Hey, hey, hey!!! Empresses of the World. Welcome to Unapologetically Caged, my life beyond the bars.
I am a 26-year-old incarcerated mother of two who goes by the name Phoenix Rising. I am UNAPOLOGETICALLY HER, and SHE IS ME. I’m here to dish out raw truth about surviving, thriving, and rising above the statistics of the system. But more than that, Ias a women am here to be the voice I needed when I was lost, broken, and searching for something anything to hold onto when the world felt like it was crumbling beneath my feet.
Why I’m Here, Why This Matters
I’m here to encourage myself and to give all you young ladies encouragement too. It’s okay to feel down. It’s okay to be struggling. It’s okay if you’re from the suburbs or from the hood. You can rise. You can soar beyond the hardships, heal from trauma, escape abuse, beat addiction, and become the better sister, daughter, or mother you dream of being.
Sometimes all it takes is a push from someone who needs nothing in return. That’s what Unapologetically Caged means to me. It’s not about pity or sympathy. It’s not about excuses or playing victim. It’s about real talk from someone who’s been there, who’s living it, who knows that sometimes the path to finding yourself leads through the darkest places imaginable.
This space this corner of the internet that I’m claiming from behind these walls—is a haven for the young, lost, and broken souls searching for a way out. If you’ve ever felt like you were drowning in your circumstances, wondering if you’re destined to repeat cycles of pain, or looking in the mirror and asking, “Who am I anymore?”—this is for you.
What We’ll Explore Together
Here, we’ll discuss women’s empowerment, strength, resilience, and the challenge of finding light in dark places. But we won’t sugarcoat it. Inspiration alone doesn’t change lives. We’ll dive deep into what it really takes to transform yourself when everything around you is designed to keep you exactly where you are.
We’ll explore the messy middle of healing the part they don’t show you in movies, where progress isn’t linear, and some days feel like you’re back at square one. We’ll talk about being a mother when you can’t tuck your children in at night, being a daughter when your family has written you off, and being a woman when society has already deemed you disposable.
It took prison for me to learn real discipline and respect not just for authority, but for myself, my loved ones, and my children. That’s a bitter pill to swallow. Sometimes you need to lose everything to understand what you had. Sometimes being stripped of your freedom teaches you to value the choices you once took for granted.
Learn More About: Women’s Empowerment
Rock Bottom is Solid Ground
Here’s the truth about rock bottom: it’s solid ground. When you’ve got nowhere to go but up, when you’ve lost everything you thought defined you, that’s when you finally get to discover who you really are underneath the roles, expectations, and masks you’ve been wearing.
We’ll laugh. We’ll cry. We’ll reflect on past and present. But above all, we will rise above the ashes called life. That’s our nature as women, as survivors, as fighters who refuse to be counted out.
I won’t lie to you. It’s not easy. Life can be unfair, brutal, and painful. Bad things happen to good people. Good people make poor decisions. But here’s what I promise: your story isn’t over not even close.
The Reality of the System
I don’t want any of you young women to ever end up behind these steel bars and concrete walls because the system breaks you down. Movies and TV shows don’t show the real story. Let me give it to you straight:
The system crushes your spirit slowly, methodically, like water eroding stone. It’s indifferent. It’s bureaucratic. It strips away dignity, hope, and belief in second chances. It expects you to comply like a zoo animal, silent and unseen, just a number in a uniform.
But honey, I respectfully threw on my Jumanji gear, strapped my boots, put my pride aside, and rose as the ZOOKEEPER.
They can cage your body, but they can’t cage your mind. They can control your movements, but not your thoughts. They can silence your voice, but not your truth. Once you realize that the real prison is in your mind—built by trauma, addiction, and abuse that’s when you become a force they can’t contain.
The Gems Hidden in Darkness
Hitting rock bottom reveals precious gems. The darkest places sometimes shine the brightest.
In prison, I’ve learned about resilience I didn’t know I had. I’ve discovered the power of sisterhood among women with nothing left to lose. I’ve learned to find joy in small things: a letter from home, a book, a laugh shared with someone who truly understands.
Strength isn’t about never falling; it’s about getting back up every single time. Healing isn’t a destination; it’s a daily choice. Your past doesn’t have to dictate your future it can guide your wisdom.
These are the gems I want to share. Not because my pain is unique, but because somewhere out there, a young woman needs to hear: You are not alone. Your story isn’t over. You have more power than you realize.
What You’ll Find Here
Here, you’ll find real stories from real women, poems that bleed truth, and advice on healing, building yourself from nothing, and breaking generational cycles.
It’s not all sweet. There will be spice. There will be raw truths. Real life isn’t a series of motivational quotes. Growth is uncomfortable. Healing can hurt. Truth can sting. But transformation happens in the messy, complicated, uncomfortable spaces, not in the pretty moments.
A Community of Warriors
This isn’t just my story it’s our story.
Every woman who’s felt trapped. Every mother who worries she’s failing her children. Every daughter who’s disappointed her family. Every sister who feels alone in her struggle. We are a community of warriors, and our scars are a testament to our battles not our defeats.
We’re building a space where authenticity trumps perfection, where growth trumps success, where showing up broken is better than not showing up at all. Here, your trauma doesn’t make you damaged goods. Your mistakes don’t make you irredeemable. Your circumstances don’t define your destination. You are seen, valued, and believed in even when you can’t believe in yourself.
Moving Forward Together
Whether you’re reading this from your bedroom, car, office, or even behind bars like me, know that you belong here. Your story matters. Your healing journey is valid even if it looks nothing like anyone else’s.
We’ll talk about addiction, abuse, trauma, loss, failure, and disappointment. But we’ll also explore resilience, hope, transformation, and the incredible power lying dormant within every woman until she chooses to awaken it.
We will challenge the narratives society writes about women like us. We will redefine strength, success, and worth.
A Warning and an Invitation
Welcome to Unapologetically Caged. We get real here proceed with caution, dolls.
This isn’t a space for the faint of heart. Not for pretty platitudes or easy answers. It’s for those ready to do the hard work of becoming who they were always meant to be. Tired of playing small? Settling? Letting your past dictate your future? Then you’re in the right place.
Buckle up, empresses. We’ve got stories to tell, chains to break, and ashes to rise from. And we’ll do it together: one truth at a time, one story at a time, one victory at a time.
Welcome to your transformation. Welcome to your power. Welcome to your unapologetic self.
Let’s rise.
Read More: Unapologetically Caged: 7 Powerful Truths About Growth, Accountability & Transformation
