Hey there, I’m Cassandra. ❤️
I’m a bookworm, an Adult Child of Alcoholics, and a real big NERD!
I’m also a mom to two girls and a divorced survivor of domestic abuse. Unfortunately, the dysfunctional family dynamics that showed up in my marriage weren’t new to me. In fact, they’ve often been a part of my story. My father suffers from alcoholism, drug addiction, and schizophrenia. My mother is a convicted felon who was in prison for a good portion of my childhood. She has also struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse for as long as I can remember.
I was a nervous little kid who was painfully shy. My parents divorced when I was little. I grew up being ping-ponged between different people. I spent a lot of time with my maternal alcoholic grandfather and codependent grandmother. My paternal grandparents owned a bar and thought it was cute to put me behind it. I was put in unsafe situations, emotionally neglected, and expected to comfort and care for adults. It was hard. And the experiences I had definitely left their marks on my body, heart, & mind.
As a young person, I hamster-wheeled through life trying to figure out why everything felt so hard and how I could be so stupid. I felt like an imposter who was one slip up away from my whole world crumbling down. I tried so hard to “keep it together” and take care of everyone and everything except myself. I had grown up but I hadn’t been raised at all. I knew nothing about how to be a happy and healthy person!
In my early 20s, I met a boy who seemed dorky and kinda sweet. He obviously wasn’t an abuser because he had a driver’s license and wore polo shirts! There were a lot of what I would now refer to as “red flags” but they just seemed normal to me back then. We quickly got pregnant and had a baby. This was followed by getting married, buying a house, all those things I thought “normal” people did. I was trying so hard to give my daughter the “perfect” family that I had never had as a child. Then, a miscarriage gave me a quick glimpse into the person I had really married. The experience painfully pick-hammered my heart open like a geode and I was set on a path of healing that I could’ve never imagined…
In the years that have followed, I’ve attended counseling, discovered energy healing, had another baby, found understanding and acceptance in Al-Anon, connected with my Higher Power, focused on my inner child, journaled a trillion times, divorced my abusive ex-husband, learned to lean into my nerdiness to improve my life, practiced how to advocate for and parent traumatized children, explored Ancestral Healing, studied the nervous system and the effects of trauma on somatic health, broken generational curses, & cried enough tears to flood the earth approximately three times over. Maybe four.
And I continue to learn, make mistakes, and grow. ❤️
Now, I’m openly offering to you my story of heartbreak, healing, & hope with the genuine wish that you won’t have to figure all of it out from scratch as I did. You can think of me as a really good friend…or a fun big sister who can guide you to do better than she did. Maybe the crazy neighbor lady who makes sense sometimes? Whatever works for you! I just want to use what I know to help you on your own healing journey. You deserve someone in your corner supporting you!
Within my writing, I’m sharing my personal thoughts & experiences with:
- healing and recovery
- helpful books and media
- 12-step work
- parenting your kids but also your inner child
- nervous system regulation & somatic wellness
- taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, etc.
- handling hard family situations
- using my favorite fandoms to “Level Up” my life…and so much more! ?
Can I just say how happy I am that you’re here?!
So happy, in fact, that I want to give you something…
Click here to get a free copy of my e-book Eat Me Alive: How Alcoholism & Addiction are the Zombie Virus…And How to Survive! You’ll also be able to stay in touch with me through my weekly newsletter. I’ll be sharing the latest insights, information, & inspiration – straight from me to you. We can be email buddies!
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll be talking with you soon!
With my love,
