How Bart Simpson Helped Me Rewire My Brain.
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Reader, For most of my life, I woke up every day with a pit in my stomach — my nervous system stuck in high gear. Now, I wake up to an automatic voice in my head calmly repeating phrases like, “I love you, Amber Dawn. You’re amazing. Welcome to the day.” How did I get here? By imitating Bart Simpson in the pages of my journal. No, really. Sometimes I wrote gratitude lists. Sometimes I wrote freely. And sometimes, when I couldn’t think of anything to write, I wrote the same thing over and over, just like Bart’s been doing on the school chalkboard for the last 37 years. But instead of writing satirical lines of punishment over and over, I wrote affirmations like… I am safe. I am loved. I am enough. Not because I knew about all the brain research showing that it’s possible to rewire your nervous system, or that writing by hand lights up the brain, enhancing memory, learning, and cognitive development. But because someone I trust suggested I make a commitment to meet myself honestly in the pages of my journal (almost) every day, and to keep writing, even when I couldn’t think of anything to say. Repeating hand-written affirmations was simply my cheat code when I didn’t have the energy to write anything else. And I didn’t think much of it, until the day I woke up without that familiar feeling of dread worming its way through my gut. That’s why I’m a journaling evangelist, and why I created Unmuted, a monthly drop-in journaling hour for women. No coaching pitches or toxic positivity. Just us and our journals. Free. One hour. Starting this Saturday, April 25. 10am PT / 1pm ET.
And if you're ready to talk sooner, my door is open.
Books Are My Love Language 📚I recently started A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides by Gisèle Pelicot. I’ve had to take it slow and am not quite finished but had to tell you about it. This is the woman whose husband drugged her for nearly a decade while inviting strange men into their home to rape her while she was unconscious. But that’s not the core of Gisèle Pelicot’s story. This is a story about showing up for yourself — no matter how difficult, unimaginable, or excruciating the truth is. Her decision to go public, waiving anonymity during the trial, and turning a horrific private crime into a global reckoning about sexual violence and shame, helped her reclaim her life and shift the stigma to where it belongs. Listening to this book felt less like witnessing someone else’s story and more like being called into my own. Have you read it? Hit reply and let me know. It's in my Bookshop if you want it.
Byline Brag 📰I'm a single mom who suddenly became an empty nester. I decided to give up my home and travel full time. (Business Insider) Weekly Journal Prompt ✍️What have you been saving for later that deserves your attention right now? Write bravely, my friend. See you next week. -Amber 🥰 PS. If you're ready to start now, my journals will meet you right where you are. Explore the full series. |
Have you minimized your own experiences for so long that you no longer recognize their significance?
I’m Amber Campbell — essayist, storyteller, and guide for women transforming raw, messy personal stories into meaningful personal narratives. Through writing, workshops, and community, I explore how storytelling reshapes identity and self-perception — and why the stories we minimize are often the ones that matter most. In my weekly newsletter, I write about story, reinvention, emotional truth, and narrative-driven visibility, for women learning to see their lives more clearly.