So I decided to share my struggles and triumphs. I want you to join me on my journey not just of self-acceptance, but of becoming the person we are meant to be. To move forward, I first had to look back to my pain-filled early years in Gainesville, Florida. No matter what, I always had a flicker of hope that my life could be what I wanted. It drew me to Los Angeles. I found real love, got married, then got divorced. The night of my thirtieth birthday, I thought I was having a heart attack. That was the catalyst for real change in my life.

In This Is Me, I want to give you an action plan for fulfilling your destiny and passion. I want to be that best friend in your head, sharing the are-you-kidding-me, I-wish-I-was moments that only come from being honest in giving life advice from my personal experience. Should you text that guy back? (No. Seriously, don’t.) What do you wear to Oprah’s house for lunch? And how exactly do you resist punching that beeyotch at work?

We can change, and we can have the lives we want and deserve. So whether you are a young hopeful or a late bloomer, I wrote This Is Me with you in mind.