24/04/2026
Today marks 12 months since I made one of the bravest decisions of my life.
This time last year, I was packing what I could into my car with no clear plan, just a deep knowing that I couldn’t stay.
I remember how scared I was.
The adrenaline.
The not knowing how I was going to get through it…
but knowing, deep down, that I would.
And somehow…I did.
Today I feel emotional — not from grief,
but from disbelief.
From looking back at that version of me and realising just how brave she was.
And from so much gratitude towards her…
for choosing something different, even when it felt impossible.
Because leaving was only the beginning.
What came after was learning how to rebuild.
Learning how to sit with myself.
To observe my thoughts, my reactions, the patterns I was living in.
To understand where they came from….and take responsibility for changing them.
Not from blame.
From power.
Because when you’ve lived in survival for so long,
it takes a different kind of courage to choose healing.
To slow down.
To look inward.
To do the work to ensure those patterns don’t keep repeating.
Not just for me, but for my child too.
This past year hasn’t been easy.
But it’s been real.
And it’s changed me in ways I couldn’t have imagined back then.
And today, I’m just so proud of her for starting this journey.
I’m no longer that the same woman who left. I’m the woman who rebuilt her, day by day.
There’s still more to learn.
More to grow through.
More to build.
But for now, I sit in awe, and in gratitude for what has been 🫶
Jess x
