The next four episodes will look a little different. I have a special guest joining me, Gracie. You may remember her being mentioned during my time with Monica and Steve at the Cedarwood House.

In this first part, we talk about why she chose to keep her real name private, how she became “Gracie” in my story, and her brief experience being present at court. She also shares how she recognized Monica and Steve, and we revisit two moments from our teenage years when I lived with them that still stand out today.

This episode sets the foundation for her story and the conversations still to come.

The last couple of weeks were quiet here, and that pause had purpose.

This was my first real pause since starting the podcast. I also want to acknowledge my absence and say thank you for your patience these last couple of weeks.

In this episode, I share why I stepped back, what’s been unfolding behind the scenes, and that there is now a new release day for episodes on Sundays.

Finishing court with my mom, old wounds resurfacing, and missing my dad in the middle of big moments with my kids made this season feel heavy, but meaningful. I also share a powerful moment at church where someone spoke the word “Mercy” over me.

We close with this week’s Broken to Built reflection question, Rebuild Challenge, and a prayer.

I’ll see you on Sundays moving forward. 💛

This episode continues my story during junior year, a season where life felt both fast and blurry. I talk about reconnecting with old friends, working to support myself while in foster care, and the sting of being treated differently from a biological child. Those differences felt especially heavy during the holidays, when it became impossible not to notice what was missing.

I also open up about how foster care stipends work in reality versus what people assume, and how many needs can go unseen or unmet, even when the system says they’re “covered.”

With only a few episodes left in Season One, I’d love to hear from you for my upcoming Q&A episodes. You can send in:
• Questions about specific moments or decisions I’ve shared
• Topics you’d like me to explore more deeply
• Personal stories or reflections that connect to themes like foster care, moving, healing, faith, family, or identity
• Words of encouragement or lessons you’ve learned in your own rebuilding journey

• Here’s how you can share or connect:
  • Submit anonymously through my Google Form
  • Visit my Linktree for the form and more resources
  • Comment directly on any episode on Spotify
  • Email me at [email protected]
  • Or, if you know me personally, just reach out

Thank you for walking through this story with me. Your presence here matters more than you know.

In this episode, I return to The Dayridge House — the place that, for a while, felt like home again.
This chapter is about coming back to familiar walls, old friendships, and the quiet moments that offered me a sense of belonging after so much chaos. It’s about the hope I held onto at 17… even when the story didn’t unfold the way I once imagined.

As we near the end of Season One, I want to make space for your voice too.
If there are parts of my story you’d like me to go deeper on, questions you’ve been holding as you listen, or even pieces of your own journey that you’d like me to share or respond to — this is your chance to be part of the conversation.

You can send in things like:
• Questions about specific moments or decisions I’ve talked about in past episodes
• Topics you’d like me to reflect on more in a future Q&A
• Experiences from your own life that connect to the themes of this podcast — moving, foster care, family dynamics, healing, identity, faith, or anything in between.
• Words of encouragement or things you’ve learned through your own rebuilding process.

Here’s how you can submit or connect:
• Submit anonymously through my Google Form: https://forms.gle/vgU5keSDKR7EzvMM7
• Visit my Linktree for the form and more resources: https://linktr.ee/_builtfrombroken
• Comment directly on any episode on Spotify
• Email me at [email protected]
• Or, if you know me personally, just reach out.

Thank you for continuing to walk through these chapters with me. Your support, your stories, and your presence here mean more than I can say.

Before I return to the Dayridge House in the next chapter of my foster care story, I wanted to pause and reflect with you. In this episode, I share what it means to be in the final stretch of my story, some incredible milestones this podcast has reached, and what is coming next: Q&A episodes with your questions, a “Listen When You Feel…” reflection mini-series, and present-day conversations about marriage, parenting, faith, and the lessons I am still learning.

I am opening the floor to you. If there are questions you would like me to answer, or even parts of your own story you would like me to share, you can send them in a few ways:

• Submit anonymously through my Google Form: https://forms.gle/vgU5keSDKR7EzvMM7

• Or go to my Linktree to find the form plus other resources: https://linktr.ee/_builtfrombroken

• Comment on a specific episode on Spotify

• Email me at [email protected]

• Or, if you know me personally, just reach out

If you are not already following, make sure to hit that follow button so you do not miss new episodes. And if this podcast has encouraged you, please share it with someone you know. Your share might be exactly what helps the next person realize their past does not define their future.

I wrap this episode with a reflection question, a Rebuild Challenge, and a prayer, because while my story is still unfolding, this podcast is about all of us walking the path of healing together. Thank you for being here alongside me!

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of self-harm and assault.

In this episode, I close the chapter on my time at the Cedarwood House — a group home that tested me in ways I never expected. I share the story of meeting Paul, the turmoil of living with a new roommate who targeted me, and the day I had to stand before a judge at sixteen years old to ask for safety after being assaulted.

Along the way, I reflect on misplaced anger, the weight of feeling unsafe, the small moments of freedom that kept me going, and the compassion of teachers who helped me keep moving forward. This episode is raw, emotional, and deeply personal — but also filled with hope and reminders of how even in broken places, new threads of healing can begin.

And for the very first time, you’ll hear a quick voice note from a special guest — sharing a memory that is still talked about today.

As always, I’ll leave you with a Broken to Built Reflection Question, a Rebuild Challenge, and a closing prayer to carry with you into the week.

This episode continues with my time at the group home, where I became tangled up in relationships with two boys while also forming a new friendship that brought some light into a heavy season. Not long after, I was able to bring more of my belongings from Monica and Steve’s, small pieces of familiarity in an unfamiliar place.

In the middle of all of this, there was a consistent adult male who became a safe place in an environment that often felt unstable. Books became another refuge, giving me somewhere else to disappear when real life felt too heavy. And then there was the tattoo, something I got with the help of someone who should have been a protector. It was one of the ways I tried to find a sense of control when everything else in my life felt like it didn’t have any. At the same time, I was starting to slip in school, the weight of everything making it harder to keep up.

This part of the journey reflects how survival can take many different forms, from risky choices to quiet escapes, and why it is so important to look back on those moments with compassion instead of shame.

The episode closes with a Broken to Built reflection question, a Rebuild Challenge, and a prayer for anyone still carrying the weight of their past.

This episode continues my story at the group home, a time when so many changes hit all at once. I share about starting at a new school, trying to find my place, and even making changes to my hair as I searched for a sense of identity. I open up about losing my virginity during a season when I was craving love and security but didn’t yet understand what I was truly needing. I also talk about the arrival of a new roommate.

Through it all, I reflect on how my behavior didn’t always show what I was carrying inside, and how important it is to look back with compassion instead of shame.

This also marks my 20th episode, and I’m so grateful you’ve been walking through these stories with me. I’ll close with this week’s Broken to Built reflection question, a Rebuild Challenge to encourage someone in your life, and a prayer for those still working through the weight of their past.

In this episode of Built From Broken, I begin sharing one of the hardest chapters of my story, not because of what others did to me, but because of the choices I made and the way I lost sight of myself. At sixteen, I was placed at Cedarwood House, a group home that would become the setting for one of the darkest seasons of my life.

I open up about the uncertainty of how and why I ended up there, the fear of my first night, and what it felt like to step into an unfamiliar home that did not feel like a family. This episode is just the beginning, the tip of the iceberg, of a season where I carried shame that I have had to work through ever since.

My hope is that as you listen, you will see that even in the darkest times, growth and healing are possible. Trauma may shape our behaviors, but it does not define who we are or who we can become.

This episode marks the final chapter of my time with Monica and Steve. It lasted less than a year but left a lifetime of impact.

I share the realities of those final months: the way Monica pushed to have me diagnosed with something I didn’t have, the humiliation of my sixteenth birthday, the loss of independence when even my job was taken away, and the toll of living under constant stress until my body began breaking down. It all came to an abrupt end when I was sent away without even a chance to say goodbye.

As I close this chapter, I hold both truth and grace. I pray for them, and I choose forgiveness, but I will never forget. And for anyone who has lived through similar pain, let this be a reminder: hurt people hurt people. Their choices do not define you. The cycle can end with you.