A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses grief, sibling loss, cancer, regret, and faith. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or a substitute for professional care. Open Letter to A Brother Who… Continue reading Open Letter to A Brother Who Left This World Too Soon
Category: Guest Stories
Guest Stories is a collection of personal stories shared with permission by writers.
These writers have walked through adoption, grief, suicide loss, mental health struggles, faith, trauma, healing, and hard seasons.
These posts reflect the lived experiences and perspectives of each writer. They offer for awareness, encouragement, education, and hope.
Keep the Season Merry and Safe
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience, research, and perspective of the writer. It is offered for practical information, encouragement, and education. It is not medical, safety, legal, or professional advice. Please consult qualified professionals and current public health guidance regarding your specific situation. Keep the Season… Continue reading Keep the Season Merry and Safe
Healing Through Anger
A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses childhood abuse, trauma, anger, fear, sadness, and forgiveness. It is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, legal advice, or a substitute for professional care. Healing Through Anger… Continue reading Healing Through Anger
Three Words I Can Say Could Make You Hate Me
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses identity, family dynamics, emotional neglect, fear of rejection, trauma, self-discovery, and acceptance. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or a substitute for professional care. A… Continue reading Three Words I Can Say Could Make You Hate Me
Tips for Meeting Your Kids’ Needs as they Grow
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience, research, and perspective of the writer. It discusses parenting, child development, emotional needs, physical activity, educational support, and family resources. It is offered for practical information, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, educational advice, medical advice, or… Continue reading Tips for Meeting Your Kids’ Needs as they Grow
Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses bipolar disorder, mental illness stigma, medication, faith, and mental health awareness. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, medical advice, or a substitute for professional care.… Continue reading Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness
From the Outside Looking
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses childhood trauma, parental depression, family conflict, emotional neglect, parentification, and growing up too fast. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis care, or a substitute… Continue reading From the Outside Looking
The Real Truth About Death and Grief
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses grief, sibling loss, guilt, faith, and healing after the death of a loved one. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or a substitute for professional… Continue reading The Real Truth About Death and Grief
The Things You Need to Know About Nana
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses grief, grandmother loss, missing a loved one, regret, gratitude, and healing after loss. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or a substitute for professional care.… Continue reading The Things You Need to Know About Nana
How to Separate the Good Mom from the Bad Mom
A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses childhood abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, family pain, emotional wounds, and trauma connected to a mother-daughter relationship. It is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, legal advice, crisis… Continue reading How to Separate the Good Mom from the Bad Mom
Memories with My Mom
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses family relationships, mother-daughter love, forgiveness, communication, gratitude, depression, anxiety, and healing. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, medical advice, or a substitute for professional care.… Continue reading Memories with My Mom
No Thanks to You Part 3
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses workplace trauma, job loss, toxic work environments, depression, anxiety, resentment, and crisis-level hopelessness. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis care, legal advice, or a… Continue reading No Thanks to You Part 3
No Thanks to You Part 2
I didn’t do things the way you wanted me to. Honestly, I like to make notes. I don’t shred things as often as you would like because I fear losing something important. Frankly, I still do that to this day. I am good at returning phone calls, but you insist that I… Continue reading No Thanks to You Part 2
No Thanks to You
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses workplace trauma, betrayal, toxic work environments, micromanagement, resentment, broken trust, and emotional pain. This post is part of a series that includes crisis-level hopelessness. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It… Continue reading No Thanks to You
A Letter to Myself
A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses childhood abuse, parentification, self-blame, eating and body distress, emotional exhaustion, trauma, and crisis-level hopelessness. It is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis care, medical advice, or… Continue reading A Letter to Myself
The Dark Days
A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses depression, trauma, medication, therapy, isolation, emotional darkness, and mental health struggles. It is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis care, or a substitute for professional support.… Continue reading The Dark Days
I Am Who I Am
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses friendship betrayal, toxic relationship dynamics, bullying, anxiety, depression, forgiveness, boundaries, and emotional healing. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis care, or a substitute… Continue reading I Am Who I Am
To the Person That’s Been There Through it All
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses emotional support, gratitude, mentorship, faith, mental health, unconditional love, and the importance of safe people during hard seasons. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis… Continue reading To the Person That’s Been There Through it All
Powerful Note to Self
A note from Brandi:This guest post discusses sexual abuse, trauma, self-blame, implicit memory, fear, and healing after betrayal by someone who should have been safe. It is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, legal… Continue reading Powerful Note to Self
I Am Broken
A note from Brandi:This guest post is shared with permission and reflects the personal experience and perspective of the writer. It discusses identity, shame, faith, emotional distress, not feeling okay, and the pain of feeling different or rejected. It is offered for awareness, encouragement, and education. It is not therapy, clinical advice, crisis care, or… Continue reading I Am Broken