Today is the day. I am sitting before my typewriter, that clacking, honest confessor, asking the universe if it’s finally time to breathe life into this story. My heart says yes. It’s time to talk about the side of magic we don’t put on vision boards. We love to talk about synchronicities as if they are all sparkling breadcrumbs leading us to a field of sunflowers and effortless joy. But let me tell you something I’ve learned in the trenches of my own soul: not all growth is

Mirror, mirror on the wall… how did my happy, capable self fall so far? How do I find my way back to the woman I know I am? The summer of 2001 did not arrive gently. I weighed over 270 pounds. I felt exhausted in a way sleep could not fix. My self- esteem had worn thin. Diagnoses began collecting around me like labels I did not remember choosing. Hypothyroidism. Obsessive compulsive disorder. Words meant to help explain why life felt so difficult to live inside. For five year