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 depending on my capacity and creative flow. 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 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
