"I'm a reformed depressive and anxious mess, turned life lover, explorer and purposeful soul"- Krystal Chong-Hamre
Marketing Guru was a word synonymous with Krystal Chong-Hamre just a few years ago who held the title of Chief Marketing Officer and adviser to the board at her family business Honey Bun in Jamaica. During this time she was on her A-game and was instrumental in taking the company public and implemented the School Days campaign that had a reach of over 700,000 students. Life, on the outside looked perfect for the effervescent personality but on the inside she was silently suffering. Life became monotonous and while going through the daily motions, she suddenly discovered "there had to be more to life" and had an "Eat, Pray, Love" moment and left her corporate life behind and headed to New York. This journey led her to discover her true calling in life and is chronicled in her book "
What the hell am I supposed to do with my Life". The Haute Lifestyle caught up with the newly married author to learn more about the book
H.P: You did something
most people think to do but rarely actually do. At what point did you decide
there has to be more to life?
KCH: Hahaha, Yes... But my hope is that more people will actually
do it, so that they can get the most out of this one life we have! That’s the
reason I wrote the book.
The point that I
decided there had to be more to life was when I was at a high point in my career.
I had done all the things I thought I was supposed to do to be happy; great
education, great job, ‘great’ life and I just felt completely empty. And I knew
more of those things… more money, more success, more recognition, was never
going to fill that hole that I felt in my life. And I knew I had to try
something else or I would live out the rest of my life with that empty feeling.
And this is how my search and my journey began.
 |
| Meditating in the streets of Manhattan |
H.P: Of all the places
in the world, why did you choose New York?
KCH: When I knew I had to find a new path, I had no idea how to
begin that path (again another reason I wrote the book… so that other’s will
have more straight forward steps about where to begin and what’s up ahead).
But even though I didn’t know where to begin, at that time, I knew I could not
sit around and do nothing and let my life waste away. I was eager to find that
thing that I felt calling me, that thing that would make me feel complete, that
thing that I was put here on this earth to do. And one thing was for sure - I
needed to grow in ways I had not grown before. I needed a change of environment
to force me to grow like this. I was really drawn to New York because I saw it
as an incubator, somewhere that would be a really powerful stimulus for that
growth I was craving.
 |
| Sitting pretty with her pup Louie |
H.P: Was there any
doubt in your mind that you might not have made it?
KCH: Hahahahahah!!! Oh my gosh! This question is hilarious! Did
I ever have doubts that I might not make it?
ALL… THE… TIME!! I feel it all the time still - it gets less and
less over powering, but it never goes away. Everyone who takes a chance on
anything feels that way, whether or not they admit it - that’s just human
nature. But for me, there was one thing that was stronger than that doubt; it
was the deep desire not to waste this one life I have been given, my one chance
here on earth. I was prepared to try and to fail, but I was not prepared to
die, having spent my entire life unhappy, never having known what could have
been, but always wondering. That thought was so much scarier than failure to
me. And there were many times along the way, after I’d made huge progress that
I’d have a whole new set of doubts and considered giving up, but at every turn,
that desire for finding what my purpose was, was stronger than the doubt. Just
find whatever your desire is that’s stronger than your doubt, and let that pull
you forward.
H.P: Tell us about the
Journey to “What the Hell Am I supposed to do with my Life”?
KCH: Basically, I did what the world told me I was supposed to
do, and I realized that, that was never going to bring me true happiness. But
because I grew up in a world that teaches you one thing, ‘money + success =
happiness’ I was so lost about where to begin to find my own brand of
happiness. I had struggled with anxiety and depression all my life, and this
feeling of not knowing where my place was in life… feeling like I was living
some life that wasn’t my own, made my anxiety and depression worst and it got
so bad that one night, I hit rock bottom and I got to a point where I was
desperate for change. And once I made that decision, deep within my soul that
night, that I was going to do what it took to change and to find some meaning
and purpose for my life, the universe started bringing all these incredible
things into it. It was literally like magic.
 |
| What the Hell am I supposed to do with my life |
The very day after
I hit rock bottom and made the decision to change, I walked into a juice store,
and this homeless yogi Rasta man came up to me and out of nowhere he said, “You
seem anxious, do you want to do mediation?” And usually I would have been like,
“Ammm no. Who the hell are you? No I don’t want to do some boho meditation with
hippie pot smoking homeless man,” but because I had become so desperate, I became
totally open to anything, and instead I said, “Yes.” This is Hado, the reader’s
favorite character. And he became my spiritual guide and is today one of my
very best friends.
That led to a
whole sequence of events that saw me leaving my job, moving to New York, and
going on one wild and crazy eat-pray-love type of journey, which led me to overcome
my struggles with anxiety and depression. I’ve been off meds for years and am
much happier and more peaceful than I ever was even when I was on them. But more
than that, it led me to find a place of peace in my life, to find my purpose,
to find work that brings me alive and that I can’t wait to wake up every day to
do. And the journey led me to find my wonderful husband. And I just wanted to
share that story and all the lessons I learned along the way, so that everyone
who is struggling with the same things I was struggling with knows that they
don’t have to, that they’re not alone, and so that they will have some
straightforward practical action steps of what they can do right now to start
transforming their own life. Remember, if you’re confused about something, it’s
a good thing, it means you’re on the verge of figuring something out. Just
focus on the solution and you will find it.
 |
| Krystal Chong-Hamre at her book launch for "What the Hell am I supposed to do with my Life" |
H.P: Give us an
insight on the “Author
Life” (the process involved in writing a
book) did you self-publish?
KCH: After my Eat-Pray-Love Journey, I got to a point where I
felt a complete sense of peace in my life that I was in the right place in my
life. And it healed my issues with anxiety and depression, and I just felt a
deep sense of drive connected to what I wanted to do. In that very moment, the
entire content of the book came into my head at once, and I had to grab a pen
and write down in literally 20 seconds, the title for each chapter. Then every
day for 3 months, I sat down to fill in the content for those chapters, and it
would just come to me, like I couldn’t keep up with typing fast enough. I would
be exhausted at the end of the day and honestly, in awe, after re-reading the
material that was just written. I was truly blessed by being connected to
something deeper than myself when I wrote this book. That’s why I believe in
the content in it as much as I do.
Yes I did
self-publish.
H.P: Tell us about the
first time you laid eye on your now husband?
KCH: I could feel immediately that he had the most kind and
generous heart. He was beautiful, of course, but what I really noticed was that
he had the most beautiful energy. And to this day, whenever i’m around him, his
energy is so calming, and he’s my biggest supporter. Once I aligned to finding
my purpose in life, the universe conspired to help me find it, and bringing him
into my life was a huge part of that journey.
 |
| Krystal and her husband Lasse share an intimated moment at their wedding | Photo Credits: Lexon Photography, Jamaica Gleaner |
H.P: We just had to
ask … who designed your Wedding Dress?
KCH: Galia Lahav, an Isreali wedding dress designer.
H.P: Finish the
Sentence… I cannot live without my ….
KCH: Ability to ask questions, and dig deeper to find more
behind the meaning in life and how to live it as fully as possible.
H.P: Finish the
Sentence… On a Sunday night you can find me at ….
KCH: Curled up on the couch with my husband and our little dog
child watching a movie under mounds of comfy blankets.
You can find the "What the Hell Am I supposed to do with my life" Book at the following places below
Book may be
purchased in hard copy, e-book and audio book (narrated by the author) on
Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M6Z4ZFA
Or it can be
found in Jamaica in Innovative Super Store, Discount and Lane Pharmacies,
Bookophilia, Kerry Man Woman Home and Sangsters.
GET SOCIAL WITH US!
