How Motherhood Helped Jessica Heal From Childhood Abuse

Jessica’s story is one that hits deep—as a daughter, as a mother, as someone who has ever had to unlearn what love is supposed to look like.

She grew up in a home that was unpredictable and unsafe. Verbal, emotional, and physical abuse became the backdrop of her childhood. The part that gutted me? When she said the most painful thing wasn’t what happened to her—it was how early she had to stop being a kid.

Breaking the Cycle With Her Own Kids

Jessica became a mom at 21. At the time, she was still carrying trauma from her childhood and trying to figure out who she was. And then, when her daughter was just 13 months old, she was diagnosed with a developmental disorder under the autism spectrum. A few months later, that diagnosis became autism.

Jessica didn’t freeze. She fought.

She fought for early intervention. For resources. For answers. She welcomed therapists into her home seven days a week. She worked full-time. She went to school full-time. She parented full-time. And somehow, she still found the space to promise her daughter something that no one had ever given her:

“I told her every single day how beautiful she was, how much I loved her. I never wanted her to doubt that.”

That moment shook me. Because love like that? It doesn't come from example. It comes from intention.

From Surviving to Advocating

Jessica wasn’t just healing. She was raising a child with unique needs and building a career in special education at the same time. And it turned out, the work she was doing outside her home became just as healing as the work she was doing inside of it.

One of the most powerful moments she shared was about a student she advocated for—a nonverbal 7-year-old whose parents were overwhelmed and lost. When Jessica pushed for an AAC device and that child was finally able to say, “I love you,” to his mom for the first time, it all clicked:

"He always had something to say. He just needed someone to listen."

This is what happens when someone breaks the cycle and becomes the person they once needed.

3 Things I Learned About Healing Through Motherhood

• You can parent while healing—but it’s hard. You’re trying to rewrite the story while living it in real time. That takes strength most people will never understand.

• Grace goes both ways. Jessica had to forgive her mom to move forward. That didn’t mean forgetting the past—it meant understanding it.

• Saying "I love you" can be revolutionary. When you grow up without affection, expressing it becomes a choice. A conscious, daily, beautiful choice.

The Bigger Picture: Resilience and Advocacy

Jessica’s story is a masterclass in breaking generational cycles. But it’s also a powerful reminder of how advocacy can come from personal experience.

She shows up for her students and their families with more than credentials—she shows up with lived empathy. She knows what it’s like to feel unseen. She knows what it means when a parent is scared and overwhelmed. And she doesn’t turn away from any of it.

That’s what makes her work so life-changing.

And that’s what makes her story so worth telling.

If You're Breaking a Cycle, You're Not Alone

Whether you're a parent, an educator, or someone just trying to heal the little kid inside of you—this episode will stay with you.

🎧 Listen to For The Hayters on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺 Watch the full video episode on YouTube

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You don't have to be perfect to be powerful. You just have to be present.

And Jessica is living proof of that.