An essay about grief, chocolate milk, nervous systems, and the strange realization that the people we lose continue living inside the way we move through the world — even after they’re already gone.
My dad thought in systems. He rebuilt engines, cleared lanes for his daughters, and fixed everything in front of him for as long as his hands and his mind would let him. When brain cancer became the one problem he couldn’t solve, I learned that loving someone through their unraveling isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about showing up, paying attention, and putting the ChapStick on the table. This is the story of who he was — and who I became because of him.
Anticipatory grief exists in the space between awareness and outcome, where cognition recognizes what emotion is still learning to hold.
This piece explores how awareness reshapes perception before circumstances change, and how the present can begin to feel like memory while it is still unfolding.
A true story about leaving a toxic relationship, a dating app discovery, and the night that ended in a trailer full of black chickens in Allentown.
A reflective personal essay about working as a bra specialist at Victoria’s Secret, navigating divorce and self-reliance, and discovering how helping women reclaim confidence shaped a journey of reinvention, leadership, and identity.
What started as a girls’ trip to Las Vegas turned into a reminder that the best experiences aren’t always the ones you plan. It’s a story about friendship, perspective, and choosing to make time for life instead of waiting for life to happen.
Dear Dad… this one’s for you. For the texts that rerouted my mornings, the jokes you told that we couldn’t stop ourselves from laughing at, and the quiet strength you never named out loud, but lived through your actions every day. Thank you for teaching me to build a strength within myself that doesn’t fold, no matter how fierce the storm when it rolls in.
A personal essay about how context shapes reality, exploring communication, emotional awareness, and the unexpected moments that reveal how differently we experience the same world.
In the third and final installment of the Backyard Boundaries series, this essay explores emotional boundaries, nervous system awareness, and self-worth through lived experience and the metaphor of backyards and fences.
An essay about invisible boundaries, childhood memory, and the moment your body knows to stop—long before your mind can explain why.
A reflective essay on grief, growth, and boundary-setting, told through the quiet lessons of a backyard, two fences, and the slow work of learning what’s worth protecting.
A reflective Christmas poem about childhood memories, changing traditions, and finding a quieter kind of magic in adulthood. A gentle look back at what the holidays used to feel like… and how the echoes of that warmth still shape who we are now.
A reflective essay on how complex feelings are often misinterpreted when language lags behind experience—and how being misunderstood can turn thoughtful people into unintended villains.
A surreal descent into a recurring dreamscape, The Ladder unravels memory, identity, and the shadows we carry—inviting readers into a world where nothing reflects back and survival is as much of a choice as it is a climb.
When “knowledge is power” isn’t enough, understanding becomes the salt that brings it to life—the fuel that turns information into movement, growth, and self-trust.
A reflective, ocean-deep exploration of love, capacity, emotional survival, and the courage to clear space for aligned connection. A standalone piece on growth.
A deep psychological exploration of why almost-relationships break not from cruelty but from misalignment. This piece uncovers the emotional wiring, capacity mismatches, and quiet physics beneath heartbreak—revealing how clarity, not blame, becomes the path forward.
A deeply intimate narrative told from the man’s perspective—exploring attraction, avoidance, emotional patterns, and the quiet misalignments that shaped their connection. A raw, psychologically layered story about longing, fear, timing, and the moment a familiar cycle finally breaks.
Part 2 of the Emotional Landmines Expansion Series traces the moment safety slips, silence grows louder, and the heart begins to understand what the mind missed.
A raw, compassionate guide into the hidden mechanics of modern connection—why assumptions form, why signals get misread, and how clarity can transform the way we navigate love, heartbreak, and human attachment.
A powerful exploration of emotional boundary setting and the mechanics of containment—how studying your chaos becomes the blueprint for resilience.
When Silence Takes Shape (Part II) explores the calm after chaos—how healing becomes a practice of belonging, self-trust, and staying grounded through uncertainty.
When Silence Takes Shape (Part I) explores the residue of shrinking—introspectively examining the aftermath of being told you’re wrong and the courage it takes to exist out loud.
Outgrowing your old life isn’t betrayal — it’s evolution. Arsenal of Alignment is a sharp, heartfelt look at capacity, character, and the courage it takes to stop sitting on the lid of a too-small life.
When the chaos stops, silence can feel suspicious. “Learning What to Do with Your Hands” explores what happens when survival mode ends — and how to relearn safety, stillness, and self-trust once your boot finally hits the ground.
Part science, part soul. A study of how we process, purge, and repurpose emotion — one couch-cry, carrot-chase, and breakthrough at a time.
A sharp, reflective essay on what “uncomfortable environments” teach us about resilience, self-trust, and growth. Kimberly Thomas unpacks how micromanagement, self-doubt, and chaos can become unlikely teachers — like a Gen-Ed course in becoming who you’re meant to be.
Through the metaphor of a sweater, this essay explores love, resilience, and the moment we realize our worth isn’t defined by what unravels, but by what endures.
Kimberly Thomas shares a visceral reflection on fear, courage, and growth — from swollen arms and horror films to marathons and money — and how carrying more changes everything.
Kimberly explores how cracking eggs becomes a metaphor for curiosity vs. resistance — and how change, adversity, and experience become catalysts for growth and wisdom.
Kimberly tells a story about how a scooter fall, unstoppable laughter, and a stranger on a porch revealed deeper truths about connection, courage, and the importance of showing up for yourself.
In this post, Kimberly shares the raw and emotional story of how she went from months on crutches after shattering her foot to finishing her first marathon in the pouring rain. She talks about the hopeless nights, the people who showed up when she least expected it, and the stubborn spark of resilience that led her from a virtual 5K to a 100-mile race — proving that courage isn’t about speed, it’s about showing up when everything in you wants to quit.
17 miles per hour. Three broken metatarsals. Nearly a year on crutches. Part Two takes you from Kimberly’s marathon dream to her brutal fall—and a seemingly impossible, endless fight to find her way back to running.
Beer, Bagels, and the Half Marathon Hangover: The story of how one race, one breakup, and one wild idea led to an unexpected running journey.
A perfect night at Camden Yards turns into an unexpected meeting with “Hey-Zeus” — a cancer survivor and chaplain — blending humor, nostalgia, and a quiet glimpse of faith.
A story of trust, timing, and tacos — choosing presence over perfection, and why real connections never ask you to shrink to be loved.
In Part 5 of The Berbly Project, Kimberly Thomas closes the circle of survival — from nights of grief to miles of endurance, from ruin to reckoning to rise. A visceral reflection on pain, grit, and awakening in the ashes.
Part 4 of The Berbly Project explores life after the breaking point. Kimberly shares the messy, uneven process of sitting with grief, rebuilding through writing and ultrarunning, redefining boundaries, and reclaiming self-worth as the foundation for freedom.
Part 3 of The Berbly Project: The Danger of Deception: Lies, Silence, and Surviving a Prison of False Love. Kimberly shares her lived experience of gaslighting, abuse, and survival — and how she began to reclaim her voice.
In Part 2 of The Berbly Project, Kimberly Thomas explores the danger of inexperience — how broken baselines and false narratives shaped friendships, young love, and marriage until lived experience revealed the truth.
Assumptions can shape who we believe we are — from childhood bullying to adult relationships. A reflection on how lived experience breaks the cycle.
Betrayal isn’t just the lie — it’s the performance of honesty. Discover how uncovering the truth, setting boundaries, and reclaiming self-worth can turn pain into unshakable resilience.
A breakdown in a Walmart parking lot, blueberries for brain fuel, and the fight to pass the Series 65—this wasn’t just a test. It was a reckoning.
How our personal limitations shape interpretation—and why misunderstanding others often reveals more about us than them.
Clear language isn’t just helpful—it’s everything. This piece explores how word choice shapes interpretation, intention, and trust in everyday life.
A reflective, metaphor-rich exploration of emotional misalignment—why some connections feel harder after you’ve done the work, and how clarity changes the way we show up in relationships, at work, and within ourselves.
Dating can feel like survival—running through emotional landmines while chasing connection. This raw reflection reframes love, pain, and alignment.
A deeply personal story about guilt, growth, and learning to stay present through discomfort. Not perfection—just self-awareness, honesty, and becoming.
A story about risking it all, finding courage, and realizing that true victory isn’t about trophies—it’s about finding your voice when it matters most.
A raw reflection on grief, gratitude, and finding beauty in the fragile moments that life and death teach us to cherish.
A powerful reflection on fear, regret, and courage—starting with a missed roller coaster ride and ending with the life-changing leap of skydiving. A story about facing fear, letting go, and rewriting your own ending.
A deeply personal story of guilt, truth, and connection — exploring how honesty reshapes the way we experience life, relationships, and self-worth.
A raw reflection on how chaos can disguise itself as love, and how true connection is built through peace, presence, and intention.
A powerful reflection on grief, resilience, and uncovering hidden truths — inspired by my mom’s final days and the fire she left behind.
A visceral, haunting reflection on survival, memory, and the emotional “stains” we carry when life forces us to confront truths we can’t name.
A raw exploration of betrayal, emotional wounds, and the deceptive comfort of familiarity—how it burns, scars, and transforms the way we understand trust and connection.
A raw reflection on love, growth, and letting go—where love itself becomes the race, and the courage to keep moving forward is the real finish line.
A raw reflection on life’s storms, unseen struggles, and the quiet resilience that comes from showing up—even when it’s hard.
A raw, unfiltered reflection on growth, silence, and the paradox of healing—how pain and pride can coexist in the same breath.
A raw meditation on healing and resilience—how softness, scars, and self-reclamation shape something sacred from the wreckage.
A raw reflection on belonging, rejection, and the quiet weight of being almost chosen—and how loneliness leaves echoes that stay.
A raw reflection on authenticity, misalignment, and learning to stop shrinking for others. You were never too much—you were just built for more.
A powerful reflection on change, loss, and resilience—how empty houses and temporary places teach us about rebuilding, gratitude, and carrying home within ourselves.
An emotional reflection on grief, resilience, and the quiet strength inherited from a mother’s love—how her presence still shapes my courage and growth.
An empowering reflection on how life’s breakdowns can become breakthroughs—rising from the ashes stronger, braver, and more whole.
A heartfelt reflection on the quiet, unseen ways we grow—how true transformation unfolds brick by brick, breath by breath, until one day we realize we’ve already become someone new.
A powerful reflection on how past versions of ourselves shape and protect us, turning survival into strength and guiding us toward trust, clarity, and healing.
A raw reflection on healing, growth, and finding peace in the chaos. Learn how to hold grief and gratitude together and still choose yourself.
A reflective essay on growth, outgrowing spaces that once felt safe, and the courage to keep expanding.
A powerful letter to my past self—on survival, transformation, and trusting the tides that shape who we become.
65.97 miles. A DNF. A race that changed everything. This is the story of how failing to finish my first 100-mile race taught me more about grit, resilience, and self-belief than any victory ever could.
A raw exploration of identity, healing, and the shifting reflections of self—where resilience meets vulnerability and survival becomes strength.
A powerful reflection on change, resilience, and growth—discovering how life’s hardest moments shape the most beautiful parts of who we become.
A deeply personal reflection on fear, resilience, and learning to move forward when life feels unstable.
A haunting reflection on trauma and trust, Dreaming With the Devil unravels a recurring nightmare born from real-life pain—where fear, memory, and survival collide.
A raw reflection on love, survival, and resilience—learning to swim through life’s deepest waters without losing yourself.
A raw reflection on failure, resilience, and redefining success. Kimberly Thomas explores how rock bottom isn’t defeat—it’s proof of growth, transformation, and strength.
A raw reflection on the evolution of pain—childhood scars, heartbreak, and loss—and how resilience and transformation are born from the darkest moments.
A reflection on identity, growth, and the duality of resilience—how past versions of ourselves build the foundation for who we are today.
Life is a roller coaster—thrilling, terrifying, and fleeting. This reflective piece explores the beauty, fear, and meaning behind the ride of it all.
What does it mean to fail forward? This is the story of a 100-mile attempt that ended at 65.97 miles — and taught me everything about grit, growth, and showing up for myself.
