Welcome to Lost & Finding
Hi friends, I’m Madeline (she/they), and welcome to Lost & Finding, a newsletter about learning, self-discovery, and healing. I’m so grateful you’re here.
About Lost & Finding
I’ve felt lost for pretty much my entire life. I experienced trauma at a young age, and as a multiracial kid—an “other”—I struggled to find a sense of belonging. I believed my worthiness was tied to how well I could meet my parents’ expectations, so I never paid attention to my needs or desires, never pausing to check in with my internal compass. Into my adulthood, I was living my life based on other people’s version of success and what I thought I should do. In my late twenties, I thought I knew who I was and what I wanted out of life, that is, until I experienced a few more traumatic experiences that tossed my world upside down. Then I felt like I completely lost myself again. While I’ll never be grateful for the pain I’ve endured, healing has offered an opportunity to turn inward and discover a path back to myself.
If I’m being completely honest, I still feel lost. While I have a better understanding of who I am and what I want out of life, I’m still figuring things out—this may be a lifelong journey for me. In this newsletter, I’ll be sharing glimpses of this journey with you.
Here, I write about the dance between losing myself and reconnecting with myself—whether through experiences, hobbies, play, practices, or relationships. I write about the insights I’ve learned as I’ve navigated through feeling lost. I write about trauma, healing, being queer, and discovering new things about myself or the world around me. I write about joy, connection, and things that have helped me get through difficult times. And if you’re feeling lost too, I hope this newsletter shows you that you aren’t alone, and inspires you to rediscover or reclaim parts of yourself.
The Lost & Finding newsletter is free and is released 2-3 times a month, depending on my capacity and creative flow. If you are a paid subscriber, you’ll have access to Healing Things, where I do a deeper dive into the things that have helped me heal, from activities and practices to books, recipes, and music. Paid subscribers are also able to post comments and engage in community threads, where you can submit questions for future newsletters.
As a paid subscriber, you’d directly support me and my work (thank you!), and 10% of monthly revenue will be donated to a nonprofit organization or mutual aid fund.
About me
I’m the creator of the @healingfromptsd community (2ook+!) and the author of You’re Going to Be Okay: 16 Lessons on Healing after Trauma, where I share insights I gained as I was healing from PTSD. If you’re currently struggling after a traumatic experience, it may be a supportive resource as you embark on your healing journey.
I love going to the farmers’ market and cooking (I used to have a food and cocktail blog), being in nature, getting creative (whether through writing, art, or DIYs), thrifting, and reading. I currently live in Oakland, CA, with my girlfriend and rescue corgi.
Website: madelinepopelka.com
Instagram: @healingfromptsd; @madypopelka
