From Ireland to Phoenix — A Journey I Will Never Forget
- Michele Roys
- Jul 30
- 5 min read
Hi friend,
Wow, time is going by so fast. I cannot believe we are just about to enter August! I hope you have been minding yourself and enjoying the summer.
Here in Ireland we have been blessed with a long spell of good weather. I cannot believe I was actually praying for rain, as the grass was starting to turn brown. As I sit by my bay window looking outside, the soft rain is falling, the sky is grey, promising more to come, and I feel a sense of refresh in the air. The wind is gently swaying the tree branches and I am grateful.
My body is resting from a short trip I was able to have. Phoenix, Arizona! Talk about hot weather! Although I did bring some Irish rain with me, which Arizona was actually grateful for. Otherwise the weather was a constant 39 degrees Celsius!
A Surprise Stop in London
My trip took me through London first, where I made the most of a seven hour layover to meet a long time friend I hadn't seen in nearly two decades. It was wonderful to reconnect and take in a little bit of the city in the process.
The flight from Heathrow to Arizona was long, but I was glad it was direct. Arriving in Phoenix was exciting, though my mind was racing with the fact that I was eight hours behind home. Quite the adjustment in itself!
As soon as the airport doors opened to the outside world, it felt like walking into a wall of heat. Even after rain, the temperature was something else entirely.
My Uber driver was lovely and explained how a sandstorm had passed through and how the rain was helping to cool things down.
As we made our way to downtown Phoenix, I caught the most beautiful sunset cutting through a hazy sky and soft clouds. Moving between the heat outside and air conditioned buildings everywhere was its own kind of adjustment.
But what an arrival.
The International Impact Author Festival
On the 18th of July I took part in the International Impact Author Festival, where I met and heard from so many fascinating speakers, exchanged stories with fellow authors, and felt genuinely supported being among like minded people. Every single person in that room had navigated their share of trauma, challenge, and loss and had turned it into something that could help others. A story, a nonprofit, a movement, a greater impact. It was wonderful to be part of it.
The second day began with a morning conference. Jet lag being what it is, I was waking at four or five in the morning every day, so early starts were not a problem! I did manage to get myself back to bed for a two hour nap before the main event that evening, and I was so glad I did.
Every single person in that room had navigated their share of trauma, challenge, and loss and had turned it into something that could help others.
The Gala Night
Now, picture this.
As you arrive into the lobby of the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, gala dresses and black tie are everywhere. One outfit more beautiful than the next, smiles, excitement, and anticipation all mixed together. I had already made a few new friends, and when I got upstairs I was able to skip the queue.
Sorry, but not sorry! To walk the red carpet.
The space was breathtaking. Lights, cameras, two interview setups running side by side, a stunning floral mural for photographs, and a professional photographer capturing every moment. Then the ballroom doors opened.
On both sides, books were displayed in the spotlight. And at each beautifully arranged table, a small card with your name and the words Award Winning Author.
That little card stopped me in my tracks.
There is one thing about being present at an event. There is another thing entirely about feeling the weight of recognition, of being called an international award winning author, sitting in a room full of people who have overcome so much and are now making an impact on a larger scale.
That is when it hit home.
The card. My book beside it. The journey it took to get there.
It makes me emotional even now, writing this. Grateful for how long and how hard the road has been, and for the beauty that is slowly, quietly emerging from the struggle. Because it is not only the book. It is the lives it has touched. It is the stories I keep hearing from people like you, reading this today, who can identify with the pain, the loss, the uncertainty of it all, and who choose to keep going anyway. Who create something beautiful from what tried to break them.
That is what I was celebrating that night.
I was celebrating the little girl inside of me who once felt unworthy. Who felt she was never quite enough. Who spent years trying to prove herself just to feel accepted.
That little girl didn't need any of those outside approvals.
She was worthy of love, of kindness, of goodness, simply because she existed.
"She was worthy of love, of kindness, of goodness — simply because she existed."
Walking on Stage
Just before I walked on stage, I had already been managing a significant amount of pain. My inner voice was one of kindness. Look how far you have come. Look how far you have travelled. Body, you are amazing. I know we are tired but let's hold on just a little longer.
I was doing my breathwork, focusing on long, slow exhales. Rich, one of the event organisers, came over and asked if I was meditating. He told me I was the calmest person he had seen before taking the stage.
"I am," I told him. "I am also managing my pain levels."
I prayed. I exhaled every last bit of tension.
And then I heard my name called.
I walked on stage, my bio being read aloud, the pain trying to rise, and I breathed through it. I stood in that moment. I held the award. I stepped to the microphone and I gave God the glory for bringing me this far, and for using my story, ever so broken, to touch lives around the world.
Through my book, my speaking engagements, my advocacy work, and my podcast, I have been able to take the most painful chapter of my life and turn it into something that reaches people I will never meet in places I have never been. My podcast has now been listened to in 42 countries across 6 continents.
I never dreamed that was possible. But because I chose to surrender, to accept, to find a way forward through the pain, the ripple effects are being felt far beyond what I could have imagined.
Because I chose to surrender, to accept, to find a way forward through the pain, the ripple effects are being felt far beyond what I could have imagined.
Still the Journey
This is still the journey. My body is recovering as I write this, but my heart is full of gratitude, of love, and of awe at how God can use one ordinary person to make an extraordinary difference.
As the rain gently refreshes the ground outside my window here in Ireland, I want to invite you, my friend, to let that same grace soothe your heart today.
Whatever you are carrying, you are not alone. And your story, just like mine, is still being written.
I would love to hear from you. Just hit reply. I pray I can write more often, because connecting with you is one of my greatest joys.
Love and light,
Michele x
P.S. Here are the latest podcast episodes you do not want to miss!
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