Welcome to Precious Gem Creatives: Healing My Story, One Layer at a Time

Rubies are created under intense pressure and extreme heat. Out of that process, they become one of the world’s rarest and most beautiful gems. That is how I see my journey. Precious Gem Creatives was born out of that same kind of pressure, out of moments that nearly broke me but instead shaped me into something resilient and radiant.

As you’ve seen on the homepage, the creation of Precious Gem Creatives means so much to me. I started this journey after challenging myself to complete a reading challenge where I only read books that supported my healing from intergenerational trauma. I began that challenge after noticing mental and emotional shifts that were pushing me down a path I didn’t want to follow. I’ve been in and out of therapy for years, but I became more consistent after separating from my partner for a period of time. Even then, therapy wasn’t guiding me to the deeper healing I truly needed.

One day, I read that sometimes you need more than therapy to create an effective treatment plan, and the truth of that hit me hard. As a clinician who has spent years working in multidisciplinary teams helping patients get the services they need to begin recovery, I should have already known that. But knowing something professionally and realizing it personally are two very different experiences.

That realization reminded me of my time working with individuals re-entering society after incarceration. Healing, no matter the form, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, is rarely one-dimensional. It requires multiple tools, multiple people, moments of honesty, uncomfortable reflections, and consistent work.

The name “Precious Gem” has been with me since college. I came up with it when I decided to get a tattoo on my back to symbolize a new chapter of my life and honor my grandmother, Ruby, whom I was named after. Before college, my life had been a whirlwind of unsafe relationships, bullying, molestation, and low self-esteem. Leaving home to attend school nine hours away felt like my chance to start over. No one there knew my past. It was a clean slate.

One night, while thinking about my grandmother’s name, I thought, “There is power in Ruby.” Rubies are precious gems that remain rare, resilient, and luminous even after enduring pressure and fire. I told myself, “I am my own Precious Gem.” Two days later, I was in a tattoo chair getting that phrase inked on my back along with three ruby stones. It became my reminder that whenever I felt myself slipping, I needed to look in the mirror, gather myself, and remember who I am. No one defines me except me.

Of course, life had other plans. I faced heartbreak, betrayal, and a traumatic experience that altered my understanding of self-worth and safety. With every painful moment, I had to return to that reminder: I am my own Precious Gem. That phrase has been my anchor through every storm.

The realization that my story, and the stories of others like me, needed to be healed and shared came during my October reading challenge. By that time, I was on my third therapist, taking medication, and seeing a psychiatrist. But I realized that all of that support means nothing if you’re not doing the work. I remember listening to Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explain that people often take substances or medications to numb their feelings, but once the effects wear off, the feelings return. That struck something deep within me. It made me ask, “How many of us are doing the same thing by numbing instead of healing?” That was the moment I knew this space needed to exist. It needed to be a space where we could feel, process, and do the work required to heal our stories.

My journey in public health and my personal healing are deeply intertwined. My teenage experiences, my upbringing, my time in criminal justice, my work as a respiratory therapist, becoming a mother terrified of dying during childbirth, being diagnosed with ADHD at 31, and recognizing the parts of my medical history I’ve passed down to my daughter, all of these moments shape how I view health, policy, and humanity. I know that many people, those who look like me and those who do not, are walking through similar struggles without a clear roadmap toward something better. Through Precious Gem Creatives, I am here for the version of me who needed this space years ago, for the people who need me now, and for the ones who will discover this work in the future.

To me, healing my story extends beyond myself. It is about community, legacy, and cultural reclamation. It is about naming what we have endured, defining it accurately, and using that awareness to push for meaningful change. Many people assume maternal and child health is simply about mothers and babies, but when you look deeper, it reflects the circle of life. All of us entered the world through someone’s womb. Our families, environments, and histories shape our emotional and physical health long before we even have language for it. The mother nurtures the child, and that child often carries those patterns forward until someone decides to break them.

Throughout this blog, you will see how my Bahamian Caribbean American roots, my experiences as a mother, and my ongoing healing journey influence the tone and aesthetics of Precious Gem Creatives. This space is for the unspoken, unheard, and overlooked voices who need not only equality but equity. It is for the people who want to heal better, live better, and understand themselves more deeply. Together, we will heal. We will live more intentionally. We will become the best versions of ourselves, not for others, but for ourselves.

This blog may make you laugh, cry, feel angry, sad, or exhausted. All of that is okay. Feeling is the only way healing happens. So prepare yourself for the uncomfortable conversations ahead. If there is a topic you want me to explore, send me a message. I will research it, unpack it, and open a space where we can heal and grow together. We are going to strip away what no longer serves us, gather healthy seeds, water them, and grow our souls.

The first time I encountered the term “intergenerational trauma” was while reading It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn. If you are beginning your healing journey, start there. You will experience more “aha” moments than you can count. That is where we will begin, and from there, we will work backward to understand how we got here and how to move forward with purpose and clarity.

Welcome to Precious Gem Creatives, where we heal our stories together.