What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we carry—and the ways we learn to move through it—can define who we become. We asked community members from a broad array of industries to reflect on their defining wounds and have shared the responses below.

Sharmon Swinney Monagan

Losing both of my parents was the most defining wounds of my life. Losing a parent changes you, it shifts how you see the world. I was in my twenties when my mom passed, and now my kids are around the same age I was then. That perspective really hits home. I didn’t want to, nor could I, stay stuck in that grief. Read more>>

Hope Williams

I have never considered the term “defining wound” before, but it resonates deeply with my story. My mother died when I was six, and I did not experience another loss of that magnitude until my grandmother passed when I was 26. These two losses have shaped me in profoundly different ways. Read more>>

Oliva West

The defining wounds of my life have been rooted in invisibility, systemic dismissal, and the exhaustion of constantly proving my humanity in spaces that weren’t designed for me. Let me be specific, because these wounds aren’t abstract—they’re lived. Wound #1: Academic Invisibility Dyslexia in a system that equated reading speed with intelligence meant I was overlooked, underestimated, and often written off. Read more>>

Dani Parks

One of the most defining wounds of my life was the breakdown of my mental wellness during my teenage and young adult years. I silently battled depression, suicidal thoughts, and even attempts. My healing began when I realized I didn’t have to carry this burden alone; that there were people and resources ready to support me on my journey to wellness. Read more>>