All Posts | Be Emboldened

Nov 9, 20203 min read

You can love your family deeply without giving them your loyalty and allegiance no matter what

Love. Loyalty. Allegiance. These words are often synonymous with family. Family can be defined in many ways: our household (biological or...

Nov 2, 20204 min read

We have torn down what we thought was real, and now it's time to rebuild.

I called an old friend this morning whom I have not seen in close to 15 years. She and I were raised together, in a way, though in...

Oct 26, 20203 min read

A boy and a girl: best friends who eased each other's fear while being raised in a cult

The boy stepped outside onto the porch to fetch a toy he had left there. When he turned and tried the knob on the front door, he found it...

Oct 19, 20204 min read

Every day you love her, even the days when she doesn't love herself

My mom would oftentimes talk aloud to herself, as many of us do. Personally, I like to speak reminders for myself, in hopes of...

Sep 3, 20203 min read

Once you have named the hurt and grieved its existence, you can stand up

I watched the first version of my story video a couple of days ago; a video of me sharing about my cult experience. Before clicking on...

Sep 3, 20202 min read

Be strong and courageous, but you don't need to face your healing journey alone.

I have a profound love and respect for the Old Testament of the Bible. I have been drawn to it since I broke beliefs with my cult group...

Sep 3, 20203 min read

You can either lean into the loss or you can lean into the gain

God is more valuable than a record player. Though I tend not to become attached to inanimate objects, there are a few I have known over...

Sep 3, 20203 min read

You could allow fear of your past to win, but your future self will for sure lose

My next steps scare me sometimes. I have moments when I lose sight of what matters most in my life and find myself wondering how I will say

Aug 31, 20203 min read

Have you become an expert at hiding the truth about your life? Maybe you don't have to anymore.

I’m an expert because I have spent all of my life hiding. I was raised with lessons in this skill—to attend public school, engage in relatio