WHERE IT STARTED
I grew up in a home shaped by divorce, trauma, and emotional survival.
From a young age, I learned how to hide my feelings instead of express them, how to shrink myself to avoid rocking the boat, and how to put everyone else’s needs before my own as a survival instinct.
People-pleasing became second nature. I wore it like armor—but underneath, I was anxious, disconnected, and exhausted.
I want to acknowledge that no childhood is perfect, and no parent is either. I know now that parents often do the best they can with what they know and where they are in their own emotional and mental journeys. But that doesn’t erase the impact of growing up in a volatile or emotionally unstable environment.
For me, it shaped how I saw myself, how I moved through the world, and how I believed I had to earn love and safety. I’ve grown to struggle with mental health for much of my life and believe it’s something that has both caused me great pain, but also given me immense strength. I
I want to acknowledge that no childhood is perfect, and no parent is either. I know now that parents often do the best they can with what they know and where they are in their own emotional and mental journeys. But that doesn’t erase the impact of growing up in a volatile or emotionally unstable environment.
For me, it shaped how I saw myself, how I moved through the world, and how I believed I had to earn love and safety.
For most of my life, I struggled with my mental health. I’ve been on antidepressants since I was a teenager, and I spent years feeling like I was just trying to keep my head above water. There was no space for healing—just surviving.