Welcome

Let me (re) introduce myself

May 20, 2022

Hello Friends,

There are a few new faces here, so I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself to you all. For those that have been with me for a while, this might feel like a trip down memory lane; for those of you who are new, this is a great way to catch up and get a feel for what I’m all about.

Basically, this is just one big link party. Click on what interests you.

I am Emily Henderson, the writer behind I’m Really Very Literary and emilykathleenwrites.com. If I were to have an updated LinkedIn profile, it would say freelance writer, stay-at-home mom, and feeler of feelings. Also, I run and read and listen to a lot of podcasts.

I live in Santa Barbara with my husband and two children.

Many of you found me through my first blog MyJustRightLife back when I was a coach with Beachbody… Yes, I was one of those crazy mamas posting Shakeology recipes and sweaty selfies and mostly making people smile with my silly videos. (this one still cracks me up) I wasn’t the best salesperson (my “hey girl” messages were terrible), but I had fun and still use the products today.

Back then, I was heavenly dedicated to raising awareness and reducing the stigma of postpartum mood disorders. I volunteered for Postpartum Education for Parents, a non-profit in Santa Barbara, and served on the board for nearly a decade.

On the blog, I wrote about my experience as a mom with two kids under two and my struggles with postpartum anxiety. In my volunteer work, I saw moms twist themselves inside out over the unrealistic expectations of birth, breastfeeding, and motherhood.

I wrote about miscarriage and self-care, and laundry.

And then, on July 31st, 2019, our third child, our #smusherface, Aiden, was diagnosed with AT/RT, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 17-months-old. I shared our four-month battle with a beast that doesn’t play fair on Instagram, but mostly I stayed quiet, preferring to keep our circle small and controllable.

When I did share, I always felt loved.

My mantra became ‘We #keepmovingforward because #wedohardthings’ and frogs and their inability to travel backward became our thing.

And then Aiden died… I hate writing this. I am grateful for the memories (this is the video we played at his funeral), but I wish I could have written a different ending.

But I couldn’t, not here, or here, or here.

And then there was a global pandemic.

My baby had brain cancer, and then he died, and then the most normal part of my life was lockdowns and toilet paper shortages and my older kids going to school on Zoom. I spent four months trying to parent a six and eight-year-old from a hospital room, and now they are close enough to touch whenever I want; well, at least two of them are, and isn’t that just the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard?

Months after Aiden died, I was talking with his oncologist. She told me that Aiden’s death was more like losing a child in a car accident. You hear about long battles with cancer and parents exhausting every option until there are none left, but for us, it was sudden and unexpected, and in many ways, I was still processing his diagnosis when he died.

A few months into the pandemic, I got the hair-brained idea to run every single street in Santa Barbara. I figured, what else am I going to do? What started out as an excuse to get out of the house for a few hours on the weekend turned into a way to process my grief and re-learn to parent and be a good wife, friend, and sister.

And this is where many of you newer readers found me.

Maybe from Scary Mommy, HuffPost, The Santa Barbara Independent, or most recently on Coffee + Crumbs

In the 16 months it took me to run every street, I changed the name of my blog to emilykathleenwrites.com and started this Substack which has been going, if not strong, at least consistent since October 2021

Each week I share a micro essay (this week is, of course, exceptionally long). You can also find links to stories I’ve published, my book reviews, and interesting things I’ve found on the web. I also share a weekly journal prompt.

I look forward to creating and sharing my little musings each week, and I hope you all get as much out of reading it as I do writing it.

This is where I am today. Thank you for listening.

xoxo,

Emily

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