Before my stroke, as I've mentioned before, I was a licensed psychotherapist. I relocated to Texas, from Michigan and started offering relationship and life coaching. I held space for trauma, grief, anxiety, heartbreak, and healing. I helped people rewrite their inner narratives, develop coping strategies, and believe—sometimes for the first time—that they mattered.
But I wasn’t just a therapist.
I was also a wife. A mother. A woman with purpose stitched into every part of her day. I was an adjunct professor, teaching often at 2 different campuses. I was exhausted before we moved to Texas to say the least. Was I burned out? Probably, as I ended up in emergency that year. I really wonder if that’s when it all began. Before I go off on a tangent, let me continue; whether I was helping clients, teaching, mentoring or nurturing my family, my identity was rooted in showing up for others—strong, steady, reliable.
Then, in 2021, everything changed.
The stroke shattered the life I knew. Suddenly, I was the one who needed help. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t trust my body. The caregiver became the patient. And honestly? I didn’t know who I was without my profession. My identity was wrapped tightly around being a helper—and a wife and mother. When those roles felt fractured, I felt like I was unraveling. I was afraid, not inly of being dependent on others, but afraid it would happen again. Fear tried to get the best of me.
What happens when the person everyone leans on can no longer stand?
I felt lost… but not empty.
During rehabilitation, something unexpected happened. First let me say this: my beautiful family and some friends stepped up and helped. I am loved!!
I digressed, I picked up a pencil—just to move my hand, just to do something. I began drawing circles. Lines. Marks. It wasn’t art yet. It was survival.
No one handed me a paintbrush. But I remembered an old session from years ago—me guiding a client through expressive art to help them access emotions they couldn’t name. That memory unlocked something inside me.
Suddenly, art became more than physical therapy. It became emotional therapy. A return to my roots. To who I am.
Even though I’m no longer practicing as a licensed therapist, that part of me never left. I’m still a helper. A counselor. A “secret keeper,” as I’ve been since I was 12. But now, I weave all of that into color, shape, values, hues, composition and texture.
My art tells stories. It listens. It validates. It witnesses.
That’s why this month, I’m writing daily—because this isn’t just about me. This is about us. About every person who has lost a version of themselves, who is searching for a soft way back to wholeness. We are reinventing ourselves; and that is ok!!
If that’s you, you’re not alone. And I hope today’s words offer something real, something honest, something gentle.
Creative Assignment: “The Circle That Held Me” What’s holding you together?
Using a pen, pencil, or paint—whatever feels accessible—draw a simple circle on a piece of paper. Inside the circle, jot down the names (or initials, or symbols) of the people who showed up for you during your hardest moments. These are the ones who sat beside you, cooked for you, flew in, or just reminded you that you matter.
Now, around the outside of the circle, draw smaller shapes to represent qualities they gave you—comfort, safety, laughter, strength, love. Add color, texture, or doodles to bring it to life. This is your gratitude circle, a visual reminder that you are held, cherished, and never truly alone.
If you feel brave, take a photo and share it with someone in your circle today. Share it here if you’d like. I’d love to see it.
With care,
Michelle Joy Brown
Sketchbook painting. 8 1/5”×11”. Acrylics. Available as a print. Starting at $60 depending on size.
Chaos & Beauty 18”×24” Acrylics. On canvas, unframed. $525 including shipping. This piece is currently on display at an exhibition and won't be available for shipping till June.
© 2025 Michelle Joy Brown. All rights reserved.
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If you visit my portfolio, once opened, click on my photo and it’ll take you to my portfolio. I’m currently uploading art as I take photos of my artworks. Thanks so much for reading this far. Have an amazing one.
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