Hope is the Only Thing Between You and the Abyss

Kathleen Pooler spent the first 18 years of her life in a loving, supportive family. The next 25 years were engulfed in the abyss of two abusive marriages. Pooler rescued herself and is now dedicated to helping other women (and men) do the same.

She hopes to help others find their inner strength through sharing her hard-earned lessons in her new memoir.  In addition to dealing with her two failed marriages, she was diagnosed with cancer and her son was abusing drugs.

Hope is often the only thing between you and the abyss

She sums up her message in these seven tips:

A loving family, solid career and a strong faith foundation do not guarantee a problem-free life.

We all have everything we need within, but we need to claim and honor our own inner strength to get the life we want and deserve.

Abuse, in any form, is harmful. Emotional abuse may not cause direct physical harm, but it can be damaging to your mind and your spirit.

The very things you think are holding you back from having the life you want can serve to help you find your way to freedom.

Hope matters, even when all seems hopeless in the moment.

Give yourself permission to GRIEVE!

Nothing can rescue you until...

 you decide to rescue yourself

Get Rid of Your Baggage - Once and for All

Julio Caba is an author, Ph.D. student and business owner.  

Julio was raised in one of the worst neighborhoods in New York, Washington Heights. Drugs and crime were an everyday part of life. His teachers told him that he would either be dead or in jail by the time he reached the age of 18.

Believing in that narrative, he became that person. He dropped out of high school at 16 and had his first child. Drug dealing seemed to be the only career choice. By the time he was 18, he was the father of three.  The mother of his children left him, and they were HOMELESS. Three children, no job, no opportunity, no education.  He chose to end it all.

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle as his two-year-old stopped him seconds before plunging off a balcony to his death.

At that moment, he chose to change his life and you do not want to miss this exciting, incredible story of hope. Click the arrow to hear his story:

Love and Redemption: Overcoming Guilt and Moving On

Maggie C. Romero, M.A., taught English as a Second Language in northern Virginia for seventeen years. She and her partner retired from full-time teaching and moved to New Mexico where they have lived since 2009. Maggie is a member of SouthWest Writers, Story Circle Network, based in Austin, Texas, and National Association of Memoir Writers.

Maggie knows the pain of addiction and in this interview will bring awareness to a subject many don't want to discuss.  Yet, it is around us wherever we look.  It can affect any one of us.  Rich or poor, educated or not, it can strike anywhere.

Maggie shares her daughter's story. Before addiction, Angie was a world-class gymnast, a gifted artist and graduated from university with a B.A. in Journalism. But at 21, it all fell apart.

Maggie's purpose in writing her story was to heal from losing her daughter, Angie, to the Living Death of Heroin Addiction. She was determined to save her child from addiction and bankrupted herself in the effort to do so, had a breakdown and was forced into early retirement.

Murder, Drugs, Death of Spouse - Time to Turn His Life Around

Doug Atkins started using hard drugs when he was 13 years old.  Running away from home and living on the streets of Boston, he became a dealer.  Standing before the judge he was given a choice - jail or the army.  

He enlisted into the U S Army and his life took on meaning.  But, he continued his lifestyle until tragedy struck.  His 17-year-old daughter was brutally stabbed 72 times and he lost his wife to a horrific death.



Listen to Doug's incredible story of how he coped with these losses