The Story of Chris Berryman (The Story of Me)

I’m Chris Berryman, and this is my story, from the day I was born until today. It all started on August 28, 1971, in the small town of Sanford, Florida, on the St. Johns River. I was born to Wally Wallace and Marjorie Christine Doston. My childhood was anything but typical. From what I remember, my parents fought a lot. One vivid memory is from my 3rd birthday. I got so excited that I licked my birthday cake before the party. My mother got so upset that she picked me up and threw me against the wall. That was the beginning of many troubles for me.

I remember feeling confused more than hurt. "What did I do wrong?" I asked through the tears, but all I got was silence. My mother stormed out of the room, leaving me alone with my confusion and fear.

Not long after, my parents divorced. One day, while at a relative’s house, my father showed up, asking if I wanted to go to California with him. [Did you say ‘no?’ Did he disappear before you answered?] I never saw him again after that.

My mother met Clarence “Chip” Berryman, a man from Kingsport, Tennessee, after my parents divorced. Chip had attended military school and then enrolled at the University of Tennessee, but he left in his junior year and moved to Florida. He worked various jobs before eventually landing a position at Red Lobster, where he met my mother. They soon married, and Chip became a central figure in my life.

My earliest memories of being part of a new family started when I entered school in Sanford. Chip was often away, training for Red Lobster, so my mother was mostly raising me alone. One day at school, I got into a pencil fight with another student. I lost control completely, and this marked the beginning of my learning and emotional struggles. I was just four years old.

A year later, things escalated, and I was institutionalized at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, for six months because my mother and stepfather couldn’t handle me. That time in the hospital would haunt me for a long time. When I was released, we moved to Kissimmee, where I met a pivotal person in my life - Patty Harville (then Patty Henderson), my psychologist. She helped me deal with the emotional struggles I was facing. I was only under her care for six months before we moved again, this time to West Palm Beach for Chip’s next Red Lobster assignment.

In West Palm Beach, I faced a health scare: I was hospitalized for triple pneumonia during Florida’s rare snowstorm. Despite that, I recovered, and we moved again to Merritt Island, Florida. I loved Merritt Island.

My elementary school was just across the street. But while I was thriving at school, my parents were struggling. My father came home drunk one night - crashing his motorcycle. I had to help lift the bike off him. It was a lot for a child to witness.

We only stayed in Merritt Island for six months before moving to Louisville, Kentucky, for another of Chip’s work assignments. During this time, I struggled with a severe speech impediment, so much so that it was compared to the great country singer Mel Tillis. For the next two years, I underwent speech therapy, learning to calm my mind before speaking - a skill I still use today.

Louisville was a fantastic experience. I saw U-Boat races on the Ohio River, and it was my first time experiencing a real winter. I’ll never forget my dad’s warning not to run out the door, or I’d slip on the ice. I didn’t listen and quickly landed on my backside.

In the winter of 1979, we moved again to Lakeland, Florida, where Chip had been promoted to area supervisor, overseeing multiple Red Lobster locations.

Adjusting to school in Lakeland was hard. I was always in special education, feeling isolated and invisible. My third-grade teacher turned out to be none other than Patty Harville, my old psychologist from Kissimmee. Despite the familiar face, I still felt like an outsider. I had to repeat third grade because of the many moves. In January 1983, Chip officially adopted me, but that joy was short-lived. My darkest years were beginning.

By fifth grade, I had been in three different schools in two years. In 1982, my behavior at home and school became uncontrollable. I was institutionalized again, this time in Winter Haven, Florida. It was during this period that I considered suicide for the first time. I spent three agonizing months in a mental health institution, surrounded by people in worse shape than me. I often wondered why I was there.

I’d lie awake at night, listening to the sounds of other patients - some crying, some shouting, others muttering to themselves. 'Is this my life?' I thought to myself. 'Am I really this far gone?'

In the spring of 1983, my parents’ marriage fell apart, and they divorced. My mother’s life spiraled out of control. She abused alcohol and marijuana and got involved with some dangerous people, including a biker gang that once raided our house while I was home alone. Things took a darker turn on September 9, 1983. My stepfather dropped me off at home after a weekend visit, and my mother, high on drugs and alcohol, was waiting with a revolver under her pillow, planning to kill him - and maybe even me. Thankfully, nothing happened that night, but my world changed forever the following morning.

At 2 a.m. on September 10, 1983, my mother used that same revolver to end her life. I was in shock. My father arrived soon after the police, and together, we tried to process the horror. Less than two weeks later, on September 20, my father remarried. It was all too much for me to handle - the adoption, the divorce, my mother’s suicide, and now a new stepmother. I was lost in a sea of emotions.

“How could she do this to me? How could she leave me like this?” I remember shouting at my father one night. He didn’t have answers. No one did.

We moved to Tampa to live with my stepmother, Mary, and her two daughters, Marissa and Pam. I experienced night terrors, haunted by a painting in my room that I believed morphed into my mother’s bloodied face. School was no better. The teachers couldn’t connect with me, and my emotional trauma was evident. Six months later, we moved back to Lakeland.

Middle school brought its own set of challenges. I tried to fit in by joining soccer and later football, but I was bullied and even choked unconscious by another student. I felt isolated, both at home and at school. By eighth grade, I was being mainstreamed into regular classes, but I still struggled emotionally. I even considered taking my own life again.

In 1988, I entered high school at Roosevelt Vo-Tech, where, once again, Patty Harville was my teacher. After school, I worked at McDonald’s, my first real job, which helped me feel more connected to society. Over the next few years, I tried out for track and cross country and got involved in school plays. I graduated in May 1991 with a 3.5 GPA and started my adult life with a job at McDonald’s and my first apartment.

Life after high school was a series of ups and downs. I worked various jobs and struggled financially, eventually becoming homeless at one point. I got married twice and had one daughter with my first wife. My second wife, Melinda, became my rock, supporting me through difficult times. We lived in several places and worked hard to build a life together.

In 2017, I began working as a corporate recruiter at Solar Homes. It was during this time that I realized my true passion - helping people. After Hurricane Irma hit Florida and Solar Homes went out of business, I took to LinkedIn, starting my journey with "Bringing Humanity Into Business and Beyond." This initiative became my calling. I met incredible people like Evans Duren , Luke Williams , Darrel Frater ?? , and Toni Abraira , who supported me on this journey.

“You have something to offer, Chris,” Evans Duren told me during one of our conversations. “You’ve been through more than most people can imagine, giving you a unique perspective. Use it.”

His words stuck with me, and I began to see my past not as a series of misfortunes but as lessons that could help others. Today, I continue to grow personally and professionally. My goal is to build a consulting firm that brings humanity back into business. I want to help others the way I’ve been helped, and I dream of the day when I can tell Melinda she can quit her job because I can take care of her. My mission is simple: “If I help you, you help me, and then we help we.” This is the foundation of my work, and I believe that together, we can make a difference in the world.

Here is how you can connect with me and all of us here at Bringing Humanity Together on our social media platforms. ????????????

My LinkedIn Page Chris Berryman

Our Partners here at Bringing Humanity Together Keith Kuperman

Adaptive Strategies Group

Our LinkedIn Business Page

Our Locals Page

Our LinkedIn Community Page

Our Twitter Page

Our Facebook Business Page

Our Facebook Community Page