Welcome

Welcome to Embracing Me

Discover the Power of Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

About Me

Hi, I’m Stacie J. Whitaker-Harris—a published author, certified recovery and peer support specialist, mindfulness coach, and artist. My journey has been shaped by over 20 years of writing, storytelling, and community advocacy. From publishing essays and poems as a middle schooler to contributing to university newspapers and appearing in local news, writing has always been my passion.

As a woman of faith with a Master’s in Law (business focus) and a Bachelor’s in Nonprofit Management, I am committed to empowering others through my words, art, and coaching. In 2020, I discovered my love for painting, which began as a form of therapy and blossomed into a creative outlet, with many pieces sold and displayed in local contests. My work reflects a dedication to healing, growth, and honoring the God-given potential in all of us.

What Is *Embracing Me*?

Embracing Me is more than a blog—it's a journey of self-discovery, healing, and honoring the divine within. Here, I share my life experiences—good, bad, and transformative—to inspire and uplift. I spent years hiding my gifts and stories out of fear. But through faith, I’ve chosen to embrace who I am and share my God-given talents with the world.

From essays and poetry to coaching and peer support, my mission is to guide you toward wholeness and inspire you to live fully and freely in harmony with your mind, body, and spirit.

Join the Journey

Whether you’re looking for inspiration, seeking coaching, or simply curious about my books and art, I invite you to explore and connect. Let’s walk this path together toward healing, restoration, and empowerment.

© 2025 Stacie J. Whitaker-Harris. All rights reserved.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Stop Apologizing

A Love Letter to the Empaths Who Carry the Fire

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that being an empath isn’t just a trait. It’s a calling. It’s a lens. It’s a whole way of being, a blessing and sometimes a burden.

We empaths carry a peculiar aura, an archetype shaped by everything we’ve endured, everything we’ve seen, and everything we still dare to hope for. We are forged by fire. We learn to read a room before a word is spoken. We feel everything: the joy, the grief, the hidden stories that others don’t speak aloud.

That is why we must be mindful, know when to step back, to steal away, to renew our spirits. Restore, discern, and guard the light we carry.

Carl Jung wrote, “Discernment is love in its highest form.” That’s something every empath should tattoo on their soul.


The Boat and the Lighthouse

Carl Jung once described the soul as a boat adrift on dark waters, seeking the steady light of a distant shore. I’ve felt that journey in my bones, the pull of tides both gentle and fierce, the fog that swallows sight, nights when the stars seem too far away to matter.

There were seasons when I thought the storm would claim me. Yet even then, a quiet voice whispered: Row.

The lighthouse, the faithful beacon, wasn’t always in view. Sometimes I only felt its warmth in memory, a glow just beyond the veil. Each small stroke of the oar, each breath of courage, brought me closer.

One evening, I understood that the light wasn’t just ahead, guiding me. It was within me, pulsing from my heart’s own harbor.

Jung gave me the image, but life gave me the truth: the boat is my spirit. The sea is my becoming. The lighthouse is both home and self.


For the Empaths Who Feel Too Much

You are a prophetic gift. You are ancestral fire. You are not here to fix others, though I know how hard it is to believe that. Your truest role is to hold space for them, to be the calm shore where they can rest, to allow the sacred circle. the Sangha, to do the healing.

Stop apologizing for your unique perspective. Stop letting emotional energy vampires drain your flame. Protect it. I’m grateful I learned that, though it took time.

As Jung said, “Softness is not weakness. The gift of feeling is not the end of the journey, but a doorway.”


The Shadow Side

Here’s the truth we don’t admit too often: When we ignore our own needs, the empath’s gift can warp into defensiveness, numbness, or paradoxically, narcissism.

We become “wounded healers,” those who pour from an empty cup, and in doing so become cautionary tales.

Self-sacrifice is not love. Your purpose is not to bleed for others. Your calling is to transform wounds into wisdom.

Resolve past pains, and your aura will radiate. Heal at your core, and you can love deeply without being drained.

Brené Brown said, “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.”


My Prayer for You

Don’t let the church, or the world, tell you you’re broken, too much, or wrong because of how you see, how you feel, how you love.

God gave you this softness, this discernment, this fire, because He believed you could carry light into darkness.

So, beloved empath, stop apologizing for who you are. You are not here to carry the river. You are here to shine.

(Truth from Jung, truth lived and spoken.)


Keys for Empathic Living

Protecting your inner light while navigating the world

  1. Anchor in Stillness
    Begin or end each day in quiet reflection, prayer, or meditation to steady your “boat” before the waves rise.

  2. Name the Storms
    Learn what drains you. Boundaries aren’t walls; they are shoreline markers that protect your inner land.

  3. Seek the Beacon
    Identify people, practices, and sacred spaces that restore you, and return to them often.

  4. Tend the Flame
    Nourish yourself with rest, joy, and healthy rhythms so your inner lighthouse never dims.

  5. Travel Light
    Release the guilt of saying no. Every “no” to what dims you is a “yes” to what sustains you.


With Love, 

Stacie J.


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