I discovered who I was beyond survival. I found my voice, not just in words but in how I show up, advocate for myself, and claim space. I broke the generational cycles, not just for me, but for my children. They see a mother who is present, strong, and whole.

When Shante, NAOMI lead support specialist, speaks of trauma, she knows of what she speaks. She’s been there, and now, she’s showing others the way out.

“I have spent my entire life in services. I came from the foster care system and my children have also been in the system. I have been in church, in therapy, in AA and recovery groups. Through all this, I have been able to maintain years of sobriety, but I have never been able to stop the feeling of wanting to crawl out of my own skin. The feeling of deep despair and helplessness. The feeling of being alone.” – Charis

“I started the same patterns in my own life,” Emma explained. “I would seek out and start building close relationships and then if the person pointed out something simple like, not cleaning up after myself or voiced a different opinion than mine. I would get so angry, like explosively angry. I would yell and throw things and storm off for hours or days at a time. I had no idea what was going on with me or how to change it. I knew deep down I was just like my mom and that I'd probably always be that way.”