At the age of 13, Jenn struggled with early childhood abuse and feelings of self-doubt.
Dealing with internal conflict and intense emotions surrounding her childhood experiences, Jenn looked to alcohol to drown out her negative thoughts and feelings. “I started drinking to fit in, I didn’t really stop to wonder why, but just because I felt like I fit in better after all of the difficult things I had experienced as a child and all of the stuff that comes with that. I was drinking to try to forget things that had happened to me.” From there, addiction followed.
As Jenn entered into her recovery program, there were still a lot of conflicts she needed to face.
She didn’t feel good enough, worthy enough, or capable enough to do things that seemed hard. She felt lost, like her whole life had been consumed by addiction. Negative self-talk and continued self-doubt were difficult obstacles to overcome. But, Jenn worked hard to prove to herself that those things weren’t true. Her efforts were not in vain. Jenn proved to herself that she was capable, worthy, and good enough to do anything she set her mind to. Her life could be about more than addiction.
Finishing her recovery program, Jenn wasn’t sure what to do.
She was now in recovery, but still sought stability and employment. That’s when she heard about Unshattered from a previous member of the team. The mission of Unshattered and the stories of success resonated deeply with Jenn and she decided to reach out for an opportunity to work with us. In a professional sense, she was able to develop her production managerial experience. But, in a personal sense, Jenn was able to become part of a community that could help her flourish.
“It’s helped me to be a part of the community. I was always isolated, always to myself, so it’s really helped me to be a part of a team and to really know what it is to have a good community again.”
Jenn came all the way across the country to work at Unshattered and was brave enough to step out of her comfort zone to do so.
As she continues her work in recovery, Jenn strives to maintain connection with the people in her life that have supported her and to walk out her recovery every day. Jenn hopes to be able to, “one day not think about my recovery every single day, but I’m not there yet”.