Shadow Work! It’s tough but absolutely necessary in order to grow and heal along this do I say it?

::coughjourneycough::

Those cliché terms we hear over and over can feel like nails on a chalkboard. Sometimes “journey” doesn’t match the chaos we crawled through. Sometimes it doesn’t fit the version of ourselves who’s just trying to survive the day without breaking down. I get it. Truly.

Whether we like the language or not, the truth stays the truth: none of us walked away from our past with a clean slate. As much as we want to point to the narcissist, the ex, the parent, the betrayal… there are parts of ourselves that played a role too.

Not because we’re “to blame,” but because healing demands honesty, not denial.

Shadow work asks you to face those parts of yourself that you’d rather avoid the wounds, the patterns, the choices you made while operating from fear, abandonment, anger, or deep emotional hunger. It’s not glamorous. It’s not Instagram-cute. It’s definitely not for someone who’s just entering the early stages of healing when the nervous system is still in survival mode.

If you’re new to this process, understand: you are not behind.

You are not failing. You’re simply not at the chapter where shadow work lives yet and that’s okay. You’ll know when you’re ready because the need to understand yourself (not the other person) will hit you with a force you can’t ignore.

Trust me.

Trust yourself.

As for me, I’ve spent years facilitating support groups;several rooms on an app, holding space for people navigating trauma, codependency, narcissistic abuse, and attachment wounds.

These rooms have shown me one thing consistently: healing in isolation is slow, lonely, and often incomplete.  Healing in community? That changes the entire trajectory of a person’s life.

That’s why I’m expanding. I’m building something bigger, something more intentional, something that gives people a safe place to land without judgment, without confusion, without watered-down advice.

Community is essential when you’re changing your life. It’s where you learn you’re not crazy. It’s where you l discover patterns you didn’t see alone. It’s where you reclaim your power one honest conversation at a time.

Healing is not only about moving on from what hurt you. It’s about meeting the version of yourself who let things slide, overlooked red flags, silenced your intuition, or stayed longer than you should have not to shame yourself, but to finally understand why.

Shadow work is not the enemy. Avoidance is.

When you’re ready to turn the lights on and face what’s been hiding inside, you’ll realize something profound: your power never left you. It’s been buried under unprocessed truth.

This is the work that brings it back.

And I’m building a space for people who are ready to do it with honesty, accountability, compassion, and community.

Stay tuned. Something powerful is coming.

• Thought Box