Series 6: Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away

E120: The Caterpillar’s Smoke: Reunion and Reality Collide

Reunions can feel like stepping through a fog—hope, confusion, joy, and uncertainty swirling all at once.

In this episode of Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away, we explore the complex emotions when past and present meet face-to-face. What happens when the dream of reunion clashes with the messy, real-life truths that don’t quite match the story you’ve held onto?

We unpack:

• The emotional rollercoaster of reconnecting with birth family or early caregivers
• Navigating expectations vs. reality in reunions
• How to hold space for complicated feelings: hope, disappointment, love, and grief
• The challenge of rebuilding identity when your story suddenly expands or shifts

Like the Caterpillar’s smoke rings—beautiful, mysterious, and ever-changing—reunion is never a simple moment. It’s a process of transformation, and sometimes, letting go.

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🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 6: Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away

E119: Cheshire Smiles and Missing Files

Sometimes the biggest mysteries come with the brightest smiles—and the most frustrating gaps.

In this episode of Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away, we unravel the tangled emotions behind missing pieces of your story: incomplete records, lost memories, and the elusive truths hidden behind a charming façade.

We explore:

• The impact of missing or altered adoption or foster care files
• How uncertainty can feel like a puzzle with pieces that never quite fit
• The bittersweet dance of nostalgia, hope, and frustration
• Coping with the “smile that hides everything” — when everyone seems okay but you’re left with questions

Like the Cheshire Cat’s grin, some things remain just out of reach—but understanding how to live with the mystery can be its own kind of freedom.

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🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 6: Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away

E118: The Dormouse’s Silence: The Secrets They Fed You

Some truths arrive wrapped in whispers—or don’t arrive at all.

In this episode of Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away, we dive into the quiet spaces filled with unspoken stories, half-truths, and the secrets that shaped your understanding of yourself and your past.

We explore:

• The weight of silence and what it means to grow up without clear answers
• How secrecy around your origins can create confusion, doubt, and isolation
• The delicate balance between protecting and withholding—and who decides
• The long-term ripple effects of stories left untold or rewritten

Like the Dormouse at the tea party, these silences can feel small but hold immense power—power over your identity, your trust, and your path forward.

This episode invites you to face those quiet corners, unpack what’s been fed to you, and start reclaiming your own truth.

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🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 6: Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away

E117: The Rabbit Didn’t Wait: A Birth I Wasn’t Meant to Remember

Before you had words for what happened—before you even knew what you lost—you were already running to catch up.

In this opening episode of Not Quite Alice: The Wonderland of Being Given Away, we begin at the moment that’s never quite clear: birth, separation, and the silent shaping of identity from the start.

This episode explores:

• The unseen impact of relinquishment, adoption, or early separation
• How preverbal trauma leaves imprints even without memories
• The ache of chasing connection that was never secure to begin with
• What it means to feel late to your own story

We talk about being the baby who was placed, not chosen. The child whose timeline began with a break. The adult still trying to understand why they always feel like something’s missing—even in rooms filled with love.

Some stories start with a page torn out.

This one begins in that silence—and dares to name it.

*********************************************************

🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 5: Borderline in Wonderland - Emotions like storms. Love like fire. A heart that’s too big for this tiny teacup world. 

E116: Curious Careerland: When You Can’t Tell What You’re “Meant” to Do

One moment you’re chasing a dream.

The next, you’re questioning if it was ever yours to begin with.

In this episode of Borderline in Wonderland, we tumble through the twists and turns of career identity crises, purpose panic, and those all-too-familiar existential spirals. Especially for folks living with BPD or deep emotional wiring, finding your “calling” can feel like trying to read a map that keeps rearranging itself.

We explore:

• The fear of choosing wrong, too late, or not at all
• The overwhelm of infinite potential colliding with paralyzing doubt
• Why careers feel personal—when maybe they were supposed to be practical
• How to separate your voice from the noise of expectation, urgency, and shame

This one’s for the wanderers of Curious Careerland. The ones who’ve felt behind, too scattered, too intense, or not enough. The ones still searching for something that feels like home.

You don’t have to “figure it all out.”

You just have to keep following what feels honest.

*********************************************************

🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 5: Borderline in Wonderland - Emotions like storms. Love like fire. A heart that’s too big for this tiny teacup world. 

E115: Wonderland’s Exile: Regretting What You Were Never Allowed to Experience

What do you call grief for something you never had?

In this episode of Borderline in Wonderland, we explore the quiet, aching regret that follows you when you were never allowed to fully live—when trauma, control, or emotional chaos kept you on the outside of the life you longed for.

Not because you didn't want joy.

Not because you didn't try.

But because the door was never open for you in the first place.

We dive into:

• The heartbreak of watching others get what you were denied
• The loneliness of feeling behind in milestones, memories, or freedom
• The guilt of resenting what looked like “normal” for others
• The shame of longing for things you were taught not to want

Whether it’s childhood safety, teenage freedom, or adult connection—this episode speaks to the exiles of Wonderland. The ones who weren’t just lost… but left out.

You didn’t miss out because you failed.

You missed out because they failed to make space for you.

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🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tellthis story. But I am.Foryears, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets,silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, familyfractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds toprofessionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need toknow they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the powerof truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply sendlove — it all matters.🌀 ⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠⁠⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets#BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

*********************************************************

🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 5: Borderline in Wonderland - Emotions like storms. Love like fire. A heart that’s too big for this tiny teacup world.  

E113: Off With Her Head: The Punishment of Being ‘Too Emotional’

Cry too loudly. Speak too honestly. React too visibly. And suddenly—you’re the villain.

In this raw episode of Borderline in Wonderland, we step into the emotional courtroom where sensitivity is treated like a crime. We explore how being “too emotional” often gets you labeled unstable, manipulative, or dangerous—especially when you live with BPD.

This episode unpacks:

How emotional expression becomes a weapon used against youThe way gender, culture, and family dynamics shape emotional punishmentWhat it means to be cast out for expressing needs, boundaries, or truthThe quiet shame of being told to "calm down" when you were already barely holding on

If you’ve ever been punished for feeling—silently exiled, emotionally dismissed, or turned into the problem for simply reacting—this one’s for you.

Because your emotions aren’t the enemy. The problem is the world that demanded your silence.

*********************************************************

🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 5: Borderline in Wonderland - Emotions like storms. Love like fire. A heart that’s too big for this tiny teacup world.  

E112: Painting the Roses Red: The Family Image You’re Not Allowed to Ruin

Smile for the photo. Don’t bring that up here. We don’t talk about that. What will people think?

In this episode of Borderline in Wonderland, we explore what it’s like to grow up in a family where appearances matter more than truth. Where the pain had to be tucked away, the problems brushed under the rug, and the child who noticed too much was labeled the problem.

We dig into:

The pressure to protect a family image that harmed you How BPD can form in homes where emotions were inconvenient or embarrassing the shame of being seen as “difficult” just for telling the truth The internal war between staying silent to keep the peace—and speaking out to stay sane

If you were ever made to feel like your hurt ruined the picture-perfect scene, this episode is for you.

Because you were never the mess—just the mirror.

*********************************************************

🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 5: Borderline in Wonderland - Emotions like storms. Love like fire. A heart that’s too big for this tiny teacup world.  

E111: The Stigma Stamp: When Mental Health Becomes the Excuse

“She’s just being dramatic.”

“He’s having one of his episodes again.”

“Don’t take it personally—it’s her mental health.”

In this episode of Borderline in Wonderland, we’re unpacking the painful reality of having your humanity reduced to a diagnosis. When people use your mental health—not to understand you—but to dismiss you, silence you, or excuse their own behavior.

We explore:

The difference between compassion and condescensionHow BPD is often weaponized as a reason not to listen or take you seriouslyThe internal confusion of wondering, Am I valid or just unstable?The way stigma turns your emotions into a punchline or a warning label

This episode is for the moments you were gaslit by kindness, patronized instead of heard, or told your pain was just a symptom. Because your voice matters—even when they try to write it off as “just your mental health talking.”

You are not your diagnosis. You’re a whole person. And you deserve to be treated like one.

*********************************************************

🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tell this story. But I am.For years, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets, silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, family fractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds to professionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need to know they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the power of truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply send love — it all matters.🌀 ⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets #BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors

Series 5: Borderline in Wonderland - Emotions like storms. Love like fire. A heart that’s too big for this tiny teacup world.  

E110: Through the Window: Watching Life Go On Without You

You see them laughing. Moving forward. Posting pictures. Making plans. And somehow, you're still on the other side of the glass—uninvited, unspoken to, unseen.

In this episode of Borderline in Wonderland, we explore the heartbreak of disconnection that isn’t always loud or obvious. It's in the quiet scroll through a feed. The unanswered message. The family event you weren’t told about.

We dive deep into:

The painful stillness of watching others move on while you feel stuckThe ache of being forgotten—not in anger, but in indifferenceHow BPD can intensify feelings of abandonment, even in subtle momentsThat haunting sense of being an observer in your own story

You’re not overreacting. You’re not too much. You’re feeling the absence of what you deserve: inclusion, acknowledgment, presence.

This is for the ones sitting by the metaphorical window—who were never told why they were left out, only expected to be okay with it.

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🗝️✨ I was never supposed to tellthis story. But I am.Foryears, I lived inside someone else’s version of my life — wrapped in secrets,silences, and bedtime stories that left too much out.

Now I’m writing the truth. Unlocked is my autobiography about adoption, anxiety, familyfractures, and the journey of reclaiming my voice.

I’m raising funds toprofessionally edit, design, print, and share this book with people who need toknow they’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been called too sensitive, too dramatic, too much — this book is for you.And if you believe in the powerof truth, I’d be so grateful if you could help me bring it into the world.

📚🧩 Donate, share, or simply sendlove — it all matters.🌀 ⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/e7709816⁠⁠⁠

#UnlockedBook #Memoir #AdoptionStory #FamilySecrets#BreakTheSilence#WonderlandUnlocked #SupportIndieAuthors