Meet Advocate & Author
Gretchen Elaine
I'm Gretchen Elaine – born and raised in Jackson, Missouri, just a couple hours south of St. Louis. Don't let the 15,000 population fool you – it's one of those places where gossip travels faster than internet service, especially when your mom works at the county sheriff's department.
Not quite a cop kid, but close enough to feel the spotlight.
What really shaped me wasn't just the small-town dynamics, but that unique blend of Midwest practicality with hints of Southern warmth. Talk with me long enough and you might catch glimpses of that Missouri accent I've tried to tuck away since moving to Utah with my Air Force husband. Writing has always been my sanctuary, especially when life throws those curveballs we never see coming.
Some might call me blunt (it goes with the auburn hair), but beneath that exterior is someone who's been where you are – struggling to make sense of mental health challenges that society still whispers about instead of discusses openly.
The real me,
in five words.
Kind-hearted (even with the bluntness)
1
Fiercely loyal (sometimes to a fault)
2
Non-judgmental (ask my aunt!)
3
Authentically imperfect (and totally okay with it)
4
Introverted Extrovert (thanks, life experience)
5
"Trauma is a deep wound etched in the soul, but it doesn't have to define who we become."
- Alice Sebold
Finding Light in Dark Places
I spent fifteen years hiding my own mental health struggles, afraid of judgment and stigma.
Now?
I wear my OCD, PTSD, MDD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder like badges of honor. Not because they define me, but because they're part of my story – and maybe part of yours too.
When life gets too loud (you know that feeling when your thoughts just won't quiet down?), you'll find me in the mountains.
Nature has always been my best therapist, followed closely by a competitive game of kickball (seriously – it's way more fun as an adult than it was in elementary school).
Nature is my best form of therapy ᨒ↟
Nature is my best form of therapy ᨒ↟
What drives me?
Mental health isn't just a topic I write about – it's my passion.
I create stories that break down the walls of stigma, especially around men's mental health and the expectations that keep too many silent for too long.
My mission is simple, I want to be for others what no one was for me.
To create literary spaces where you feel:
Seen in your struggles
Heard in your pain
Valued in your uniqueness
Remember, no matter what chapter of your story you're in right now, you are:
Loved.
Wanted.
ENOUGH.
