My healing journey started when I was 39, as I reached the tail end of my battle with alcohol. I allowed alcohol to strip me of everything I valued. And I was left broke, lonely, physically ill, unemployable and spiritually empty – and living in the guest bedroom of my mother’s house. The path that led me here was a path of darkness where I was constantly searching for who I really was – never feeling good enough, not knowing where I fit in, and never feeling like I had a direction or purpose in life. But alcohol hadn’t been my only struggle. I had also battled an eating disorder in my 20s, and I managed to destroy my own self concept with one toxic relationship after another. The road to recovery looked long and tough, but having reached my ultimate bottom, sheer determination and the strength of my Higher Power helped me to take one step at a time to become the woman that I am today. And I love who I am today.