It’s been one month since I stepped into this work full time, and if I’m honest, I still can’t quite believe how much has happened in that short a stretch. I wanted to take a moment and share it with you as an update from someone who’s feeling very proud – and genuinely still catching her breath.
What’s Risen to the Surface This Month
The First Dig – a free, gentle way to experience Story Mining for the first time – has been out in the world, offering a single reflection to anyone curious enough to try it.
The Story Mining website went fully live, with a real home for everything: the Mini Dig, my own story, and a growing collection of writing.
The Mini Dig itself – my first real offering, seven self-guided reflections for women unearthing their true selves after, or within, an abusive relationship — is now available. It’s been reviewed by both Kelly Carlin-McCall, who called it “beautifully done,” and Mary Babehis, a clinical APRN, who praised its emphasis on “self reflection, personal agency, reconnecting to oneself, and moving at your own pace.”
And Rise to the Surface – a small, live, two-part gathering this August – opened for registration.
One seat was claimed before I’d even announced it publicly, which felt like a quiet, meaningful sign that this work is finding the people it’s meant for.
This Month’s Nugget
Every newsletter, I’ll leave you with a small prompt – something to sit with, no pressure to answer it anywhere but in your own head, or on your own page.
If this next month were a chapter in your story, what would you want its opening line to be?
You don’t have to know the whole chapter yet. Just the first line – the one that tells you which direction you’re facing.
In Case You Missed It
A few pieces from the archive, in case you haven’t found your way to them yet:
Abuse “Amnesia” – On the quiet, exhausting skill of managing yesterday so you can survive today, one closed mental file drawer at a time.
The Lie We Tell Ourselves – On one of the cruelest features of abuse: not just the hurt itself, but being persuasive enough to make you doubt a truth you already knew.
A Note on What’s Ahead
Rise to the Surface begins August 15th. If it’s been sitting in the back of your mind, there’s still room. Register here.
And if the self-guided version feels like the better fit for you right now, the Mini Dig is always here too. Check it out here.
Thank you for being here – for reading, for following along, for whatever brought you to this list in the first place. A month in – we’re on the dig!
Unearthing the gold in you.
– Regina
If you’re in immediate danger or crisis, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. You are not alone.
If your circumstances ever change and you need to step back quietly, unsubscribing is always an option – no questions asked.