04/06/2026
A younger version of me would never believe this.
When you’re in it, it’s hard to imagine life on the other side.
My eating disorder was one layer of many demons I faced over the years. Looking back now, I can see that many of them were protectors..different expressions of the same deeper wounds I hadn’t yet learned how to “heal”…let alone face.
The parts of our story we once wanted to hide often become the very parts that allow us to help others.
That chapter of my life became one of the reasons I was drawn into healing work in the first place. It taught me compassion and acceptance. It taught me that people are often fighting battles no one else can see. And it showed me that even our darkest chapters can hold the seeds of our purpose.
During Eating Disorders Awareness Month, Brooke Paulson Rooted Collective 201 LLC and I raised $1,000 to support eating disorder awareness and community-based resources.
This week, I had the privilege of partnering with Brooke and the Blanchardville Public Library to help bring books on eating disorders to our local community.
It’s a small thing that feels deeply meaningful.
A reminder that healing doesn’t erase our past..it transforms our relationship with it.
Thank you, Brooke, Sarah, and the Blanchardville Public Library, for helping make these resources available to our community. 🖤🤍
Blanchardville Public Library is grateful to add these new books to our collection. The books were raised through a joint fundraising collaboration between Brooke Paulson of Rooted Collection 201 and Jenna Smith of Naturally Empowered Living, and were received by Library Director Sarah Kyrie.
"Unbearable Lightness," by Portia de Rossi, "Life Without Ed," by Jenni Schaefer, and "Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia" by Marya Hornbacher were chosen to raise awareness and support education surrounding eating disorders, a cause that is deeply meaningful to Brooke and Jenna.
