First and foremost, I’m a mom to two incredible kids, Lakelynn and Beckett. In late 2022, after years of wearing a brave face and pushing through silent struggles, I hit a breaking point with my mental health. Burnt out and emotionally exhausted, I made the difficult but necessary decision to step away from a 10-year career and begin prioritizing my own well-being for me, and for my kids.

I started this blog, Healing Not Yet Healed, as a way to process my own journey and to help others feel less alone in theirs. It’s a space where I share my experiences with mental health, trauma, motherhood, and the ripple effects of addiction and family dysfunction.

At the heart of it all is what I’ve come to call Healing on Purpose—the choice to show up for yourself, even when it’s hard, even when healing feels slow or uncertain. It’s about being intentional with your growth, facing the hard stuff with honesty, and deciding that survival isn’t enough. You want to live with meaning. Healing on purpose means refusing to go numb, even when it would be easier. It means choosing awareness, connection, and hope over and over again.

This blog is a safe space for the messy middle, the in-between moments where you’re not fully healed but still choosing to keep going. I want to offer validation, comfort, and encouragement to anyone navigating life after trauma, burnout, or simply feeling lost.

Here, you are seen. You are not alone. Struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing. And healing however slow, however nonlinear, is still healing.

I have always had that very common fear of being judged, of not being liked, of saying the “wrong” thing. There’s a layer I haven’t fully peeled back yet, and it’s tied to years of people-pleasing and staying small to make others comfortable. I know that in order to write as my truest self, I have to be willing to speak honestly—even when it’s messy, even when it’s not popular. That’s the work I’m doing: pushing through that wall, showing up anyway, and trusting that my voice matters. Because if I’m not willing to take a stance on the hard things, then what am I really writing for?

You are enough. You matter. You are doing better than you think.

With love,
Jess