My Story...

Before Addiction
When people ask about my childhood, I usually describe it as normal.
I attended a private Catholic school from kindergarten through fourth grade before my family moved from the city to the county. The transition to public school was a culture shock, & from that point on, I often felt like I didn't quite fit in. 

I've always been described as loud, talkative, inquisitive, energetic, & unfiltered. While those traits have become strengths in my life today, growing up they often made me feel like an outsider. I wasn't much like my parents or my sister, & I never seemed to fit neatly into any social group. 

I wasn't the stereotypical teenage girl. I'd rather mow grass & help my dad in his shop than go shopping with my mom. I loved playing the drums but hated band practice. I played sports, but being left-handed often made things more challenging. There wasn't always the right equipment, & coaches didn't always know how to teach skills from a left-handed perspective. Looking back, I spent a lot of my childhood feeling different. 

My life took a rebellious turn when I was 15 years old. I had become best friends with a girl named Lisa. She got me a job working with her at her Great Uncles restaurant. (That's where I still have many fond memories). One day, before we went to work, we decided to skip school for the first time. We planned it all out. We were going to have so much fun. But I never imagined a fun-filled afternoon would turn into a life long nightmare. But it did. And Lisa, being the amazing friend she was, helped me get through it.  

During our entire friendship, I felt truly understood. Lisa accepted me exactly as I was & taught me that I didn't have to pretend to be someone else to belong. We were incredibly alike, & our friendship became one of the brightest parts of my teenage years.  

Then, just over a month after her 16th birthday, Lisa was killed in a car accident. I was devastated. 

The loss made me feel abandoned, angry, & confused. I questioned God & struggled to understand why someone so important to me had been taken away. From that point forward, something inside me turned off.  

My grades began to slip. I got into fights, skipped school, & was suspended multiple times. I stopped caring about the things that had once mattered to me. My joy was gone.  

Despite my struggles, I graduated from high school with my cosmetology license & stepped into adulthood hoping things would get better. But underneath the surface, I still wasn't happy. 

The following year, I enrolled in nursing school at my mother's encouragement. It seemed like a practical path: a career where I could help others while earning a good living. After graduation, however, I failed my NCLEX boards, & the disappointment hit me hard. That same month, I moved out of my parents' home. 

The trailer park I moved into would change the course of my life. It was there that I met the father of my children. It was also where I used cocaine for the first time. If I knew then what I know now, I probably never would have moved there. But if I hadn't, I also wouldn't have the two people who have given my life its greatest purpose—my sons.

What I didn't understand at the time was that my struggles had started long before drugs entered the picture. 

I was already battling mental health challenges, but I didn't have the language or awareness to recognize them. Conversations about mental health were rare, & family struggles with suicidal thoughts & intrusive thinking were often kept hidden. Because of that, I grew up believing everyone felt the way I did.

I thought it was normal to lie awake at night wishing you could simply go to sleep and never wake up. I was wrong! 

And although I didn't know it then, those unresolved struggles would become the foundation upon which addiction would eventually take hold. 

Recovery, Purpose, and Hope
In 2020, during my third year of recovery, I discovered that my greatest struggles could become my greatest purpose.

I joined my local Community Services Board as a part-time Peer Recovery Specialist in Behavioral Health & Substance Use Outpatient Services. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made... not only for my career, but for my own growth & healing. Through serving others, I gained a deeper understanding of myself, my recovery, & the power of lived experience.
Five years later, I took the next step in that journey by moving into a full-time position at the Crisis Center.

Today, I connect with people through authenticity, storytelling, faith, & my experience managing both recovery & a co-occurring mental health diagnosis. I believe that people are far more likely to find hope when they meet someone who has walked a similar road and found a way through.

Throughout my career, I have supported a variety of recovery-focused organizations & pathways, including Celebrate Recovery, Recover Out Loud, CORE, ALPHA, Treatment Court, Good News Jail Ministry, and many others. My experience facilitating groups such as WRAP, APPR, SMART Recovery, Peer Perspective, and Recover Out Loud step study has reinforced one simple truth:
Recovery does not discriminate.

Addiction & mental health challenges affect people of every age, race, background, profession, and socioeconomic status. Just like recovery belongs to everyone who is willing to pursue it.

One of my greatest passions is expanding access to recovery resources, especially in rural communities. Recently, I coordinated outreach efforts & hosted recovery events throughout my neighboring County that brought together more than 300 people in recovery, demonstrating the power of hope, connection, & community.

My faith remains the foundation of everything I do. I am grateful to call White Oak Worship Center in Blairs, Virginia, my home church, & I believe everyone deserves a place where they feel welcomed, accepted, & loved.

My goal is simple: to help people see that recovery is possible. Not because life becomes easy. Not because challenges disappear. But because hope is stronger than addiction, stronger than shame, & stronger than the belief that things can never change.

I strive to create lasting change through active listening, honesty, vulnerability, compassion, & humor. Lots & lots of humor!! I don't claim to have all the answers, & I don't believe recovery is a one-size-fits-all journey. What I can offer is my experience. After more than nine years in recovery, people often ask what has helped me stay the course. My answer is deeply personal:

I stopped seeing myself as a victim of my circumstances and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.

When I want to quit, I worship.
When I am thankful or worried, I pray.
When I have questions, I read God's Word.
When I need support, I surround myself with people who encourage me, challenge me, and help me grow.

People will often disappoint us. Recovery programs, churches, friends, & yes, even family members... because people are imperfect.

But I have found that placing my faith, my recovery, and my life in God's hands has never failed me. If my story proves anything, it's this:
No matter where you've been, no matter what you've done, and no matter how hopeless things may seem today, recovery is possible.