In many ways, Lacey Woodsmall is a picture of success. A domestic violence advocacy coordinator, peer support specialist, and a single mother to two boys, our first impression of Lacey was as a pillar of both family and community.
But despite her impressive resume, things didn’t come easy for Lacey. In fact, less than two years ago, she only left her basement five times in six months. As Lacey describes, she went from alcoholic to addict, and ended up completely isolated from other people in the process.
As we examine the meaning of success this month at Single Moms Society, Lacey’s journey exemplifies dedication, contradiction, and the lengths that we rise from our darkest moments. Read on to find out more about her amazing work, her outlook on life, and her relationship with her faith.
I am officially a domestic violence advocate coordinator!
We know that success is not linear, and that we constantly change and evolve in our personal journeys. But one great way to encourage growth is to make the most of milestones and celebrate your achievements.
Lacey is a great example of recognizing milestones: she shares that her proudest achievement is officially becoming a domestic violence advocate coordinator. In this career, Lacey works in a domestic violence intervention program, and provides crucial leadership so that survivors receive care.
While becoming an advocate coordinator is certainly impressive on its own, it is doubly so in light of where Lacey’s story started. She shares that the most distinctive part of her journey was the change from “alcoholic to addict to peer recovery specialist,” and from the isolation of her basement to the connection of her work with advocates.
Additionally, Lacey’s investment in her work adds a beautiful dimension to her success. At each point that Lacey mentions her domestic violence advocacy, her passion shines through, and it is clear just how important this work is to her.
However, reaching this milestone doesn’t mean that things are easy. Lacey mentions that her main challenge now is financial, and that she has recently been receiving state assistance. So while our conceptualization of milestones is important, it’s not the whole story, and won’t erase the difficulties we face. Luckily, there is more to share about Lacey’s outlook on life.
Hard, rewarding, crazy, lots of love!
Lacey’s journey is impossible to describe in just one note. And it turns out, multifaceted thinking is a great approach for life. One way to create supportive growth and change in ourselves is to accept contradictions in our feelings and experiences.
For example, many of us see ourselves as worthy or unworthy, succeeding or failing. However, we can also take elements from both. We have shortcomings but are still valuable; moments of successes and failures with complex causes that all contribute to who we are.
As Lacey demonstrates, a contradiction-accepting approach can also help us describe our lives in a holistic way: hard and rewarding, crazy and loving, all at the same time. Lacey doesn’t shy away from any single element of her journey, but that is part of what makes her story so extraordinary.
It’s hard sometimes, but always praise God even for those.
Even with the contradictions in mind, Lacey takes a hopeful outlook on life, leaning on her faith in good times and bad. When we asked Lacey which aspect of her story she found most inspiring to other single moms, her faith was the clear answer. As she explains, Lacey believes that everything happens with a purpose: “[God] already knows his plans for you.”
Final Thoughts
Overall, there is much we can learn about success from Lacey’s journey. Finding success may not be straightforward or easy, but it is a personal and meaningful process, and one that is bound to have extraordinary moments along the way.
Thank you to Lacey for sharing your story, and providing us a firsthand look at such an amazing version of success.
