About Michele: From the Valley to the Climb

Hi, I'm Michele, a 42-year-old single mother and the creator of this blog. I'm from Derby, Connecticut, and this is my road back to myself. I grew up in the "Valley," a small town where everyone knows your name and your business. I was the high school captain of the cheer squad, the popular girl who secretly longed for escape. I chased that feeling, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Johnson & Wales in Providence and building a successful career back home. I had the life everyone saw. From the outside, it looked like I had it all. 

But the real story was happening in the shadows. What they didn’t see was the slow, insidious start of addiction in college, fueled by a car accident and later spiraling out of control in a toxic, abusive relationship. That chapter brought me to my knees. The constant cycle of anxiety, PTSD, depression, and trauma led me to hit rock bottom: I quit the career I loved, lost friendships, alienated family, and wiped out my finances. It was a complete crash. For years, I was caught in a heartbreaking cycle of quitting and relapsing, in and out of rehab.

Hitting rock bottom wasn't a single event; it was the cumulative weight of repeated failure and loss. And finally, the fear of losing my freedom completely cracked through the denial. My first brave step toward a new life began with a move to New London, CT. Though I stumbled, spending time in and out of a sober house for two years, I never stopped fighting for the light. I looked at the wreckage and knew two things for certain: I needed to get my life back, and my daughter deserved her mother back completely.

I realized I needed to stop simply surviving and start rebuilding for the one person who gives my life purpose. This journey is about finding myself again, cleaning up the wreckage, and becoming the woman and mother I was always meant to be.

MY WORLD