The Story I Never Planned to Tell Part 1: Before I Disappeared

This is a story I never thought I’d share. My story. My deepest secret.

But if it helps you understand why Inspired WellCare exists...

Understand how Big Pharma and Healthcare really moves...

How addiction becomes a silent life stealer...

If it helps you spot someone you love quietly slipping into dependence

…or makes you feel less alone because you’re struggling and barely brave enough to think about reaching for help—

Then it’s worth telling.

Especially now.

...The Beginning

I grew up a horse-loving farm girl in North Idaho—mud on my boots, hay in my hair, lungs full of barn air… all locked in with Aquanet and God-only-knows-what chemicals in our skincare, finished off with electric-blue mascara we thought was subtle. I sang in the choir. I loved my friends. The kid you'd not expect to end up in trouble.

I was a grateful thank-God-we-didn’t-have-cameras-everywhere ’80s/’90s kid—raised on hose water, benign neglect, trust, and freedom, as long as it was earned.

And most importantly, we learned “Just Say No.”

Mrs. Reagan told us so. I mean—who over 40 doesn’t remember “This is your brain on drugs”? The frying pan. The sizzle. The very clear message: don’t do it.

Which is why we never imagined the drugs that would change our lives would come…with instructions from your doctor.

Before the Soundtrack Changed

I leaned hard into the independence of the optimistic, purpose-driven 23 year old I was—armed with degrees from Washington State University in integrated marketing and psychology and that familiar post-graduation panic: Okay… now what?

I left the safety of the Pacific Northwest for palm trees and a film career in L.A.

Sunsets on the strand. Salt on skin. Movie stars! Cocktails. Beach volleyball. Late-night karaoke on stages where legends once stood.

Life was a long summer night in those first years...in a blissful state without consequences - assuming some future miracle would undo whatever damage I stacked up along the way. (We'll talk about that later, because I found some!)

But...I never imagined the most dangerous thing I’d meet in L.A. would come with a prescription.

_______________

Thoughtwork: If any of this feels familiar, let's look at it for a sec.

When we're young, self-care feels optional.

Our bodies are more resilient - so in a way, we're not wrong.

But the reality? Our body stacks the damage we've done over the years. And when you're young... I mean...

So what if sleep gets skipped? Nutrition gets casual? Recovery gets postponed?

HONESTY PAUSE...As adults—did we ever actually fix that… or did we just get better at functioning through it? We just keep going.

Until something happens—and you do what responsible adults do:

• You see a doctor.

• You accept a diagnosis without considering nutrition and lifestyle - because that's REALLY hard to fit into a 7-12 minute visit.

• You begin pharmaceuticals as "prevention" - that could be managed with diet and lifestyle changes, not meds. (Hello, Statins. Hello, Metformin. I see you.)

• You follow directions.

• You take what’s prescribed.

• You're no longer just a patient. You're a revenue generating customer.

So here are two questions worth sitting with:

1. What could recovery look like today for the wear and tear we’ve already accumulated? A walk? A better meal choice? Nutraceuticals that support your body recover and detox at the cellular level?

2. And what can we model now so our kids don’t have to unlearn it later?

   
   

This isn’t about blame or regret.

It’s about awareness—before later quietly becomes never.