Where Our Hearts Heal- The Story

Welcome to Healing Hearts.  

This started as a very simple plan: to do a craft fair.  I’m not entirely sure when it changed, but it quickly moved to a way to show people what was truly in my heart. I think it started far longer before the thought came into my mind.

I was in a relationship for multiple years that functioned with silence.  Things became more and more difficult as time went on, and came to a head when I let it slip that the relationship wasn't quite as healthy as I would want the world to see.  

Ultimately, I got significant help in fleeing the relationship.  It turns out others were able to see through the facade I’d been asked to keep. The challenge was that I was still in considerable danger upon leaving.  I still didn’t feel comfortable being honest about what had actually gone on; in fact, I was still blind to a good bit of the betrayal that had happened prior to my leaving.

The most deadly times for those who leave an abusive relationship are the following 3 months, danger decreases after 12 months, and the danger continues for the next 5 years.  Knowing this, I made it clear that I didn’t want to be in contact with that person and that any contact would be through a mediator.  

My friends stepped up more than I could possibly imagine.  Within 2 hours of the warning, 5 people showed up to help me empty my living space, and I moved an hour away with my own bank account and a half-baked plan. It’s still crazy to look back at this point in time and realize that within 72 hours of deciding to leave, I had all of this in place, even without a specific plan.  I had people in my life ready to act, and I am extremely grateful to them; even if our relationships have diverged, they will always be loved and considered immense supports in my life.

It became clear that keeping myself 1 hour away was the best I could do.  Multiple of my friends offered to have me stay with them.  However, I was uncertain of the safety.  My ex had weapons, and was often drunk, and my friends had all small children under the age of 4 at that point in time.  There was no way that I would put any of my friends or their children in that danger.

In the end, I was able to maintain my distance.  I did not get a protection order due to escalation fears, and there’s so much more to the story than I want to divulge here, as my story is valuable, precious, and deserves to be given to those whom I trust and care for (just like your story deserves to be carried).

So, when did I get the idea to “wear your heart on your sleeve?” That came this past year when I decided to fool around with more yarn. Thinking through the decision to do a craft fair, I knew I couldn’t just do something “simple,” and my specialty in Narcissistic Abuse as a therapist, as well as my story, led me to look at the many different forms of abuse survivors go through when in and outside of these types of relationships.

I started lining up colors to different types of abuse, and this started to feel more connected. Then, I realized I didn’t want my brand to be about the abuse, but about the recovery.  As a therapist who uses a specific modality, I’ve been focused on identifying the appropriate positive (more like realistic) beliefs that I would want to have from that point.  That’s when it started spinning.

Healing Hearts became more and more about love, care, support, and what it means to truly pick yourself back up after experiencing both terrible acts against you and the silent acts that go unseen.

This store is for connection.

This brand is for you.

You deserve to be seen, and you deserve true care.

Wear your heart on your sleeve.

Still YOU survived.