of news that would change her life forever. After a continued issue with her vision, McGuire was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an immune system illness that damages communication between the brain and body. And though the world may continue to see McGuire as the way she was, she would never see the world the same.

In this, Aalia agrees. As a member of the cancer and autoimmune disease communities, Aalia shares her everyday struggles that others can’t see.  

On the toughest days, McGuire shares how she reminds myself that there is someone in the world who has it worse than her. To keep pushing forward, she practices gratitude and thinks of what she has, rather than what she doesn’t.

“It’s always focusing on the positive and, yeah, there is a lot that I don’t have, but there is a lot that I do have and damn it, am I going to use that to serve others and make something beyond myself.”

In this unique opportunity, McGuire found herself becoming an ambassador for her own cause in the AwarenessTies community. Now, with her illness, she has found the “blessing within that curse to empower and elevate others.”

People like Allié McGuire live around us, fighters who must live every day with a trauma unbeknownst to the world. In a pandemic-stricken world, it is utmost important to never judge a book by its cover, as you never truly know someone’s story.

Tune in to the full episode to hear more about Allié McGuire and the candid discussion that stays Unsugarcoated. 

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Connect with Allié McGuire:

IG: @thespoonlifebyallie

Website: https://www.awarenessties.us/