It is time to wrap up 2021 and I could not think of a better woman to feature than Brittany Jade Anthony!
I first interacted with Brittany through a FB group and was immediately hooked on her content. She is an authentic woman that shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about life! She shares and discusses topics other creators won’t even mention.
She’s a beautiful soul that has gone through a lot, yet she is still standing and continues to share her light with others.
Read below to see what she has to say.
I’d like to start this out by thanking Liz for offering space on her platform for me to share a bit of my story. What an honor it is to be considered a woman of the month on her awesome blog!
My name is Brittany, or @BrittanyJadeAnthony_ on all the social media Platforms. I am a wife to my best friend, a mom to 3 awesome kids, a stay-at-home entrepreneur living on a small island in the PNW. In my free time I enjoy working out, cooking delicious food, and creating video content! I’ve been blessed to find my passions in the online space and often question how on earth I grew my platforms to be filled with such amazing women across the country.
My story doesn’t start off as happy though. I grew up in an abusive household where secrets stained the walls of our family home. A picturesque view from the outside and a house of horrors inside. I didn’t realize at that tender young age that everyone didn’t experience the type of punishment I received at home. I thought people were faking their happiness. I grew to learn quickly to conceal my emotions, and not share what I was going through for fear of upsetting anyone. I sought out validation externally, so I excelled in school and was definitely a little boy crazy. Then one day as an awkward 7th grader, a boy from gym class offered me to skip gym class and go out back to smoke my first blunt and from then on, I had found my people and the thing to break me out of the broken shell that had been covering me for years.
This sparked my lifelong struggle with drugs and alcohol. From the age of 13 to 26 I experienced multiple hospitalizations, arrests, rehab facilities and even a few suicide attempts because of my addiction. I managed to keep up with outside appearances though, because that was one thing I brought with me from childhood. I didn’t want to have the appearance of the homeless man under the bridge even when I found myself unable to go more than a few hours without a needle in my arm. It was amazing how quickly my life fell apart when I was introduced to opiates. I had my first child at 22 with a man 17 years older than me and although I loved my son more than life itself, the grip addiction had on me was greater than my ability to be a good mother at that time.
My son bounced between mine and my mothers house until the fall of 2015 when I checked myself into my 3rd and final treatment center. I didn’t know at that time if things would be different, but on my second day in detox I experienced what I now know was my first spiritual experience. Through the horrific withdrawals I clearly heard a voice say, “Its ok to let go!” It’s almost as if God knew I was still clutching to my old life, the old shame and guilt and all the past experiences that had led me to that exact moment. I felt comfort as I realized I could let go of everything I thought I knew, and fight for a new life. Ever since that time, I have never looked back. My sober date is 11/26/2015.
Soon after leaving treatment, I met a guy and told my best friend he was going to be my husband. Imagine my surprise finding out only a few months later that we were pregnant! Stunned and afraid I carefully considered my options, but much like my time in treatment God had another fun surprise when the ultrasound tech handed me the paperwork with my delivery date being 11/26/2016. It was like a sign that I was on the right path. My daughter helped me stay sober my first year in recovery and she was born on my 1 year sober birthday. Each year with her is my reminder of where I came from and my hope for all the future blessings we will have together If I stay clean. Since that time, I married my now husband, we purchased a beautiful new home, we have 2 cars, we are both business owners, we have a solid church family, and we are living testaments of the blessings that come from a life in recovery.
It’s my mission and goal to continue carrying the message of hope and strength to others. I don’t have it all figured out, but I want to encourage and empower other women that no matter what adversity you get to walk through, there is redemption, freedom, and self-love on the other side. Every day you must get up and fight for yourself and continue to choose yourself. The journey is not always beautiful. There are a lot of tears, uncertainty, and hard times. I’m walking through a challenging season right now as my husband has suffered a freak accident that fractured his neck. I am grateful to be sober through this. I am grateful to be present and feel my feelings out loud. I can successfully hand out his pain medication without sneaking some on the side. I wouldn’t have been able to navigate any of life on life’s terms If I hadn’t had made this choice to get better and I’ll continue walking this path as long as I can. My kids deserve a present mom & i’ll fight until I’m gone to give them just that!
On my social media platforms I share lifestyle content around health, wellness, documenting my weight loss journey, my recovery journey, and homemaking as a stay at home mom and small business owner. I feel so blessed to have been given a platform to connect with so many like minded women and my DMs are always open to chat, anytime!
