Welcome to our cozy spot, where the Coffee is strong and the Girl Talk is raw.
I created this space in hopes of bringing together a compassionate community of like-minded women who are ready to plunge beneath the surface and explore life after trauma. If you’ve experienced childhood trauma, sexual assault, depression, addiction or the loss of a loved one to addiction then you already know — these are uncomfortable topics – ones that become your shameful secrets.
In recent years, I learned that we can only cruise along the surface for so long before the body collects what is owed. That debt may come in the form of depression, mental illness, extreme fatigue, addiction, or disease.
And stigma and shame can compound these issues, by shoving us into dark, isolated holes – this, I wasn’t able to comprehend, until my body caught up with me. I found myself lying to people, and making up excuses, in order to hide the truth. I couldn’t bear the thought of people knowing that I was depressed because that meant I was unstable and weak. I couldn’t explain that I was grieving because my brother was a heroin addict and it felt like he was dead. Or, that his heroin addiction was triggering memories from our past, when our mother had been a heroin addict, along with the rest of our family, and yes, I had been one, too. But, even scarier to say out loud was that I had been raped, while drunk, and I was finding it difficult not to blame myself. And how could I possibly explain that the assault had since triggered terrifying body memories of childhood sexual abuse – surely, a conversation that leaves one uncomfortable and you looking crazy!
And just like that, my whole life became one big shameful secret, much of it too heavy to share with even my closest friends. So, I pulled away.
Girl Talk & Coffee was born from that experience. I wanted to connect with others who could relate and provide a place that was safe and supportive, where ANY topic would be welcome – No judgement – No shame.
By exploring our stories and experiences I hope that we can all find comfort in knowing that we are not alone. We may be at different stages of this journey, with some further ahead, acting as a light for those behind them.
It’s here, writing to you, where I am most comfortable and able to pull back the curtain. It’s not pretty.
It’s dark.
It’s ugly – but, it’s real.
So, instead of leaving the shameful parts of me a secret, I’m going to turn around and face them. The nasty scabs will be ripped off, the wounds will be poked, and then shaped into something I can share with you. If you would like to do the same, you can submit your story here: “Share Your Story”
After all, storytelling is a powerful medium for, not only healing but also for combatting societal stigma. Together, by sharing our stories and experiences, we can transform pain and trauma into a meaningful body of work that can be used to help others.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey, I can’t promise it will be easy, but I can promise you won’t be alone. Inside you’ll find my stories focus on life after trauma and how to heal unprocessed trauma, specifically childhood sexual abuse and neglect due to addiction. However, trauma is trauma, and so, any topic is welcome here. Trauma is an isolating experience, but it doesn’t have to be, my friend: I will always meet you with compassion, comfort, and support. I am not an expert, but I hope you can benefit from my experience and all of our experiences here at Girl Talk & Coffee. By sharing our stories we can gift one another with nuggets of hope, and inspiration, along with jolts of courage to keep us all forging ahead on our unique healing paths.
We all deserve a life beyond survival mode, but it’s up to each of us to pull ourselves into the light.
So, let’s do it!
Come on in, and pour yourself a hot cup of coffee
