From the Pit to Freedom

By Derek Slayter I didn’t wake up one day and decide to destroy my life. It started small—just smoking pot with friends in high school. It felt harmless, like just being part of the group. But small compromises became a pattern, and that pattern grew into a path I never meant to walk. Pills came […]

A dream of consciousness

By Erica Crompton Yeah. So, self-compassion was really important to me during that time. I mean, I remember when I was isolating myself, I’d kind of been out and bought a yoga DVD a few months before and I was kind of doing yoga in my bedroom at home just to stay active and to […]

Real and authentic connection in a world of filters

By Regina Martin We live in a world that every day  feels more and more curated. AI writes our emails, filters smooth our flaws, and social media shouts louder than real conversations so it can be so hard to filter out what’s real.  For me, it’s simple: human connection. This picture signifies what matters in […]

Why Seating is Important to Me

by Amanda Nicholson Without the right chair to sit on, I wouldn’t be able to make a living, even if it is only part-time. I also never would have written eight novels under several names and more than a dozen shorter books. I began to get neck and back pain over 13 years ago and […]

MY NON-BINARY STYLE By Lindy Giusta

I did not start expressing myself through clothing or hairstyle until my 20s. My religious upbringing meant lacy dresses on Sundays and presenting myself with delicate, long blonde hair.  When I recognized the effect of clothing style on gender expression, I gravitated towards cheap, second-hand shirts that nearly posed as vintage with their blocky scripts […]

A neurospicy job interview

By Rachel Melinek The woman looks up at me. ‘We need a record that accounts for all your time.’ ‘Absolutely all of it?’ ‘Yes, you can’t work in social care unless we know what you’ve been doing.’ ‘I have it on my CV; I’ve mainly been self-employed.’ ‘We need a reference.’ ‘I have one from […]