PinnedMember-onlyThe Best Trauma-Informed Self-Care for Neurodivergent SurvivorsHealing is a totally different ballgame when you’re a neurodivergent survivor. — I was a long-time devotee to therapy for my childhood and adoption trauma. For years, I sat in chairs across from therapists and had encounters both good and bad. From a therapist calling me a nihilist for not wanting children, to another who told me I was too “self-aware,” I…Neurodivergent11 min readNeurodivergent11 min read
Published inThe Honest Author·PinnedMember-onlyThe Greatest Writers Know How to DieBleeding has nothing to do with it. The best writers know death is the path to greatness. — In 1949, celebrated, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith described writing in what would become one of the most oft-repeated quotes on the craft. “You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed…” He wasn’t wrong. There has to be a soul in everything you…Writing Tips9 min readWriting Tips9 min read
PinnedMember-onlyIt’s Hard to Escape the Anne Boleyn Effect When You’re a Woman of a Certain AgeFor women who refuse to play by the rules, there’s an unavoidable expiry date. — When Anne Boleyn reappeared in England around 1521, she made a splash. Elegant, sophisticated, witty, and dressed in the latest continental fashions, she was an “it” girl of sorts who caught the eye of lordlings, poets, and kings alike. …Women12 min readWomen12 min read
PinnedMember-onlyLet’s Talk About the Time My Mother Abandoned Me on the Side of the Road.When you have a narcissistic mother, every memory is tinged with sadness. — Every memory I have from the ages of 17–18 is contained in a little black book. The cover, smooth, bears bold, metallic numbers along the binding. The year I graduated from high school. In the center, the name of my school is emblazoned with the familiar cardinal beside it. It’s…Personal13 min readPersonal13 min read
Published inPractical Growth·1 day agoMember-onlyTry This If You Can’t Go Home for The HolidaysHow to handle the loneliness when you lack a connection to family during the holidays. — Despite what the Hallmark Channel might like you to believe, not everyone can go home for the holiday. Even if they have a family. Even if they have been welcomed, or even if they want to be there. Many obstacles can impede family connection during the holiday season. …Family8 min readFamily8 min read
Published inPractical Growth·2 days agoMember-onlyThis Is Why Trauma Survivors Struggle So Much During the HolidaysAre you struggling to keep calm this holiday season? The answer could lie in your history of emotional trauma. — Feeling more stressed as the holidays approach? Do you feel like there is no real reason for the stress? Maybe things are going well. There aren’t a lot of pressing plans or obligations on the agenda. All the same, you tensing up every time you go outside. You feel like…Christmas8 min readChristmas8 min read
4 days agoMember-onlyIt’s Your Fault: Parental Fragility and the Eggshell ParentNavigating family bonds when you’re the child of an emotionally immature caretaker. — Parents. Noble and selfless. Kind and warm. That’s the picture that we have painted, but it’s not the reality for millions of children living in the shadow of abusive, eggshell parents. The reality is that these children live lives in the pale. Screamed at. Belittled. Children of eggshell parents become…Eggshell Parents8 min readEggshell Parents8 min read
Published inPractical Growth·5 days agoMember-onlyWhy Can’t Problematic Parents Own Up to Their Mistakes?For some parents, the caretaker’s journey is a journey of ego. — My client and her mother had been at war for years. You name it, they fought over it. Clothes. Hair. Shoes. Bags. What school my client was going to, what school she wasn’t going to. Everything between the two was a fight, and that was the only thing my client…Parenting9 min readParenting9 min read
Published inThe Honest Author·6 days agoMember-onlyWriting Realistic Inspirational Content Is the Way ForwardOr: Why you should write inspirational content that acknowledges the real world. — We are living through some dark times, and that means that inspirational content is more in demand than ever. People want to hear good things right now. They want to be told that everything is going to be okay and that sunshine is right around the corner. That’s way easier…Writing8 min readWriting8 min read
Nov 23Member-onlyHow to Create a Habit of Gratitude with 30 Days of Creative JournalingStruggling to find the gratitude in your life? Create a habit of thankfulness in just 30 days of creative journaling. — Most people don’t realize this big secret about me, but I start every day with a journaling practice that I’ve been using for about 3 years. All around my house, there are journals stacked on journals. Every page of them is covered in wiry black writing and stickers that are…Gratitude7 min readGratitude7 min read
