Beyond Survival

🔥 LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PART NOBODY WARNS YOU ABOUT…

You can survive the abuse.
You can leave.
You can rebuild your life.
You can smile again.

…and STILL have days where the past comes knocking.

Healing doesn’t mean you never get triggered.
It doesn’t mean you stop being angry.
It doesn’t mean you forget what happened.

It means what happened to you no longer gets to decide who you become.

And listen… 👀

Some people are going to be uncomfortable with the version of you that finally learned to say NO.

Let them be uncomfortable.

You spent enough time making yourself small so everyone else could be comfortable.

This is the season of becoming.

Not who they wanted.
Not who trauma told you to be.
WHO YOU WERE MEANT TO BECOME. ❤️‍🔥

Welcome to Beyond Survival.

🖤 You survived. Now let’s talk about how you LIVE.

Marked safe from DV since Jan. 2017

Some of us are surviving things nobody knows about. ❤️

Beyond Survival is a place for the real stuff—life, trauma, healing, motherhood, relationships, starting over, and everything in between.

No judgment. No pretending. Just real people, real stories, and real support.

If you’ve ever felt like you were the only one…

Come sit with us. You belong here. 🫶

What are you learning about yourself in this season of life? 🪷

🦶💚 HEALING UPDATE! 💚🦶
Little by little… I’m getting there. 🥹💪
This healing journey has definitely been a process, and I’ve had my share of pain, swelling, frustration, and moments where I wondered how long it was going to take.
But today, I’m Celebrating a BIG Little Victory. 🥳
I’m starting to bear weight on my foot and take steps as tolerated! 🦶✨
I’m not saying I’m ready to run a marathon just yet 😂 — but being able to slowly put weight on it, get up, and actually WALK a little is something I’m incredibly grateful for.
The pictures show where I’m at right now… still swollen, still healing, still stitched up, and definitely not back to normal. But compared to where I started, I can see progress. ❤️
I’m learning that healing doesn’t always happen overnight. Sometimes healing looks like taking one tiny step at a time—literally. 🥹
So today, I’m choosing to celebrate the progress instead of focusing on how far I still have to go.
One step. One day. One victory at a time. 🦶💚
Thank you to everyone who has checked on me, prayed for me, encouraged me, and put up with all my surgery updates 😂❤️. Your love means more than you know!
Beyond Survival means learning to celebrate the little victories, too.
And today… walking is my victory. 💚🦶✨
💚

💔 Sometimes healing means letting go of what you love… to make room for what's next. 💕

Wednesday I walked out of KU Medical Dermatology in Kansas City with a whole new list of DOs and DON'Ts—and honestly, some of these new orders are going to completely change my life.
My doctor truly believes that if I listen to my body and follow these new instructions, I may have a real chance at getting my dermatitis and constant flare-ups under much better control. The goal is to calm my system down, reduce the constant reactions, and hopefully reach a place where I am not living in a flare-up all the time or constantly relying on long-term medications.
But with that hope comes some really hard changes.
One of the biggest?
I have to step away from my massage career 100%. 💔
For now, my life needs to be as free as possible from the things that may be triggering my skin and immune system.
That means saying goodbye to so many things that most people don't even think twice about:
🚫 Essential oils
🚫 Fragranced oils
🚫 Perfumes
🚫 Lotions and products with fragrance
🚫 Air fresheners
🚫 Candles
🚫 Fragranced deodorants
🚫 Incense
🚫 Dove products
🚫 Pork & seafood
🚫 No Nails -nail salon
🚫 No Fake- cheap jewelry
🚫 No processed foods
🚫 Unnecessary exposure to products and chemicals that could trigger another outbreak
And the list goes on.
If you know me, you know massage therapy wasn't just a job to me. It was something I loved. It was part of who I was. I loved helping people relax, heal, move better, and feel better in their own bodies.
So yes… this is emotional. This is hard. And honestly, it feels like grieving a piece of myself.
But I'm also trying to look at this differently. ❤️
I'm not giving up on life. I'm changing directions so I can have more life to live.
I am still chronically ill. That doesn't magically disappear. But if following these changes can help calm my body, give my system a break, and keep me from constantly living in painful flare-ups, then I owe it to myself to try.
And maybe this is where my next chapter begins. ✍️📖
I'm going to pour more of myself into writing my books, sharing my story, and continuing to build Beyond Survival into the safe, loving, judgment-free community I've always dreamed of having—and being a part of.
A place where people can show up as they are.
A place where new friendships don't cost anything but kindness, understanding, love, and a little bit of grace. 💕
I've spent so much of my life surviving.
Maybe now it's time to learn what it looks like to create a life that allows me to heal, grow, write, connect, and truly thrive.
This isn't the end of my story.
It's a major plot twist. 🖤✍️
And if you've been here with me through the hard parts, I hope you'll stick around for this next chapter too.
Because we're not just surviving anymore…
We're building something Beyond Survival. 💕

Dad ofc spoiled Mom on the way home with a treat.

Here is the prompt I used in the comments, what does it look like? Let's get to know each other !
Happy Tuesday

✨ SURGERY UPDATE! ✨

Well y’all… I survived surgery! 😂🙌🏼

My surgery went well, and now I’m officially in the rest, recover, and try to follow the doctor’s orders stage. 😅 (Those who know me know that last part might be the hardest!)

Recovery may take a little time, and today I’m definitely feeling it, but I’m grateful to have this part behind me and one more step checked off on my journey toward becoming stronger than I was before. 💪🏼❤️

Because that’s what Beyond Survival is all about, right? It’s not just about getting through the hard things—it’s about healing, growing, and continuing to move forward even when life forces us to slow down.

So while I’m recovering, I want to check in with YOU! 👇🏼

💬 What’s something you’re currently healing from, working toward, or pushing through?

It can be physical, emotional, mental, or just LIFE in general. 😂 No judgment here—this is a safe space!

And if you’ve got any funny recovery stories, drop those too because I could definitely use the entertainment while I’m stuck resting! 🤣👇🏼

❤️ Check in. Share your story. Encourage someone else. We’re all Beyond Survival together.

🌻 HUMP DAY CHECK-IN — HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING? 🌻

Well… it’s Wednesday. 🐪
We made it halfway through the week, but honestly… some weeks feel a whole lot heavier than others. 💔

And yesterday was one of those days that just hit different. We lost Dolly Parton—a true country music legend, one-of-a-kind human, and someone whose music, kindness, humor, and heart touched generations. 💕🎶✨

So today, here at Beyond the Survival, I want to check in on YOU.

Forget the “I’m fine.”
Forget pretending everything is okay when it isn’t.

💭 How are you REALLY doing this week?

Are you:
🌀 Overwhelmed?
😴 Exhausted?
💔 Hurting?
😊 Having a surprisingly good week?
😤 Just trying not to lose your mind?
🌱 Healing and making progress?
🤷‍♀️ Somewhere in between?

Whatever it is… you’re allowed to say it here.

Tell us in the comments:

👇 Give us one word that describes how you’re feeling today.

And if you need a little extra support, tell us what you’re struggling with. Maybe someone else in this group is going through the exact same thing and just needs to know they aren't alone. ❤️

Sometimes surviving the day is enough.

Sometimes laughing is healing.
Sometimes crying is healing.
Sometimes blasting Dolly Parton and singing at the top of your lungs is healing. 🎶💎😂

And sometimes… we just need somebody to say:

“I see you. Keep going.” ❤️

So, Beyond the Survival family…

🌻 CHECK IN. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. 🌻

How are you REALLY doing this Hump Day?