My Story

My name is Denise, and I am a mother, a writer, a veteran, and a woman who has spent much of her life learning how to survive, heal, and find her way forward.

My story isn't a simple one. It includes childhood bullying, difficult relationships, military service, painful marriages, motherhood, and years of struggling with my mental health. For a long time, I didn't fully understand how the things I had experienced were affecting me. I simply knew that I was hurting and trying to find a way through it.

Becoming a mother changed me in ways I never expected. While raising my daughter, I found myself confronting parts of my own childhood and the wounds I had carried into adulthood. In many ways, while I was parenting her, I was also reparenting myself.

I've learned that healing doesn't happen all at once. Some days are easier than others. There are still things I struggle with, but I no longer believe that struggling means I've failed.

I've also learned that my pain is real, even when other people don't understand it. My experiences are real, even when they aren't visible. And asking for help doesn't make me weak—it means I'm willing to keep fighting for myself.

I share my story because I know I'm not the only person carrying things that others can't see.

I don't have all the answers, and I don't pretend to have a perfect story. What I have is experience, perspective, and a willingness to be honest about the messy parts of healing.

Most importantly, I've learned that my past is part of my story, but it isn't the whole story.

I am still writing the next chapter; Having this website is a big part of that.