Jewel Kilcher has endured incredible hardship in her life, with everything from homelessness to family issues holding her back until she shot to fame in 1995 following the release of her debut album, Pieces of You.
The 52-year-old opened up about pulling herself out of poverty and homelessness in a candid interview on the No Magic Pill with Blake Mycoskie podcast, and revealed what the turning point was for her escape.
At age 18, Jewel was living in her car, suffering from intense panic attacks and shoplifting to get by, when she realized that something needed to change. "I saw my reflection in the mirror and realized: I'm a statistic. I'm a homeless kid shoplifting, and I'm going to end up dead or in jail if this keeps going," she said on the podcast.
© FilmMagicShe added that her experiences on the street motivated her to get out of her situation. "I realized nobody outran pain. I saw people die so broke and alcoholic they couldn't afford a coffin. I realized my job is just to figure out what to do with pain."
The "You Were Meant For Me" singer added that she worked on healing herself after her singing career took off in the '90s. She described healing as "an archeological dig" back to herself. "Healing is gritty work. But being dysfunctional is much harder work."
Jewel previously shared insight into life on the streets as a young woman, and revealed that she came close to death after being denied treatment at a hospital.
© Getty Images"I almost died in an emergency room parking lot because they didn't see me because I didn't have insurance," she told PBS' Tell Me More. "Luckily, a doctor had seen me get turned me away, and he went out, and he knocked on my door, and he handed me antibiotics and his card. And he saved my life; it turned out I had sepsis."
Jewel experienced a tough upbringing in Alaska, with her dad suffering from PTSD from the Vietnam War and subjecting his children to abuse. Her mother left when she was eight, leaving her dad to raise three kids. She moved out of home at 15 and worked hard to make ends meet with any job she could get.
© Getty ImagesWhile Jewel has since repaired her relationship with her father, her mother betrayed her when she embezzled her $100 million fortune while working as her manager, leaving the performer with a $3 million debt.
© Getty Images"I realized my mom wasn't who I thought she was. It was a deep betrayal," Jewel said on the No Magic Pill with Blake Mycoskie podcast. Despite the major setback, she told herself: "I am not broken. I don't have to fix myself. I have to uncover myself."
© Getty ImagesShe has dedicated much of her life to philanthropic efforts, due to her tough upbringing and experiences on the street. She founded the nonprofit Higher Ground for Humanity, which focused on education and sustainable improvements, and the Project Clean Water charity.
The star also served as an ambassador to the ReThink: Why Housing Matters initiative, which asked Americans to consider how public housing can benefit everyone in the community.
