Malaysia Harrell

My name is Malaysia Harrell. I’m a veteran, clinical psychotherapist, transformation coach, and a woman who has fought her way back from the edge, more than once.

In 2020, I had just returned from a life-altering military deployment. I was tired, yes, but I was motivated, ready to pour myself back into work, service, and purpose. But almost immediately, something felt wrong. My body was speaking to me in ways I’d never experienced: migraines, body aches, crushing fatigue, and a strange, escalating pain that radiated through my left hip. I knew my body, and I knew this wasn’t stress. It was something deeper.

Then one night, I woke up unable to walk. The pain was unbearable, unlivable. I had to crawl to the bathroom. Something inside me was shutting down.

I went to multiple doctors. None believed me.

They told me it was “adjustment,” or “just stress,” or “maybe early arthritis.” As a licensed mental health professional, I knew the language. I knew how women, especially Black women, get dismissed in medical spaces. But this was beyond frustration. I was fighting for my life, and no one was listening.

Still, I persisted. I advocated. I insisted on more testing. And finally, someone listened.

That’s when I was diagnosed with sepsis.

Had I waited any longer, had I listened to the doctors instead of my body, I would not be here today. That’s not speculation. That’s medical fact.

Sepsis is called the “silent killer” for a reason. It mimics everything and hides in plain sight. But it doesn’t just destroy the body, it erodes your sense of self, your trust in systems, and your belief that you’re safe in the world. I was a strong woman. A leader. A healer. But in that moment, I was brought to my knees, literally and spiritually.

But surviving sepsis was just the beginning of my battle.

Over the next few years, I endured 9 surgeries, oral chemotherapy, and complications that continued to threaten my life. My weight ballooned to 254 pounds. I experienced an unexpected and abrupt medical retirement. My body no longer felt like home. And the world I’d worked so hard to build no longer felt like it could hold me.

I had to grieve the life I once knew, and begin again.

But I chose to heal. I chose to rebuild, not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and holistically.

I didn’t just rely on Western medicine. I explored complementary and alternative healing, acupuncture, energy work, plant-based therapies, meditation, and deep trauma healing. I used everything available to me to recover, not just my health, but my hope.

The past five years have been a relentless climb out of the trenches. I’ve had to face myself in ways I never imagined. I’ve had to let go of perfection, performance, and pretending I’m okay. I’ve had to ask for help. Receive help. And trust the God I’ve always believed in to carry me when I couldn’t carry myself.

But here’s what I know now: Sepsis didn’t break me. It revealed me.

Today, I lead Blissful Life Consulting, where I offer retreats, wellness coaching, and transformational support to high-achieving women and veterans who are silently struggling beneath the surface. I don’t just coach, I understand. I don’t just inspire, I relate.

My healing was never just for me. It was for every woman who’s been dismissed. For every veteran who’s been broken by the very system they gave everything to. For every person who feels like their life is over before it’s really begun.

Sepsis tried to silence me. But I rose.

And now, I use my voice to help others find their way back home to themselves.