ABOUT THE BOOK
ADVANCE PRAISE
The rawness, the vulnerability, the emotions created in such carefully crafted words! I will be reading and
re-reading this many times, I am sure. This is a very special work; written by a very special person. A survivor's tale.
RON ROCK
Former Educator
The fact that Cheryl McIntosh is thriving in recovery is astounding, given that she even survived her childhood. This memoir tells her story in a spellbinding, 'Are you 'f'n kidding me?' way. Acts of love, including self-love, sustained her. The love keeps on, as "Resilient" is a heart-driven gift to us all. Chery's brave telling is a beacon of hope and a compassionate offering to her readers.
KEN STREATER
Bestselling Author of
The Gift of Courage and Be the Good
"Exquisitely rendered."
TODD HAFER
Best Selling Author and
Publishing Executive
A poignant and powerful read. A journey into her story, one that many of us might find so similar to our own. The stories we don't tell, the ones we shield everyone from. More so, a fearless exploration of what it is to share one's shadow work. At times, I needed to stop reading and simply reflect on the power of the stories and poems. Sometimes shaken in solidarity. The author's sheer tenacity to rise above, to try again, and again, and to keep working to explore her own best self. To encourage the reader, that life does not exist in a rear-view mirror. To remember where you've been, yet not to lose sight of the road that lies ahead. Beauty can be everywhere, even in the shadows.
CHERYL HARLEIGH
Fellow Wanderer
BIO
My story begins in Lake Havasu City, AZ, where my mom and I lived with my abusive father until we finally escaped when I was 13.
My mom sent me to Oregon not long after we left. By the time I was 16, I was living by myself in a helper's cabin on a ranch where I shoveled shit to pay for my rent.
Growing up early had its advantages. It gave me the resourcefulness required to become an entrepreneur, and the emotional intelligence to observe and learn from my mistakes along the way. It also meant I had to navigate the long shadow cast by childhood trauma alone, and long into adulthood.
Addiction became a part of my story–a part that I hid for years out of shame. The shame kept me sick, and the cycle seemed endless until a combination of AA, art, and plant medicine finally broke a 15 year pattern of relapse.
Today, I lead a simple, sober life anchored in gratitude. I am a photographer, writer, and artist, and branding consultant for the A/E/C/ industry. With a creative career spanning over 20 years, I have helped hundreds of clients tell their stories–but mine has never been shared, until now.