Originally Published: October 17, 2025
My life shifted the moment I picked up Eight Step Recovery by Valerie Mason-John (Vimalasara), a Buddhist teacher with 30+ years of practice.
By age eight, Valerie had survived sexual abuse in foster care—and yet turned trauma into teachings that help thousands heal. Reading their words, I felt something shift in me too. For the first time, I saw that my own thoughts—and the emotions I carried for decades—were shaping my reality.
Main takeaway: We are what we think. Thoughts drive our emotions—but facts don’t live in our cells; emotions do.
To me, that makes Valerie a Warrior: fighting child sexual violence through love, courage, and wisdom. Their work didn’t just inspire me—it gave me a roadmap for my own healing.