Being Coleen

A bold, poetic exploration of trauma, resilience, and what it means to finally feel safe in your own skin.

Raised by her grandparents under the shade of a Texas sycamore tree, Coleen Gantt Heaton learned how to survive-quietly, invisibly, and at great cost. Being Coleen is a raw and redemptive collection of personal essays and poetry chronicling her lived experience as a daughter, mother, survivor, advocate, and woman finding her way back to herself.

With piercing honesty and lyrical voice, Coleen invites readers into the spaces between survival and healing-where silence is shattered and strength takes root.

This is not a traditional memoir. It's a soul-level invitation to be seen.

Readers will connect with Being Coleen if they've ever:

- Survived trauma and wondered what healing looks like

- Felt unseen, silenced, or "too much" for the world

- Deconstructed their faith and searched for meaning

- Worked in advocacy, caregiving, or disability inclusion

- Looked for truth in the tension between beauty and brokenness

For fans of Chanel Miller, Glennon Doyle, Maggie Smith, and Jedidiah Jenkins, this book offers raw truth, soft hope, and deep permission to simply be.