That One Person. That One Moment. I Want to Hear Your Story.

Every person I've ever met who has walked through recovery—whether from an eating disorder, addiction, ADHD, mental health struggles, or something else entirely—has one.

A spark.

A person, a moment, a place, or a feeling that shifted something inside them and made them believe, for the first time, that things could be different. That they could be different.

I want to find those stories.

Here's what inspired this

Recently, I came across an Instagram story from a former client, an incredibly talented, successful artist. She wrote about how much she dreaded school. Every single day. Her solution? She'd take her lunch and eat in the art room.

And there, in that quiet room, was a teacher who saw her. Who believed in her. Who used those stolen lunch hours to push her toward the talent she didn't yet know she had.

That was her spark.

Over the last four years, I've worked with so many families navigating eating disorders, mental health crises, substance abuse, and other devastating challenges. I've sat across from teenagers in the thick of it. And what has carried me through — every single time — is knowing this: growth comes from the most difficult moments. Every person who has come out the other side has a story about what turned the tide.

What I'm collecting — and why

Right now, young people are sitting in residential treatment centers and outpatient programs doing incredibly hard work. They're building real friendships, supporting each other, showing up day after day. But I believe they need something else too: proof that people make it through. Real, human stories from real people who were once exactly where they are now.

I want to hear from people who have been through it — an eating disorder, addiction, mental health struggles, ADHD, or anything else that once felt impossible to survive — and found the thing that changed everything.

What was your spark?

A teacher? A coach? A song? A stranger? A single conversation? A moment of quiet that finally got loud enough to hear?

I don't have a finished plan for what this becomes yet. But my intention, right now, is to collect these stories and share them — anonymously — with the young adults who need them most.

If this is your story, I'd love to hear it.

If you know someone whose story belongs here, please pass this along.

You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to be "fully healed." You just have to have lived through something hard and found the thread that led you forward.

Reply to this email, or reach out directly. Every story matters. Every spark counts.

With gratitude,

Emilee

All stories will be kept strictly confidential and shared only with permission, always anonymously. Thank you in advance. I know this isn't easy to talk about but please know, your story may be the inspiration that turns things around.