My Why

I couldn't be happier that my book has finally launched! It has been a long time coming... 9 years to be exact. I can't wait to share my story with everyone. I have been asked the question of "Why?" a lot. Why Now? Why write a book? Why share your story? So here is my answer:

Since my car accident in 2007, I have worked really hard to figure out exactly who I am and who I want to be. I have fallen flat on my face a lot of times throughout the years AND I have taken major steps forward. A few places I have really struggled were; body image, my place in society, and speaking my truth. All things I think a lot of women can relate too.

In 2015 I was still struggling to write this book, I had a ton of ideas, but I couldn't get them from my head to the paper. I had a breakdown. I sat in my therapist, Wini's, office and cried to her and my mom. They kept coming back to one thing... I wasn't celebrating my bigness. I was keeping myself small and not letting others see me for who I really was. I was falling back into all my old habits and patterns that I had worked so hard to break free from. I think by just naming this for myself it allowed me to see a path that I never saw before. I was letting fear stop me from being who I really am. Fear of what others would think. Fear my voice wasn't enough. Fear I didn't know what I was talking about. The list of fears go on and on. But it was at that moment I knew I had a responsibility to myself and to others who were/are struggling with the same thing to stop letting fear win.

I have gone through a lot in my life. I have learned a lot and I want to share my experiences so that others who may be going through the same things know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

So why did I write Fractured? To help people know that things will get better. That their voice matters. To help empower, enlighten, and inspire others to find their most authentic self and voice. I want people to know; YOU ARE ENOUGH. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. The image society portrays that you have to be skin and bones to be beautiful is so distorted. I hope readers, especially young girls, can read this and have an “aha moment” before they enter into a self-destructive path. It is also my hope that men and women learn that it is ok to be vulnerable, to speak, share, and use your authentic voice, live in their authentic skin, and follow their own rules. Please, don’t shrink yourself to make others like you. It is not worth it. It is so much more fun to live life celebrating your bigness.