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A breast screening and a message of trust
Last week I went for a breast check for the first time in 7 years. The last time I did was in 2015, a few months after my sister died of breast cancer. It wasn’t a surprise that the check-up was triggering. The first thing the doctor asked me was, Are there any complaints? And my answer was, I have a family history of breast cancer. He laughed and said that this was not a complaint, and we proceeded to the examination. I was lost in my thoughts when he said I had cysts in both breasts. At this point my heart started pounding and it was the only thing…
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The good, the bad, and everything in between – the blessings of another Christmas
So there we have it – Christmas is done and gone, for another year. A magical and somewhat sad time. On the day before Christmas, Sylvie was already stressing that Christmas will be gone soon. It’s hard living and being in the moment, even for an 8-year-old kid. You wait for this special day and before you know it – it’s in the past. But before that, there was the opening of the presents! Who doesn’t love presents?! And not because of the stuff you get, but because of the thoughtfulness of the people who give you the presents. That is a feeling you want to keep with yourself for…
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I am the person I am today because of my trauma, not despite it
My biggest battle is accepting my childhood trauma and the effects it has had and continues to have on my life and its overall quality. More accurately, I struggle the most with accepting that because of my posttraumatic stress responses, my role as a mother has been impaired. As a victim of childhood abuse and trauma, I am especially sensitive towards the fact that because of my own “condition” my child is suffering too. I can easily go down the spiral of blaming myself for not being the mother I wish I could be, for the things I have done or haven’t done because I wasn’t well myself. Because I am…
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Interview with Shyla Cash: Narcissistic abuse and emotional neglect survivor, and a coach at Grow Heal Change
Shyla Cash is the life coach behind Grow Heal Change Coaching, a coaching practice that helps high-performers and creatives heal mind, body, and spirit. She believes childhood trauma can be a portal to experiencing our full potential. Shyla loves to witness the process of transformation as she guides her clients through the amazing journey into the life they desire. Her own trauma history involved a childhood filled with narcissistic abuse and emotional neglect. Through her own healing, she discovered the amazing ability for humans to transcend the pain of family dysfunction into confidence, personal power, resilience, and responsibility. Shyla just got married to her amazing husband Nathan, she loves to…
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Interview with Tanya Amidei: Sexual abuse survivor, life coach and a spiritual writer
Tanya is one of the beautiful people I’ve met on Instagram. Her posts are deep and poetic and full of wisdom and truth. Her personal story is truly poignant but her strength, her spirit and her faith have transformed her into the woman she is today. Tanya is a Life Coach and writer who lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is engaged and lives with an invisible illness called Dysautonomia, more specifically Ehler Danlos and POTS. She describes herself as a people person and some have called her a catalyst for human growth because of her innate ability to see people’s potential. She is passionate, a natural leader, values-oriented, intuitive…
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My Pain is My Power
Two weeks ago I started seeing a therapist. During the two times we met, we talked and went over the details of my past. We started with memories from my childhood and moved towards the more recent past. We made a plan – a timeline of particularly traumatic experiences and we’re going to work with each memory and event separately. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk freely about my past and everything that has happened so far. I had a brief experience of therapy back in Ireland right after my sister died but at the time, I had no idea of the magnitude of traumatic stress I was experiencing.…
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The Wonder List: Goal, Gratitude, Inspiration & Affirmation for the Month of June
“Every day may not be a good day, but there is something good in every day.” ~ unknown & “People say ‘find the good one and leave the bad ones’. But I say ‘find good in people and ignore the bad in them’ because no one is perfect.” ~ unknown Hey Beautiful! It’s the month of June and we’re heading into summer with full speed. Personally, the last two weeks were emotional. My son and I had an unpleasant experience in his kindergarten and, if you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know it’s not the first time. Things reached a culmination point and Tuesday last week was his…
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Interview with Dari Frampton: A woman on a journey of transformation, healing & discovering her true self
Dari is an old friend from my teenage years back in my hometown. For more than a decade I haven’t heard from her until one day in 2017 Dari got in touch with me while experiencing a personal crisis. She was on the verge of her own spiritual journey of self-discovery and awareness. Since that day, we’ve restored our connection and find ourselves on a very similar path of awakening and healing. By day Dari is a portrait and wedding photographer who loves capturing beautiful moments for people. She has always loved the creative arts but recently she’s grown a deep interest in studying psychology, astrology, ancient healing and wisdom…
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The Wonder List: Goal, Gratitude, Inspiration & Affirmation for the Month of April
“Choose your thoughts carefully. Keep what brings you peace, release what brings you suffering. And know that happiness is just a thought away.” ~ Unknown Goal for the month: Take steps courageously towards achieving your goals and desires, be bold and confident in what you want, do not let fear interfere with your clarity and determination. Things I’m grateful for and bring me joy: ♥ The return of spring ♥ Increasing sunshine & longer days ♥ Newfound courage ♥ Determination and commitment to my journey ♥ Feelings of empowerment ♥ Aries season and its emboldening energy ♥ Exploring diverse Sofia city ♥ Drinking Aperol Spritz with family ♥ Walking and talking with friends ♥ Making plans for the…
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The Wonder List: Goal, Gratitude, Inspiration & Affirmation for the Month of March
“What actually sustain us, what is fundamentally beautiful, is compassion for yourself and for those around you.” ~ Lupita Nyong’o Goal for the month: Garnering inspiration, building healthy habits and continuing to practice your craft. Things I’m grateful for and bring me joy: ♥ Standing up for myself and fiercely loving myself ♥ Speaking up my truth without fearing rejection ♥ Honest conversations with loved ones ♥ Voicing concerns and venting frustrations ♥ Quiet and minimal places ♥ No distraction and noises ♥ Fresh air and blue skies ♥ Playing with my son on the floor ♥ Making coffee and cooking breakfast ♥ Drinking tea in the park ♥ Setting up an editorial calendar ♥ Inspiration flow ♥ Bulding momentum ♥…
