Signature Story: From Foster Care to Founder: Why I Created The ROOT & RISE Method

---

A story of survival, success, emptiness—and the shadow work that changed everything

I Wasn't Supposed to Make It

At eighteen, I aged out of foster care with a dream that felt almost impossible: I wanted to become a psychologist so I could help kids like me—kids caught in systems that broke them, then expected them to heal themselves.

I fought my way into college. I started a psychology degree. I was going to be the person I'd needed when I was young.

But somewhere along the way, I realized something that broke my heart: if I became a psychologist, I'd spend my career sitting behind a desk, helping traumatized kids process their pain—only to send them back to the exact environments that were causing it.

I'd be a band-aid on a wound that needed surgery.

So I switched to communications. If I couldn't fix the system from inside it, maybe I could speak about it, advocate around it, create something different.

But first, I had to survive it.

Building a Life From Nothing

I became a single mother—navigating nearly six years alone, without the family safety net most people take for granted. When you age out of foster care, there aren't many people from your past available for support.

It was just my child and me figuring it out day by day.

Then I met my husband. We built a life together. We had two more children. I'd created the family I never had, the stability I'd always wanted, the partnership I didn't know was possible.

From the outside, I'd done the impossible.

The Emptiness No One Talks About

And that's what made the emptiness so confusing.

I had a full schedule, professional respect, three children, a marriage. I'd overcome things that should have broken me. If I could survive foster care and six years of single motherhood—why couldn't I feel fulfilled by the life I'd built?

I remember having what should have been my "I made it" moment.

But the moment didn't feel like victory. It felt hollow.

How do you explain emptiness when you've fought so hard to have anything at all? When you came from nothing, feeling empty after building something feels like the ultimate betrayal.

Can you relate? If you've achieved external success but still feel internally empty, book a free Breakthrough Discovery Call to explore what might be underneath.

When My Body Forced Me to Listen

Then my body forced me to pay attention.

A debilitating medical episode sent me to doctors across multiple states, chasing answers that never came. Test after test. Specialist after specialist. Everyone had theories. No one had cures.

My body was screaming something my mind couldn't yet hear: You can't keep living like this.

But I didn't know how to stop. Survival mode was all I knew. Keep going. Push through. Handle it.

So I kept going. I kept pushing. I kept handling.

The Pandemic Moment That Changed Everything

Until the pandemic hit.

I'll never forget the moment everything crystallized.

It was 10 PM. I was alone in the office—the keyholder, the responsible one, the woman who could be counted on. My husband was home with our kids, sheltering from a virus that was rewriting the world.

And I was there. Working. At night. For someone else's company. Protecting my family from the hazards of the virus by staying away from them.

I sat in that empty office and asked myself a question I'd been avoiding for years:

"Why am I working this hard for someone else when I have a mission of my own?"

I'd wanted to help people transform since I was eighteen. I'd switched from psychology because I wanted to create real change, not just apply band-aids. I'd survived everything I'd survived because some part of me knew I was meant for something more.

And here I was—still surviving, still pushing, still proving my worth to systems that would never see me.

That night, everything changed.

Not instantly. Not dramatically. But a door opened inside me, and I finally had the courage to walk through it.

The Discovery That Saved My Life

I discovered shadow work.

Not as a trend. Not as a buzzword. As a lifeline.

At first, I resisted it. Shadow work doesn't flatter you. It doesn't tell you you're fine just the way you are. It asks deeper questions—the kind that loosen your grip on your carefully managed identity.

It asks you to look at the parts you've avoided: the anger you swallowed to stay "nice" in a system that could discard you at any moment. The needs you minimized because you learned no one was coming. The perfectionism you called "high standards" because failure felt like death. The people-pleasing you called "being helpful" because connection felt like survival. The control you called "being responsible" because chaos was all you knew as a child.

Shadow work helped me see what I couldn't see before:

A lot of what I called strength was actually hypervigilance.A lot of what I called independence was actually terror of needing anyone.A lot of what I called success was actually proof I was "good enough" to deserve to exist.

I'd spent my entire life trying to become worthy—worthy of a family, worthy of stability, worthy of taking up space. And no amount of achievement could fill that hole, because the hole wasn't about achievement.

It was about connection. Connection to myself.

The Moment Everything Shifted

The moment everything shifted was quieter than I expected. Not a lightning bolt. More like a door unlocking inside me.

I remember realizing: I am not only the version of myself that survives. I am also the version of myself that hurts, that needs, that wants. And all of me deserves to be here.

That's what shadow work did—it gave me permission to be whole, not just functional.

Instead of trying to outrun my discomfort, I learned to sit with it. Instead of labeling certain emotions as "weak" or "too much," I learned to listen. Instead of asking, "What's wrong with me?" I started asking, "What happened to me—and what did I have to become to survive it?"

That shift changed everything.

I began to feel connected in a way I hadn't since childhood—connected to my body, my intuition, my values, my truth. I started recognizing patterns as they happened, not after they'd already cost me peace. I began to understand why certain situations felt so intense, why I over-functioned, why I carried more than was mine, why rest felt like giving up instead of healing.

I learned that healing isn't becoming someone new. It's returning to who you were before you learned to abandon yourself.

And I learned something else: achieving your goals doesn't heal you. Only reconnecting to yourself does.

The medical issues that had sent me to countless doctors? They started to shift as I addressed what my body had been trying to tell me all along. Not because shadow work is magic—but because my body finally felt safe enough to stop screaming.

Curious about how shadow work differs from therapy? Learn more about The ROOT & RISE Method →

Building What I Wish I'd Had

As I continued the work, something became crystal clear: I wasn't meant to keep this to myself.

Because I saw my story everywhere—in brilliant people who'd overcome impossible odds but couldn't enjoy their success. In leaders who looked confident but felt like frauds. In survivors who'd built impressive lives but still felt empty. In high-achievers chasing the next milestone, sure that this accomplishment would finally make them feel whole. In professionals sitting alone in offices at 10 PM while their families were home, wondering when it would finally be enough.

They were all disconnected. From themselves. From their truth. From what actually mattered.

So I built the practice I'd dreamed of when I was eighteen—just not in the way I'd imagined.

I founded The Connection Effect—built on one core belief: every high-achieving professional who feels empty despite success is simply disconnected from themselves.

I couldn't help foster kids from behind a desk, sending them back to trauma. But I could help people break the cycles that trauma creates. I could guide what I now call Your Journey to Connection—the path back home to yourself.

As I worked with clients, I began developing specific techniques—a structured system that addressed what traditional therapy and coaching were missing. I formalized it into The ROOT & RISE Method™.

The ROOT & RISE Method™: What Makes It Different

Traditional therapy focuses on insight and understanding. Traditional coaching focuses on goals and strategy. The ROOT & RISE Method integrates both—while going deeper into the unconscious patterns that keep you stuck even after you understand why.

ROOT Phase: Get to the foundation of what's keeping you disconnected

Reveal hidden patterns through comprehensive assessment and shadow clearing. 

Reframe limiting narratives with new empowering truths. 

Rebuild aligned systems through sustainable habits and goals

RISE Phase: Embody your transformation and sustain connection

Reinforce changes through consistent coaching accountability. 

Reconnect to your authentic self through celebration and integration

This isn't just theory I learned in a course—it's the system that brought me from survival mode to authentic living. And now it's helping others do the same.

Ready to explore if The ROOT & RISE Method is right for you? Book your free Breakthrough Discovery Call →

Training Others in the Work

Then something unexpected happened.

People in my community started asking about the work I was doing. They could see transformations in people they knew. They wanted to learn how to do this.

So I began training coaches—four so far, working as contractors under The Connection Effect as part of my team. None of them had coached before. And here's what makes this methodology different: before they can guide anyone else through The ROOT & RISE Method, they must complete the entire journey themselves as a client.

Because you can't guide someone to a place you've never been.

These coaches are now working with their own clients, creating the same kinds of breakthroughs I've witnessed. What started locally is now expanding—because the methodology works, and the need is everywhere.

What This Work Actually Looks Like

This isn't just about "personal development." It's about liberation.

It's about helping people stop performing their lives and start inhabiting them.

It's about teaching someone how to meet the parts of themselves they've been avoiding—without shame, without judgment, without rushing past the truth.

It's about rebuilding trust with yourself so your choices come from clarity instead of fear.

And it's about remembering that surviving isn't the same as living.

Through The Connection Effect, I offer three program options:

ROOT Intensive (3 Months) — Deep foundational work to reveal, reframe, and rebuild 

ROOT & RISE Complete (6 Months) — Full transformation journey through both phases

ROOT, RISE & THRIVE (9 Months) — Complete method with extended integration support

Each program is customized to your specific needs, patterns, and goals.

Because your journey to connection is uniquely yours.

Why I Share My Story

Not because I have a perfect story—but because I've lived every version of "not enough."

The foster kid who dreamed of helping others. The single mom who navigated six years alone. The woman who built a marriage and family. The professional who proved she was worthy. The person whose body forced her to listen. The one who finally chose herself—and in doing so, created space for real fulfillment, real partnership, real impact.

The way through wasn't achieving more.

It was reconnecting to all of me.

If you've overcome impossible things but still feel empty…If you've achieved everything you thought you wanted and wondered why it doesn't feel like enough…If you're exhausted from holding it all together, wondering what it's all for…If you've tried therapy, read the books, and still can't find the answer…

I understand.

Because you didn't survive everything you survived just to spend the rest of your life proving you're worthy of being here.

You already are.

Your Journey to Connection Is Waiting

Whether you're a high-achieving professional feeling disconnected from yourself or a coach wanting to bring this depth to your practice, I'm here to guide you.

Ready to begin?

Book Your Free Breakthrough Discovery Call

On this call, we'll explore:

• What's keeping you disconnected from yourself

• What you've already tried and why it didn't fully work

• How The ROOT & RISE Method addresses what traditional approaches miss

• Whether this work is the right fit for your journey

There's no pressure—only clarity.

Your Journey to Connection starts with a single conversation.

About the Author

Eden is a Certified Life Coach, Shadow Work Practitioner, and Creator of The ROOT & RISE Method™. She founded The Connection Effect to guide high-achieving professionals who feel empty despite success through Your Journey to Connection—helping them stop performing their lives and start inhabiting them.

Learn More About Eden →

Explore The ROOT & RISE Method →

Book a Discovery Call →

Related Reading:

• What Is Shadow Work? (And Why It's Different from Therapy) (coming soon)

• 5 Signs You're Disconnected from Yourself (coming soon)

• The ROOT Phase: What to Expect in Your First 3 Months (coming soon)