The Life-Changing Power of Choosing Yourself: HC Colder’s Story of Survival and Self-Belief

Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is choose ourselves when everything feels broken. That's exactly what HC Colder did, and it changed the entire trajectory of her life. In our conversation, she shared how one small act of self-belief helped her move through shame, rebuild her identity, and eventually step into motherhood, authorship, and leadership on her own terms.

I've had the privilege of hearing a lot of powerful stories on The Life Shift Podcast, but HC's is not just a story of surviving hard things. It's a reminder that even in the darkest places, a spark of self-trust can be enough to begin again.

When Everything Feels Like It's Falling Apart

HC was eighteen and newly pregnant when she found herself in a shelter for young mothers in Massachusetts. Coming from a conservative, religious upbringing, she carried an overwhelming amount of shame not just from others, but also the kind she had internalized for years. She described staring at the crib in her shelter bedroom, still empty, still waiting, wondering what kind of life she could possibly offer the child growing inside her.

She didn't have a high school diploma. No job. No real plan. And very little support. But she had grit. And she had a question that changed everything: "What do I still have of me?"

That's when she remembered the one thing that had always brought her joy writing.

A Bus Ride and a Bold Decision

Here's the part of her story that gets me every time. HC asked the shelter director if she could take a writing class at the local community college. Not because it would fix her financial situation or magically set her life on track. But because she needed to remember who she was, and she needed something that was hers.

She took a bus and a half to class, did community chores in the evening, and then stayed up late writing papers on the shared computer. The other girls in the shelter made sure she had time to use it. That support, small as it might seem, meant everything.

When she later pulled out her transcript years later, she smiled. A 4.0 GPA. That class didn't just give her a grade; it also provided her with valuable insights. It gave her proof that she was capable of building something new. And that choosing herself wasn't selfish; it was survival.

Rewriting the Story

The writing course didn't launch her into immediate success. Life was still messy. HC worked minimum wage jobs, navigated heartbreak, and raised her son on her own for years. But she kept choosing herself in small, meaningful ways. She left a toxic job, started fresh in tech, and worked her way up from call center specialist to manager.

Years later, with a blended family of five children and a stable home life, she felt another nudge. The younger version of herself still wanted to write. That spark had never gone out.

Her debut book, In-betweens and Broken Things, is the result of that slow burn. It's a lyrical collection about the moments between collapse and becoming. About what we learn in the middle. And about how there's still beauty even in the mess.

Becoming the Parent She Needed

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation was hearing how HC parents today. She didn't just survive her own early motherhood. She turned it into a compass. She teaches her daughters to make space for creativity. She shows her sons that strength includes softness. And she reminds all five of her children that showing up for yourself is not optional; it's essential.

She told me about watching her youngest daughter take her first steps in a home that was safe, stable, and filled with love. And how that moment, contrasted with her son's earliest years of survival, brought her to tears. It was full circle. It was healing.

HC's story is not about perfection. It's about perseverance. And the reminder that it's never too late to reclaim the parts of you that got lost along the way.

Final Thoughts

I think what HC shared is something many of us need to hear. That you're not too far gone, that survival and self-love can coexist. And that sometimes the most radical thing you can do is say, "I matter too."

If you're someone who's ever felt like you had to put your own dreams on hold, I hope this conversation meets you where you are. And I hope it gives you permission to pick something back up even if it's just a pen.

You can listen to my full conversation with HC Colder on The Life Shift Podcast at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com.