In this episode of Grace Lives Here, I’m talking about what came after survival. After meningitis rewired my brain and took my voice with it. After years of learning how to function again. After caregiving, loss, exhaustion, and the quiet shame that can settle in when life is interrupted and you don’t recognize yourself anymore. This episode is about writing — not as productivity, not as publishing, and not as a cure — but as a way to stay. To listen. To make meaning in the middle of the mess. I share how journaling first helped me survive when my voice disappeared, how I later lost the practice when my writing turned outward and public, and how I recently found my way back to the page through a simple but powerful question: What would you write if you weren’t afraid? We talk about:  Writing as a way to process trauma, grief, and shame

 Losing your voice — literally and figuratively — and learning how to listen again  Caregiving, cognitive overload, and the pressure to keep everything together  Why not all survival looks intentional, healthy, or well- planned  How writing by hand can slow the mind and steady the nervous system  Beginning again without pressure, perfection, or performance This episode isn’t about fixing anything. It’s about finding a place to tell the truth — privately, imperfectly, and without apology. If you’ve ever felt the quiet pull to write… If you’ve been carrying things you don’t know how to say out loud yet… If you’re learning how to stay with yourself instead of disappearing… This space is for you. I also mention the book The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad, which I’ll link in the show notes for anyone who wants to explore journaling or creative practice further. Grace doesn’t always show up when things make sense. Sometimes it shows up right in the middle of the mess — in the becoming, the unraveling, and the small, brave act of putting words on a page. I’m here, sitting alongside you in the moments that change us, making meaning as we live them. Because this… this is where grace lives.

Resources mentioned in this episode: The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad https://a.co/d/bXvW2vF You can find the podcast, writing, and reflections at https://secondstorystudios.org

Email: secondstorystudios.creative@gmail.com