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Monica Lessnau - Trauma Coach - Menopause Coach

@shecamebackdifferent47

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From surviving to thriving
Helping women heal from trauma, navigate grief & embracing menopause the natural way; no supplements. I eat my hormones

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Birthday bliss!

There’s nothing better than spending a beautiful day out in nature doing what I love most! Perfect weather, amazing company, and the peaceful beauty of the outdoors.

Thank you, Miranda, for spending my birthday with me and making it so special. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!

Here’s to 48, making memories, embracing life, and enjoying all the beautiful moments along the way! by @shecamebackdifferent47

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4

9 hours ago

48 AND FEELING GREAT!!

This past year has taught me so much about strength, healing, letting go, and choosing myself. I’ve faced hard days, learned to protect my peace, and found strength I didn’t even know I had.

At 48, I’m healthier, happier, stronger, and more confident than ever. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and excited for everything still ahead.

I’m choosing happiness, growth, genuine love, and a life that feels good to ME. No regrets, just lessons, gratitude, and new beginnings.

48 looks good on me, and trust me… I’m just getting started!

THE BEST IS YET TO COME!! ❤️🦋🩷 by @shecamebackdifferent47

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18 hours ago

Birthday celebrations with my beautiful friends!

My heart is so full! There’s something so special about surrounding yourself with genuine people who bring laughter, love, and happiness into your life. I’m so grateful for these beautiful friendships, the memories we’re making, and the moments that remind us how precious life truly is.

Life is too short not to celebrate, laugh until your cheeks hurt, make memories, and cherish the people who make your world a little brighter. Here’s to another year of growth, happiness, new adventures, and making the most of every moment!

Feeling blessed and grateful for these ladies and for another year of life! 🦋❤️🩷💕 #BirthdayCelebration #BirthdayVibes #GratefulHeart #BeautifulFriendships #GirlsNightOut by @shecamebackdifferent47

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a day ago

Birthday celebrations with my beautiful friends!

My heart is so full! There’s something so special about surrounding yourself with genuine people who bring laughter, love, and happiness into your life. I’m so grateful for these beautiful friendships, the memories we’re making, and the moments that remind us how precious life truly is.

Life is too short not to celebrate, laugh until your cheeks hurt, make memories, and cherish the people who make your world a little brighter. Here’s to another year of growth, happiness, new adventures, and making the most of every moment!

Feeling blessed and grateful for these ladies and for another year of life! 🦋❤️🩷💕 #BirthdayCelebration #BirthdayVibes #GratefulHeart #BeautifulFriendships #GirlsNightOut by @shecamebackdifferent47

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a day ago

SOMETIMES, YOU JUST KNOW IT’S TIME.

There comes a moment in life when something inside you shifts. You start realizing that the people, habits, and situations you once held onto no longer fit the person you’re becoming.

Growth isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it comes with guilt, fear, and the feeling that you’re letting go of things you once thought you couldn’t live without. But you can love people and still choose to walk away. You can be grateful for your past and still want something different for your future.

I’ve learned that you don’t need a dramatic ending or anyone else’s permission to make a change. Sometimes, your peace is reason enough.

If you’ve been feeling that inner pull to change your life, let go of unhealthy habits, set boundaries, or finally put yourself first, listen to that voice. You don’t have to wait until you hit rock bottom to choose better for yourself.

You are allowed to outgrow old versions of yourself. You are allowed to want more. And you are allowed to begin again as many times as you need to.

Maybe the discomfort you’re feeling isn’t a sign that something is wrong. Maybe it’s a sign that you’re ready for your next chapter.

When you know, you know. Trust yourself. Your next chapter is waiting. 🦋❤️ #PersonalGrowth #HealingJourney #ChooseYourself #ProtectYourPeace #TrustYourself by @shecamebackdifferent47

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2 days ago

Welcome to She Came Back Different 47!

This space is about healing, growth, and becoming the best version of ourselves—inside and out.

My journey hasn’t always been easy. I’ve experienced childhood trauma, heartbreak, the devastating loss of my dad and my brother, and seasons of life that challenged me in ways I never imagined. I’ve carried pain, anger, and grief, and I’ve had to learn how to navigate life after losing people who meant everything to me.

But somewhere along the way, I realized that although I couldn’t change what happened to me, I could choose what happened next. I began doing the hard work of healing, letting go of what was weighing me down, setting boundaries, and learning to put myself first. I’m learning that healing doesn’t mean forgetting or never hurting again. It means finding peace, making room for joy, and choosing to keep living fully despite what we’ve been through.

Today, I’m embracing a new chapter focused on navigating menopause naturally, prioritizing wellness, nourishing my body, strength training, walking, and taking care of my mental, physical, and emotional health. Through lifestyle changes and a shift in mindset, I’ve discovered a strength in myself that I never knew was possible. This page is about more than physical transformation. It’s about surviving, healing, growing, and learning to love the person we are becoming. It’s about sharing our stories, encouraging one another, and reminding each other that our past does not have to define our future.

I’m sharing my journey—the struggles, the lessons, the transformations, and the beauty of finding yourself again. My hope is that something I share will help another woman feel less alone and remind her that it’s never too late to choose yourself and create a life you love.

Because we’re not done becoming. We’re just getting started!

If you’re navigating your own journey of healing, grief, menopause, or reinvention, you belong here. Let’s grow together, support one another, and make this chapter our strongest, healthiest, and happiest yet. #HealingJourney #TraumaRecovery #HealingFromWithin #GriefAnd by @shecamebackdifferent47

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4 days ago

THIS IS MY STORY.
Not for sympathy. Not for attention.
But because healing begins when we stop hiding.

As a child, I survived years of sexual abuse by my grandfather.
Like many survivors, I blocked out much of what happened because the pain was too overwhelming for a child to understand.
The effects followed me long after the abuse ended.

When I was 14 years old, I finally told my parents.
My dad’s response was immediate: He wanted to protect me.
My mother’s response changed our relationship forever.
She chose silence over truth.

My brother was abused too.
He remembered things I could not.
We carried the same wounds in different ways.
He was my connection to a childhood neither of us should have endured.

The trauma didn’t stay in my childhood.
It showed up in my relationships. My self-worth. My choices.
And in the five miscarriages I had.

My dad became my safe place.
The person who made me feel loved. Seen. Protected.
Losing him was one of the greatest heartbreaks of my life.

Then I lost my brother.
Losing him to a fentanyl overdose broke something inside me.
Grief became something I carried every day.
But so did love.

After my brother died, my mother suffered a massive stroke and developed dementia.
Life came full circle.
The daughter who wasn’t protected became the caregiver.

For years I lived in survival mode.
People saw me smiling.
What they didn’t see was the pain I was carrying underneath.

Then something changed.
I chose me.
I stopped drinking. Started healing. Started hiking. Started taking care of my body. Started loving myself.
For the first time.

Today I am stronger than I have ever been.
Not because life became easier.
Because I finally learned that my past does not define my future.

This memoir is not just a story about trauma.
It’s a story about survival.
About grief. Healing. Forgiveness. Resilience.
And finding yourself after everything tried to break you.

If you’ve ever felt broken...
If you’ve ever lost someone you loved...
If you’ve ever had to rebuild your life from the ground up...
You’re not alone.
❤️
Welcome to my journey #healing #trauma #camebackstronger #loveyourself #itsnevertolate by @shecamebackdifferent47

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4 months ago

The relationship with my mother shaped almost every part of my life.

For years, I didn’t realize how much.

When the person who is supposed to protect you doesn’t, it changes you.

You learn to question yourself.

You learn to silence your needs.

You learn to survive instead of thrive.

I spent years believing I wasn’t enough.

Not lovable enough.

Not important enough.

Not worthy enough.

The little girl inside me carried those wounds into adulthood.

Those wounds showed up everywhere.

In relationships.

In friendships.

In the way I spoke to myself.

In the way I accepted treatment I never deserved.

I became a people pleaser.

I ignored red flags.

I tolerated behavior that hurt me.

Because somewhere deep inside, pain felt familiar.

The hardest part wasn’t what happened.

The hardest part was grieving the mother I needed but never had.

Healing meant facing painful truths.

Accepting what was.

Letting go of what could have been.

And choosing myself anyway.

Today, I understand something important:

Her inability to love me the way I needed was never a reflection of my worth.

I am learning to give myself the love, safety, validation, and compassion I searched for in others.

My story didn’t end with my wounds.

It began when I decided to heal them. by @shecamebackdifferent47

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4 months ago

From surviving to thriving 🦋
Helping women heal from trauma, navigate grief & embrace menopause with strength, purpose & love. ❤️
#healing #menopause #trauma #survivingtothriving #survivor by @shecamebackdifferent47

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2 months ago

“My MENOPAUSE MAGIC SMOOTHIE
The morning ritual that helps me feel AMAZING all day!”

What if your morning routine could help you feel energized, nourished, strong, and ready to take on the day?

This is my go-to morning smoothie packed with ingredients I love and a whole lot of goodness.

For me, menopause became a wake-up call to stop putting myself last and start taking better care of my body from the inside out.

I changed my lifestyle—and I’ve never felt better mentally or physically.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about making small choices every day that add up to a BIG difference.

Nourish your body.
Move your body.
Take care of your mind.
And never forget—you deserve to feel amazing in this season of life.

Welcome to menopause magic.

“Start your morning with a little magic.
Your body will thank you.” by @shecamebackdifferent47

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25 days ago

I never thought I’d find myself in another toxic relationship.

After everything I’d been through—the trauma, the healing, the lessons, the tears—I thought I would recognize the signs immediately.

But toxic people don’t always show up looking toxic.

Sometimes they show up as everything you’ve been praying for.
They say the right things.
Make promises.
Mirror your dreams.
Make you believe you’ve finally found someone safe.

But this time something was different.

I was different.

When my intuition started whispering that something wasn’t right, I listened.

I noticed the inconsistencies.
I noticed how my love was being taken but not reciprocated.
I noticed how my kindness was being used as an opportunity instead of being appreciated as a gift.

The old version of me would have stayed.
Would have made excuses.
Would have tried harder.
Would have sacrificed herself to save the relationship.

But healing teaches you something powerful:

You don’t have to stay where you are not valued.

You don’t have to prove your worth to someone who benefits from your self-doubt.

You don’t have to ignore your intuition to keep someone else comfortable.

So I walked away.

Not because I didn’t love.
Not because I didn’t care.

I walked away because I finally loved myself more.

And that’s what healing looks like.

It’s not never making a mistake.
It’s recognizing the lesson sooner.
It’s trusting yourself enough to leave when your soul says, “This isn’t for you.”

For the first time in my life, I chose me.

And I have never felt more free. 🦋💜 #toxicrelationships #healingthroughtruth #shecamebackdifferent47 #loveyourself #ichooseme❤️ by @shecamebackdifferent47

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4 months ago

I didn’t come back the same.

Life broke me in ways most people never saw.

I survived sexual trauma.
I lost people I loved.
I carried grief, shame, fear, and silence for years.
I watched my body change.
I questioned my worth.
I wondered if I would ever feel like myself again.

But something happened.

Instead of giving up, I rebuilt.

Not overnight.
Not perfectly.
Not without setbacks.

One choice at a time.

Today, I’m stronger, healthier, wiser, and more at peace than I ever thought possible.

That’s why I created this page.

She Came Back Different is a space for real conversations about survival, grief, menopause, healing, resilience, and what it means to reinvent yourself after life has knocked you down.

If you’ve ever felt broken…
If you’ve ever had to start over…
If you’re learning to love yourself after everything you’ve been through…

You’re not alone here.

We’re not going back to who we were.

We’re becoming who we were meant to be.

❤️ Monica

#SheCameBackDifferent47 #HealingJourney #MidlifeTransformation #WomenSupportingWomen #menopausematters by @shecamebackdifferent47

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4 months ago