Finding My Voice
"For years, I believed the shame was mine to carry alone. But the women I met inside taught me that our stories aren't just ours—they're medicine for someone else who needs to know they're not broken. Now I'm rebuilding, one honest conversation at a time."
Letters to My Daughter
"Every Sunday, I write my daughter a letter. She's seven now, and I've missed three birthdays. These letters are promises—to her, to myself—that when I get out, I'll be the mother she deserves, not the one who disappeared."
The Job Interview
"The woman across the desk asked about the gap in my resume, and I made a choice: I told her the truth. I expected judgment. Instead, she said, 'Thank you for your honesty. Now tell me what you're good at.'"
Sisterhood Behind Bars
"They tell you prison is about punishment, but no one prepared me for the women who became my family. We celebrated birthdays with instant coffee and smuggled chocolate. We cried together, laughed together, and taught each other how to survive what came next."
The Housing Application
"Tick the box: Have you ever been convicted of a crime? I stared at that question for twenty minutes. Tick the box and lose the apartment. Leave it blank and live with fear. There has to be another way to prove I'm more than my worst mistake."
