“My husband comes home. I vaguely remember saying I had interesting news. He says to me, ‘What news?’ I go, ‘I’M PREGNANT.’ Husband looks at me, hugs me, and says, ‘OK! We are having a kid!’ I then say, ‘BUT it’s identical twins.’ Husband says, ‘Oh sh*t.'”
‘I see twins. IDENTICAL twins.’ I let all the air out of my lungs and quietly said, ‘WHAT?’: First-time mom navigates surprise pregnancy, medically complex child
‘Stop allowing people’s opinions steer the direction in your life.’: Young woman’s inspiring journey to living life unapologetically
“When you end your 7-year relationship, call off your wedding a month before the date, drop 80 pounds, pack your entire life into 2 suitcases, and start traveling the world solo. Sometimes, getting unstuck involves being uncomfortable and embracing uncertainty.”
‘Mommy, will the new baby be autistic?’ asked my 7-year-old. ‘We’re so lucky to have Koimburi!’: Special needs mom moved to tears after daughter’s sweet moment of inclusivity
“I’d racked my brain for all the reasons she was asking. Was she hoping for a different kind of connection than with her autistic brother? A different kind of play experience with her new sibling? Tears welled in my eyes, moved by her matter-of-fact, whole-hearted acceptance.”
‘He’d call me on my way to work, threatening to change the locks and smash my car.’: Woman details overcoming domestic, financial abuse
“Throughout the whole relationship, I didn’t realize I was experiencing domestic abuse. I was blamed and told it was my fault. Now I know it wasn’t.”
I Found A Baby Abandoned In The Trash, And Unexpectedly Became A Single Adoptive Dad
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My eyes prickled with tears hearing the suffering in his voice as he cried. The very next day at the hospital, I was asked, ‘Would you like to be his legal guardian?'”
‘My pediatrician made me go to weight-controlling therapy for 2 weeks because she thought I was fat.’: Woman shares eating disorder journey, recovery with boyfriend’s help
“I was a walking skeleton. I was ashamed to show him my body. He took me to the gym, but only under one condition — I would eat.”
‘A world so safe, you don’t even run when you hear a gunshot.’: American teacher shares harrowing reaction to assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
“In America, I teach my students how to hide under desks. This past 4th of July my first thought was, ‘Let’s choose a spot away from the majority of the crowd, just in case somebody starts shooting.’ Luckily, nobody shot at us. Chicago was not so lucky.”
‘My hair was falling out, my skin was peeling, goosebumps adorned my body, and my anxiety turned to depression.’: Anorexia survivor shares eating disorder recovery
“I thought I could fly away from my eating disorder. Maybe, just maybe, I would step off the plane and the anorexia would run. But instead, the very opposite happened. I came as close as I ever had been to my eating disorder, face-to-face, and I felt my world crumble.”
My Service Dog Didn’t Just Save My Life, She Helped Me Find My Worth
“I lost the ability to walk; I couldn’t stand more than 10 minutes without passing out. I couldn’t eat without severe pain, and my brain felt like it was constantly trying to come out of my eyes. My body found new levels of fatigue, leaving me bedridden most days. The day I brought Violet home, I had no idea the potential contained in this little ball of energy.”
Meet Andrea Rappaport: The Woman Dedicating Her Life To Supporting Divorcées In Wake Of Her Own Isolating Separation
“I got divorced via Zoom from the floor of my sons’ closet. After my divorced my finalized, I wiped my tears, exited the closest, and went right back to helping my kindergartener with his virtual math class. I give that experience 0 stars.”
‘I’ve had doctors Google in front of me and advise me while they read Wikipedia. It’s soul destroying.’: Woman shares rare disease diagnosis, advocates for increased awareness
“I take 46 tablets a day and I’m on a continuous infusion of a parathyroid hormone. This is my current reality. I hope it’s not my forever reality, but the truth is no one knows.”
‘At 18, my mom asked, ‘Would you like to have a letter your birth mom wrote when you were born?’: Adoptee shares beautiful relationship with birth mother, 4 bio siblings
“Before that day, I had not been told my birth mom’s name. After reading her letter, I looked her up online and followed her on Instagram. She instantly messaged me. Growing up, I often wondered what my birth mom would be like, but I never imagined she would be such a beautiful person inside and out.”
‘Lying down one night, it randomly hit me. ‘I’m pretty sure I have autism…’: Mom explores late autism diagnosis in wake of 2-year-old son’s diagnosis
“I don’t remember what the train of thought was before that, or what exact situation led to that epiphany, but I remember smiling because deep down I already knew. Life genuinely started to make more sense.”
‘I started to cry as I realized Areum was leaving her home country, and I grieved for all she would lose.’: Mom shares emotional international adoption journey during COVID
“Her foster mom handed Areum to me, and all I could do was thank her, telling her we would meet again one day. Then, holding our daughter, I watched the doors of the elevator slowly close, with tears in my eyes.”
‘I’d FaceTime him constantly, needing to know my kids were OK. I felt so out of control.’: Daughter of divorce shares personal journey to peaceful coparenting
“I hated the idea someone could walk into my children’s lives and automatically gain their love. They’d run up to her, give her kisses, and tell her they loved her. Honestly, my heart broke every time. I had no idea what boundaries should be in place or what steps were best for the children. There was no handbook for co-parenting, and I was desperately grasping at straws.”
Meet ‘Butterfly Lady’ Donna Scott Thompson: The Woman Who Is Voluntarily Saving Monarchs From Extinction
“She’ll do anything to give these innocent creatures a fighting chance. In fact, her whole process has led her to a 98% survival rate for monarchs she rears from eggs.”
‘You’re having this baby today.’ Steven and I looked at him, eyes wide.’: Mom shares traumatic experience with pregnancy preeclampsia
“I cried the moment I saw my little baby inside of a plastic box.”
After 8 Years Of Infertility And One Adoption, My Pregnancy Test Finally Read Positive
“Was this real?! I cupped my hand over my mouth in disbelief. I couldn’t process all of the emotions I was feeling. I was crying, laughing, and just kept looking at the test.”
Woman Quits Day Job After Losing Parents, Now Helping Others On Their Grief Journey
“When I felt alone, I would hear someone’s story that was similar to mine, and it gave me hope. That’s what I want my podcast to do. I want to educate and inspire people.”
‘We are two moms raising two biological brothers across the same city as one another.’: Foster mom shares beautiful friendship with adoptive son’s biological mother
“I held out the framed photograph for her. Tears overwhelmed her. I instinctively reached out, ‘I’m rooting for you.’”
I Was Diagnosed With Autism As An Adult, And It Transformed My Entire Perspective On Life
“The paper read, ‘It is in my professional opinion that you satisfy the diagnostic criteria.’ I lose a huge piece of myself, and found an answer to all my questions, all at once.”
‘It’s nice to see the real you.’ All of a sudden, I questioned why I didn’t feel good enough without make-up.’: Woman shares journey to self-love
“The girl on the left was happy and the girl on the right felt glam, but the girl in the middle is the strongest and most courageous she has ever been.”
‘Everything in my life was crumbling and I COULD NOT STOP until physically stopped.’: Man shares how he achieved long-lasting sobriety after addiction journey
“I stood by her crib and stared at the greatest gift I had ever been given, my beautiful baby girl. As I looked at her, tears flooded out of me uncontrollably. I couldn’t drink — if not for me in that moment, for her.”
No Matter My Self-Esteem, I Will Wear This Bathing Suit For My Daughter
“‘Wow, Mommy you look so pretty in that!’ This was a defining moment, and I had a decision to make.”
‘I recorded myself drunk, crying in my living room, ‘I don’t want to be this person anymore!’: Woman shares emotional journey to sobriety
“I was the one who stayed out late, the one who always turned up. But I was also the one who had blackouts, who got hit by a car, forgot whole blocks of time, and always had something to be ashamed or embarrassed about the next day. That day in my living room was the last day I drank.”