Life, Unfiltered

 **Navigating the Holidays After Loss: Finding Magic Again** The holidays are supposed to be the most magical time of the year, filled with joy, laughter, and connection. But for many of us, that magic is shadowed by loss and grief. Unless you’ve been in this position, it can be hard to fully understand how deeply it affects you. For me, the holidays changed forever when I lost my dad. I was just 13 years old when my dad passed away five days before Christmas, two days after his 35th birthday. That kind of trauma leaves a mark. It’s not just about losing someone you love; it’s about trying to put on a brave face during a time that’s supposed to be joyous while feeling like a huge piece of your life is missing. To make things even more complicated, I later found out he wasn’t my biological father. But that doesn’t change anything for me. He was my dad, and his absence during the holidays is still felt deeply.  **The Magic of the Holidays Is in the People Around You** There’s a ...

 **Breaking Free: How Cutting Ties with Negative Influences Can Transform Your Life** There comes a moment in life when you realize that the people you surround yourself with—family or not—can either lift you up or weigh you down. For many of us, it takes years to understand that we don’t owe anyone access to our energy, especially if that relationship is draining, toxic, or holding us back. Let me tell you, that realization? It’s incredibly liberating. For the longest time, I believed that being a part of a family meant enduring negativity, judgment, or manipulation simply because they were “family.” It felt like an unspoken rule that you had to stick it out, even if it meant sacrificing your own happiness. Breaking free from that mindset was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. **You Can’t Change People Who Don’t Want to Change** One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that you can’t force growth on anyone. People will only change when they are ready and willing...