The honest version of my story

I grew up around addiction, silence that passed for peace, and patterns of behavior that nobody talked about but everybody repeated. Hard conversations did not happen in my house. Feelings did not get named. Things got swept under the rug and life moved on like nothing happened.

For a long time I thought that was just how things were. That the tension and the walking on eggshells and the never knowing what version of someone you were going to get was just part of love. It took me a long time to realize it was not.

I did not have someone show me a different way. I had to figure it out as I went, make a lot of mistakes, cause some hurt along the way, and slowly, slowly learn what it actually looks like to live with intention instead of just surviving. I am still learning. But that is kind of the whole point of this space.

Ten kids, one wild and beautiful life

My husband and I have built something that does not fit neatly into any category. When we got married he had five children, three of whom I had the privilege of helping raise. Together we had one child of our own. We also adopted my nieces, who became my daughters. And then there are the two we lovingly call our bonus blessings.

Ten kids in two distinct age sets. One house. A whole lot of noise and love and hard days and good ones. My husband retired a few years ago, and watching that shift happen made me realize I needed to build something for myself too. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. Because I finally understood that my growth matters just as much as everyone else’s in this house.

This family is the reason I do everything I do. They are also the reason I know firsthand how much it matters to do things differently than they were done to you.

I did not plan to be all of these things at once

I am a behavior specialist who works with kids who have big emotions and even bigger behaviors. I am in ministry. I am an Amazon affiliate who shares the things I actually use.  And somewhere along the way I became what I call a life support mentor, helping people figure out what they are feeling, what they are facing, and how to move through it instead of staying stuck in it.

None of that was the plan. God just kept opening doors and I kept walking through them. I do not think that is an accident. I think it is because every single one of those things connects back to the same thing: I want people to feel less alone in the hard stuff.

That is why I show up every day on TikTok and Facebook talking about the things most people keep behind closed doors. That is why I built this site. That is why I write the posts I write. Because somebody needs to say it out loud, and I have never been very good at staying quiet when something matters.

This space is for you if you are still in the middle of it

Real Talk is where I write about the hard stuff. Faith, healing, identity, relationships, and what it actually looks like to try to do better than what you were shown. No highlight reels. No perfect answers. Just honest conversation.

My Favorites is where I share the things I actually use, the books that helped me think differently, the planners that keep this household running, the self care that is simple and real. Everything there is something I have personally used and stand behind.

And Free Downloads is where I put together the things I wish someone had handed me when I was just starting to figure all of this out.

You do not have to have it together to be here. You just have to be willing to keep going.