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Community Spotlight: Meet Merry Kelly, a life coach for the hard of hearing

We love it when people share their hearing loss stories with us on social media. Our community often provides comfort, encouragement, inspiration and support for others in similar situations. Recently we connected with Merry Kelly, a life coach for the hard of hearing, whom we think has a wonderful story to share.

Growing up with hearing loss

Merry Kelly, a 32 year old from Alaska, is a life coach for the hard of hearing. Kelly’s own journey to accepting her hearing loss inspired her decision to work with others who have hearing loss.

Kelly grew up on an island in Southeast Alaska and at 8 years old moved to Anchorage, where she currently resides. She says she loves living in Alaska because of all the outdoor adventures it provides!

Kelly, the only person in her family with hearing loss, was almost 4 years old before she was diagnosed with moderate-to-severe bilateral hearing loss. She was fitted for analog hearing aids which she wore until 2006 when she switched to digital. The cause of her hearing loss was never identified, though she does have a reverse curve audiology chart. This means she can hear high pitches noises almost normally but has trouble hearing low pitched sounds.

Read more: Types of hearing aids

Becoming a Life Coach for the Hard of Hearing

Kelly says her passions are being positive and hopeful. Helping people be the very best versions of themselves while helping them see they are meant to have abundance in their lives allows her to utilize her passions.

After being laid off from a job, Kelly says she decided it was time to make the leap toward pursuing this role. She didn’t know, however, what her niche was going to be. At this transitional phase in her life, she had not fully accepted her hearing loss but was actively working on it with her own life coach. Her coach is the one who suggested she help those with hearing loss. Kelly wasn’t thrilled with the idea because she didn’t love herself with a hearing loss, yet.

“Kelly wasn’t thrilled with the idea because she didn’t love herself with a hearing loss, yet.”

She says, “It clicked after I joined several Facebook groups about deafness/hearing loss that I really saw the pain. I was FLOORED. I’m highly empathic so reading and feeling the emotion from that person in words was a lot for me. That’s when I decided that this

was my mission. My mission is to help them see, do and live lives they are proud of and live in a world that can manifest from their dreams. Give them the tools to empower themselves and live authentically. I knew my light, positive energy and attitude was given to me for a reason. I stepped into service and have been loving it.”

“My mission is to help them see, do and live lives they are proud of and live in a world that can manifest from their dreams.”

Coaching the deaf and hard-of-hearing

 

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Kelly believes one of the best things about working with people with hearing loss is that many are empathic. They deeply see and understand the concepts she teaches and apply it to themselves and the outside world.

“Ultimately, one thing many of us are taught from a young age is to play small and fit in,” she says. “I teach the opposite. I believe one should take up space. Seeing my clients grow into it is so gosh darn beautiful!”

When asked what she wished deaf and hard of hearing people knew about life coaching and mindfulness, Kelly says, “I deeply believe we are deserving of the same services as a hearing person. Having a person in your corner who uniquely understands the struggles is best able to guide you through your trials and tribulations with grace and compassion and the occasional kick in the bum!”

“I deeply believe we are deserving of the same services as a hearing person.”

Mindfulness and hearing loss

“Mindfulness is key to understanding your own unique journey in this lifetime but it also teaches you to love yourself as a person,” Kelly says. “It is also about your energy output as well. How you personally feel about yourself will dictate your personal relationship with yourself and others. It’s also helpful to be aware of triggers and patterns that keep you in that thinking.”

Read more: How mindfulness can enhance your hearing experience 

Kelly says she hopes that by working with those with hearing loss they can gain a sense of pride, love and tools to better themselves on a continual basis.

She credits her all female group of friends, her life coach, her mother, and herself for helping her through her career and overall hearing loss journey

Some of her favorite mantras that she loves to tell herself in the morning are:

I love myself with a hearing loss!

I am thankful for my [rainbows!] (Merry suggests calling your hearing aids something positive that makes you feel good!)

Learn more about Merry Kelly, her hearing loss, positivity and life coaching services on her website or on Instagram @merryakelly.

Author Details
Ashley is a 29-year-old who loves to travel and try new things. She has bi-lateral, severe hearing loss, and wears a Phonak Naída V-SP hearing aid in one ear and has an Esteem implant in the other. She plays soccer for the USA Women’s National Deaf Team. She’s currently traveling the world in pursuit of adventure and perspective while also learning about the deaf and hard of hearing communities in various countries. Her travels can be followed on instagram @ashley5chanel or on her blog deaftattooedandemployed.com.