As I've gotten older Pride has become an opportunity to take inventory of identity. To claim parts of myself that once felt negotiable and reclaim parts that were handed over too freely in exchange for comfort, acceptance, or safety.

Even as a new provider, she has already stepped up to prepare for facilitating SMART Recovery groups here at At The Roots, showing dedication, compassion, and leadership from the start. We are so excited to have her here and look forward to the impact she will continue to make for our community.

If you spend your time watching the next line and judging how they do things, you’re missing the bad stuff you’re sending down your own line and out into the world. 

Regina is someone you’ll quickly find easy to talk to. With a wide range of experiences and a lineup of genuinely cool hobbies, she brings a fresh perspective and a lot of personality to the team.

In the same way we as a country like to avoid accountability for harms that have been done, families and individuals avoid the hard conversations surrounding their part in perpetuating trauma. Sometimes, the conversations go unsaid to protect the ones causing harm.

There is not one “right way” to heal and there definitely isn’t a straight path. My recovery story was messy and doesn’t fit into one box, and that is okay. 

What you don’t see on the recovery pamphlet is that for many of us, it’s part trauma response. Eating disorders affect people of all genders, ages, races, and sizes.

It doesn’t change what happened to you, but it might change how it lives in your body and transform something that feels heavy and shameful into something bearable. And for me it makes me think, See? I’m not crazy! They’ve felt it too.

ADHD isn’t just a quirky “ooh, shiny object” condition, as it’s often portrayed. We’re not just airheads who get distracted now and then; it’s definitely not a superpower. Forgetting appointments and struggling to focus on boring but necessary tasks won’t save the world from villains.

We’re not meant to fix each other’s pain - we’re meant to stay with it. This piece explores what to say when you don’t know what to say, how to hold space without centering yourself, and why real connection often starts in the quiet, uncomfortable moments we tend to avoid.