Circus Mirrors: A Book, A Mission, A Movement

Hi! We're Laura and Kim: Best Friends. Trauma survivors. Irreverent storytellers. 

We bonded in college over shared trauma, dark humor and a deep desire to feel okay. Twenty years later, we're working on Circus Mirrors -- a raw, funny, brutally honest book about growing up with eating disorders, loss and the beautiful mess of figuring life out.

But this isn't just about a book.

It's about what comes next.

Our Big, Audacious Idea:

We want to create something real for people who've been through some serious stuff and are tired of all the soft-focus, self-help fluff.

We're talking:

• Workshops on healing through storytelling, comedy and creative expression
• Talks and panels that mix gut-wrenching honesty with laugh-out-loud moments
• Eventually, a wellness center for creative therapy with writing, improv, maybe even group art rage rooms. (Too much? We don't think so.)

Earlier this year Kim wrote and published Fine. (And Other Lies I told Myself) as a bit of a prequel to Circus Mirrors but the stories are just the beginning. The world is heavy. People are struggling. And we believe stories can heal. Especially the unpolished, unfiltered, "I can't believe you just said that" kind.

How you can help

Your donation helps us:

• Finish Circus Mirrors (editing, design, printing, launch)
• Build our website and host our first online creative healing workshops
• Speak at schools, events and mental health forums
• One day, open the door to our dream: a creative wellness space that feels nothing like a clinic and everything like hope

We're not therapists. We're not influencers. We're two women who've made it through more than our fair share, tripped over our own trauma and still managed to find the funny.  We believe in the healing power of humor and we want to help others remember they can still laugh, even when life hurts.

So yeah. We're being audacious.

Because people need this.

We needed this.

Help us build it.

Donate if you can. Share if you will. And know that every little bit helps turn survival into something deeper: connection.

A note from Kim: You can view my social media profile on LinkedIn  www.linkedin.com/in/kim-vale

Follow on LinkedIn