Heather's Journey

Heather’s Journey

For much of my life, I felt different from the world around me.

As a child growing up in Chicago, I felt everything deeply. I was sensitive to people’s emotions, their moods, their pain. Today I understand that some people call this being an empath. But as a child, I didn’t have words for it. I only knew that the world often felt overwhelming.

I lived with a quiet sense of fear, as if the world around me was not always safe. I longed to feel protected, understood, and seen, but much of the time I felt like I was standing on the outside of things, trying to figure out where I belonged.

So I learned to adapt.

Like many people who feel different, I began to change parts of myself in order to fit in. I watched what others did and tried to become what I thought they expected me to be. Somewhere along the way, I slowly lost sight of who I really was.

As I grew older, that confusion turned into pain I didn’t know how to face. I tried to numb it in different ways. I struggled with addictions and an eating disorder. I made choices that I’m not proud of today. There were times in my life when I lied, manipulated situations, and hurt people around me.

When I worked in the bar scene, I became a version of myself that was very far from the person I truly was inside. Looking back now, I can see that much of it came from trying to mask my pain and survive the emotions I didn’t know how to carry.

None of it came from wanting to be selfish or harmful. In truth, I was someone who felt things deeply, but didn’t yet understand how to live with that depth.

For a long time, I was searching for something without knowing what it was.

Over time, life began to change me. Through reflection, growth, and a deeper understanding of myself, I slowly began to reconnect with the parts of me that had been buried for so long.

I began to understand that sensitivity is not weakness. Feeling deeply can be a gift when we learn how to listen to it instead of run from it.

My journey has been one of learning how to be honest with myself, how to take responsibility for the choices I made, and how to grow into a more compassionate and authentic version of who I am.

Writing became part of that healing.

Through my books, I try to explore the things many of us struggle with but don’t always talk about ~ finding our voice, understanding our emotions, accepting who we are, and learning to treat ourselves and others with kindness.

I don’t write from a place of perfection. I write from a place of experience, reflection, and growth.

Like many people, I am still learning, still evolving, and still discovering what it means to live honestly and with purpose.

But if my journey can help someone else feel less alone, find their voice, or begin to see themselves with more compassion, then every step of the road that brought me here will have meant something.

Every story I write is born from the lessons I’ve learned along the way ~ the struggles, the mistakes, the moments of fear, and the moments of awakening. Hidden Doors Unsee, River Within, Willy, Henry, I Am Me ~ all of my books are reflections of that journey: the courage to find your voice, the power of expressing your feelings, and the joy of discovering who you truly are. My hope is that through these stories, children and adults alike can feel seen, understood, and inspired to embrace their own path ~ knowing that even when life feels confusing, overwhelming, or lonely, we each carry the light and strength to grow, heal, and shine.