If You See Someone Falling Behind
From Burnout to Bliss: The Beauty of Therapeutic Art
“It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” ~Brené Brown
“You have burnout.” I listened to these three words in a trance, said thank you, and got off the call with the doctor.
Part of me had known.
The endless days I spent in bed staring at the ceiling with no motivation to do anything. The inability to focus on my screen. And the sudden bursts of tears when I saw yet another meeting pop up in my calendar.
I knew all of this wasn’t normal. That …
How I Broke Free from a Narcissistic Family System
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”~ Carl Jung
My mom had always been invested in real estate. I remember snacking on open house charcuterie years before we finally purchased a house to flip—the first of four. By the time I was eighteen, we’d moved five times.
I knew our family was falling apart by renovation number three.
I had spent the previous few years experiencing suicidal ideation and was now on a strict cocktail of seven or so psychiatric and neurological medications.
My brother …
How to Enjoy Food and Feel Good in Your Skin
Have you ever felt like fat and food were your enemies? Like everything would be better if you could just lose weight—and eat whatever you want without consequence?
I felt that way for much of my childhood and teens, when unresolved trauma and low self-esteem led to a long battle with food and my body.
I struggled with bulimia for over a decade, starting at twelve. And though I technically “recovered” in my early twenties, I spent years after trapped in rigid food rules and a lingering fear of eating the “wrong” thing.
It wasn’t until my thirties that I …
I Lost My Father—and the Illusion of My Mother
“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” ~Eckhart Tolle
In July 2023, my father died in a tragic accident. We were devastated—my sisters, my mother, and I. Or so I thought.
What followed in the months after his death forced me to confront the truth of my mother’s emotional disconnection, a truth I had sensed but never fully allowed myself to see. In losing my father, I also lost the illusion of the mother I thought I had.
A Sudden Exit
By September, just two months after my father’s death, my …
Left-Side Pain: A Powerful Messenger for My Abandoned Parts
“The body always leads us home… if we’re willing to listen.”
For over a decade, I lived in a body that tried to tell me something I wasn’t ready to hear. But eventually, it got louder—loud enough that I could no longer ignore the message.
It started with migraines—always on the left side.
Then came a string of sinus infections and dental issues—again, always on the left.
Lumps formed in my left breast. Then pain in my left ribs. Then a left-sided numbness that made doctors run MRIs for multiple sclerosis. Every test came back normal. And yet my body …
Raised on Their Best Intentions—Healed on My Own Terms
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” ~Kahlil Gibran
There are two versions of me.
There’s the one I am now—the grounded, present woman who holds space for others, who guides people toward healing, who walks barefoot through the grass and whispers affirmations while sipping her coffee.
And then there’s the other version. The one who barely made it. The one who used to stare into her fridge not out of hunger but as a distraction from the ache in her chest. The one who didn’t feel at home in her …
The Truth About Why I’ve Ghosted People (and What I’ve Learned)
“Ghosting is cruel because it denies a person the chance to process, to ask questions, or to get closure. It’s emotional abandonment, masquerading as protection.” ~Dr. Jennice Vilhauer
I never set out to ghost anyone.
In fact, I used to hate ghosting with the burning fury of a thousand unread dating app notifications. I told myself I’d never be that person—the one who disappears mid-conversation, fails to reply after a good date (or sends a very bland thank you message), or silently vanishes like a breadcrumb trail to nowhere.
And yet… here I am. Writing a post about how I’ve …
How Two Simple Lists Completely Transformed My Life
“Happiness turned to me and said, ‘It is time. It is time to forgive yourself for all of the things you did not become… Above all else, it is time to believe, with reckless abandon, that you are worthy of me, for I have been waiting for years.” ~Bianca Sparacino
I didn’t know who I was.
That realization hit me like a punch to the chest after I ended a decade-long relationship and canceled my wedding six weeks before it was supposed to happen.
I remember standing in my kitchen one morning, staring at the floor, and thinking, I have …
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