Hi there!
I’m Danielle and I’m on a mission
.
That mission is to become as strong as I possibly can, and to help and encourage other women to be strong too. The main reason I took on this mission was because of my daughter, Emily. As soon as I found out that I was pregnant with a girl, I knew that I wanted her to grow up in a world where women support women- where we encourage and empower each other. Now that I have her (and her little brother too), I also am very aware of the fact that who I am will in part shape who my kids become. Our children are always watching, always listening, and learning how to be based on what they see and hear.
Let me start out by saying that I am not a mental health professional, but I’ve been doing a deep dive into self-care over the last few years and I want to share my experiences and lessons learned in the hopes that someone somewhere might feel a little less alone. That maybe, I can help make a difference.
You may be wondering, who is this chick & why should I bother with what she has to say?
The basics:
I’ve been with my husband, Tom, since 2011 and we have one beautiful baby girl, Emily and an amazing little boy, Tommy. I have a degree in studio art and experience working in a variety of fields, from galleries to photography studios and more. Towards the end of my maternity leave back in 2019, I quit my full time job at an engineering firm in order to be a stay at home mom, dedicating myself to continuing to heal, raising my kid and running my small business (with the occasional nanny job thrown in).
As far as hobbies go, I like to stay busy. I cook, bake, read, paint, sew and journal. I spend a lot of my free time researching mental health and trying out new self-care activities. I also run a shop on Etsy (EmilyEverAfterCo) and I’m in the process of renovating every single room in my house.
I love going on long walks (though that’s a little bit harder now that I’m pushing a double stroller), camping, beach days, Audrey Hepburn movies and my crazy dogs. I’m also very big on spending time with my extended family.
A little less basic:
I’m a classic overthinker, have ADHD, and was officially diagnosed with PTSD in mid-2018. Since then, I’ve done talk therapy, hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. I am part of the spoonie community as I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia back in 2011 and have spent YEARS learning different methods of coping with the chronic pain and fatigue that comes with that diagnosis. I have experience with dealing with panic attacks, trauma brain, narcissists, toxic relationships, body dysmorphia, antidepressants, setting boundaries, and learning about self care.
It has taken a lot of prayer, a lot of work and a lot of heartbreak to become who I am today- a strong and empowered woman building a wonderful life. I have being doing the work (especially since late 2018), learning to not only stand up for myself, but to love myself. (It’s pretty sad that it took me until I was twenty-nine to realize that I deserved love as much as the next person, but that just goes to show that it’s never too late!) Change and healing are definitely not easy, but life on the other side is SO worth the pain. I’d love to make it a little easier for you by sharing some of the things that I have learned.
The biggest thing I really want to share is that no matter who you are, no matter what you have experienced in your life this far,
YOU MATTER.
Your life has value and that value is not determined by other people’s opinion of you, or by how useful you can be to others.
You owe it to yourself to build a life that you can be proud of.
It’s easier said than done for sure, but you are not alone, even if on the darkest days, it might feel that way.
What you’ll find on my site:
I will be sharing a lot about the different mental health lessons that I have learned, as well as self-care practices and tricks that have helped me out. There will be articles about things like identifying narcissism and understanding co-dependency, setting boundaries, and different therapeutic tactics that I’ve experienced.
I also tend to have guest bloggers about once a month. As I mentioned in that first paragraph, I want to help foster a world of women supporting women, and so I intend to have other small-biz mamas pop in every so often to share how they might be able to help you too, or sharing their own tips on empowerment and becoming stronger.
(Do you own a small business that specifically aims to help women to be stronger or more empowered? Drop me a line! I’d love to hear all about it and possibly spotlight you on this site!)
If you’ve read this far, you’re amazing.
Please subscribe to keep following this journey of love and strength, and let me know if there are any topics you want to hear about. Or anything else I can do for you.
Remember, you matter and are worthy of love.
