Words that comforted me the most — I’d thought that being in an abusive relationship was the hardest thing I could ever go through. Until I lost custody of my daughter. I’d seen it coming. In the years after I fled the abuse, it was the one threat that was used against me. …

What happens when your therapist doesn’t provide the support you need? — You exist within the world a little differently after experiencing a toxic, traumatic relationship. You unconsciously start to see red flags everywhere — a look, a word, a moment of silence — anything. Before that toxic relationship, you had no idea what kind of red flags exist. The whole concept…

You have shown me the depths of a parent’s love. — Few decisions conflicted me as much as that of becoming a parent. I regretted bringing a child into the suffering I faced in the abusive relationship. Yet from the moment I first held her in my arms, I knew that my purpose in life had forever changed. I’d always wanted…

It’s all about the long game — I was 26 years old when my partner first assaulted me. We’d barely walked in through the door when he descended on me with insults, kicks, and punches. He was angry at me for questioning his actions while at the club. I was fresh out of uni at my first…

Was my sacred habit built on a faulty foundation? — There’s a street family that lives under the bridge along the route I used to run. They have a son, he’s around three-years old. Each time I’d run past them, he’d stretch out his chubby hand and yell to his mother — “there is the lady for running.’’ A runner. …

With her birth came the reason to leave — I watched my phone screen light up, then darken. It lit up shortly after, then darkened. This went on several times. I was seated under an umbrella in the front yard, cradling our three-month-old daughter. I picked up the phone and stared at the screen — 35 missed calls. …

I turned 43 —

Was it worth it? — It’s funny. The thing that gets most people started on a running habit isn’t the thing that helps them stick to it for the long haul. You think that you’ll only keep going because you shed a few pounds. You’re certain your changing physique will fuel your motivation. The biggest…

We really cannot tell our loved ones how they should or shouldn’t feel — At age five, I walked into my parents’ bedroom and saw something I hadn’t seen before. My mom sat facing the window, her head bowed down. She must be praying, I thought to myself, as I slowed my walk. Then I heard a sniffling sound and saw her shoulders shake…