What's The Number 1 Cause of Death?
Time!
#2 is Stress. It weakens our immune system and mind. Healing childhood wounds improves mental life and human interactions. #StressManagement #MentalHealth #ChildhoodTrauma #InnerHealing #SelfImprovement #WellnessJourney #MindBodyConnection #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #HealthAndWellness
Today, I’m writing with a full heart and happy tears because… I DID IT.
I am officially a published author and you are one of the first people I wanted to tell 😀
After nearly three years of blood, sweat, tears, and edits (on edits!), A Crucible of Childhood Adversity is officially published and available for sale!
Can you believe it?
This journey started back in 2023, before I had access to any AI tools or fancy shortcuts — and before both of my parents passed away. Since then, life has lifed.
I’ve grieved, I’ve doubted, I’ve nearly shut down ACEs Matter more times than I care to admit. The personal storms, the work demands, the family dynamics — all of it felt like too much at times.
But somehow… this book held me together.
It became a lifeline. A legacy. A love letter to resilience.
And you are part of it.
Together, we built a 275-page masterpiece that I believe will change lives — and the world. As a rookie self-published author, I had to learn everything the hard way — editing, formatting, distribution, marketing… but I stayed the course because I believed in this mission — and in you.
I chose LULU Publishing for global distribution (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more) because they take a much smaller cut than Amazon — and since this book is a fundraising tool for ACEs Matter, that margin matters.
I priced the book at $45 to support our mission — which breaks down to about 16 cents per page of hard-won wisdom, lived experience, and soul-fueled storytelling.
🧠🌍 Dream Big With Me:
In the next 1–2 years, I imagine this book in every middle and high school, every college and university, and every nonprofit or counseling office that serves people with ACEs. With your help — and your voice — we can make that happen.
Thank you for believing in this project. Thank you for staying with me.
We did it. 💜
And now… we keep going.
With love and deep gratitude,
Cendie K. Stanford
Founder, ACEs Matter
Some of us grew up believing success was simple:
1. Work hard
2. Stay out of trouble
3. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
Meanwhile… some people were born wearing designer boots with a trust fund in the pocket. 😭
I joked in my comedy set that my childhood prepared me perfectly for nonprofit work:
First I got rejected by my father…
now I get rejected by grant committees.
Basically the same experience.
Different email format.
And honestly?
That joke lands because there’s truth inside it.
The older I get, the more I realize society LOVES the “self-made” success story because it keeps the system emotionally convenient.
If you win, you’re “disciplined.”
If you struggle, you “didn’t want it bad enough.”
Meanwhile nobody talks enough about:
• being born into wealth
• having connected parents
• access to stable housing
• healthy childhoods
• investors who believe in you
• luck
• timing
• virality
• marrying into opportunity
• or simply being given room to fail safely
Prof. Jiang compared the economy to a giant multiplayer game where scarcity keeps everybody competing hard enough to maintain the system.
Which explains why some of us grew up hearing: “You better work hard so you don’t end up poor.”
Fear becomes fuel.
Poverty becomes motivation.
And exhaustion becomes a personality trait.
That’s part of why I care so deeply about ACE awareness and childhood trauma recovery.
Because when people say: “Why don’t they just work harder?”
Sometimes they’re looking at a nervous system that has been surviving since childhood… not failing.
Anyway… shoutout to everybody out here trying to heal, hustle, and answer rejection emails without becoming the Joker. 🤝
That is part of why I built Laughter 4 Social Change.
For the people who are ready to hear truth land differently.
Come and join us:
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
The registration link is in the comments.
Some of us grew up believing success was simple:
1. Work hard
2. Stay out of trouble
3. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
Meanwhile… some people were born wearing designer boots with a trust fund in the pocket. 😭
I joked in my comedy set that my childhood prepared me perfectly for nonprofit work:
First I got rejected by my father…
now I get rejected by grant committees.
Basically the same experience.
Different email format.
And honestly?
That joke lands because there’s truth inside it.
The older I get, the more I realize society LOVES the “self-made” success story because it keeps the system emotionally convenient.
If you win, you’re “disciplined.”
If you struggle, you “didn’t want it bad enough.”
Meanwhile nobody talks enough about:
• being born into wealth
• having connected parents
• access to stable housing
• healthy childhoods
• investors who believe in you
• luck
• timing
• virality
• marrying into opportunity
• or simply being given room to fail safely
Prof. Jiang compared the economy to a giant multiplayer game where scarcity keeps everybody competing hard enough to maintain the system.
Which explains why some of us grew up hearing: “You better work hard so you don’t end up poor.”
Fear becomes fuel.
Poverty becomes motivation.
And exhaustion becomes a personality trait.
That’s part of why I care so deeply about ACE awareness and childhood trauma recovery.
Because when people say: “Why don’t they just work harder?”
Sometimes they’re looking at a nervous system that has been surviving since childhood… not failing.
Anyway… shoutout to everybody out here trying to heal, hustle, and answer rejection emails without becoming the Joker. 🤝
That is part of why I built Laughter 4 Social Change.
For the people who are ready to hear truth land differently.
Come and join us:
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
The registration link is in the comments.
Some of us grew up believing success was simple:
1. Work hard
2. Stay out of trouble
3. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
Meanwhile… some people were born wearing designer boots with a trust fund in the pocket. 😭
I joked in my comedy set that my childhood prepared me perfectly for nonprofit work:
First I got rejected by my father…
now I get rejected by grant committees.
Basically the same experience.
Different email format.
And honestly?
That joke lands because there’s truth inside it.
The older I get, the more I realize society LOVES the “self-made” success story because it keeps the system emotionally convenient.
If you win, you’re “disciplined.”
If you struggle, you “didn’t want it bad enough.”
Meanwhile nobody talks enough about:
• being born into wealth
• having connected parents
• access to stable housing
• healthy childhoods
• investors who believe in you
• luck
• timing
• virality
• marrying into opportunity
• or simply being given room to fail safely
Prof. Jiang compared the economy to a giant multiplayer game where scarcity keeps everybody competing hard enough to maintain the system.
Which explains why some of us grew up hearing: “You better work hard so you don’t end up poor.”
Fear becomes fuel.
Poverty becomes motivation.
And exhaustion becomes a personality trait.
That’s part of why I care so deeply about ACE awareness and childhood trauma recovery.
Because when people say: “Why don’t they just work harder?”
Sometimes they’re looking at a nervous system that has been surviving since childhood… not failing.
Anyway… shoutout to everybody out here trying to heal, hustle, and answer rejection emails without becoming the Joker. 🤝
That is part of why I built Laughter 4 Social Change.
For the people who are ready to hear truth land differently.
Come and join us:
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
The registration link is in the comments.
Truth can walk into a room wearing a microphone. But sometimes it has to come in as a joke before people are ready to hold it.
I have seen this again and again in ACEs education.
People can sit through the research.
They can nod through the statistics.
They can understand the language around trauma, stress, and resilience.
But the moment that reaches them is sometimes much smaller than the slide deck.
It is the:
□ joke someone makes about being the child who always knew when to stay quiet.
□ whole room laughing at a line about “reading the room” before they even knew what nervous system awareness was.
□ woman who laughs first, then wipes her eyes because she realizes she has spent her whole life being praised for strength that was really survival.
□ man at a community event who hears a comedian talk about family secrets with just enough humor to make it safe, then says afterward, “I never thought about it like that.”
That is what laughter can do.
It sneaks past the guarded part of us.
It gives truth a softer landing.
It lets people feel seen without feeling exposed.
And sometimes, that opening is more powerful than another polished message.
I have watched people relax into hard conversations after one honest laugh.
Their arms uncross.
Their face softens.
Their body gets the message before their words catch up.
“I am safe enough to hear this.”
As an ACEs advocate, I believe in education. I believe in research. I believe in giving people language for what they lived through.
But I also believe a room full of open hearts can be more powerful than a room full of perfect words.
Healing does not always begin with someone saying, “Tell me what happened.”
Sometimes it begins when someone says something so true you laugh before you cry.
That is part of why I built Laughter 4 Social Change.
For the people who are ready to hear truth land differently.
Come and join us:
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
The registration link is in the comments.
Truth can walk into a room wearing a microphone. But sometimes it has to come in as a joke before people are ready to hold it.
I have seen this again and again in ACEs education.
People can sit through the research.
They can nod through the statistics.
They can understand the language around trauma, stress, and resilience.
But the moment that reaches them is sometimes much smaller than the slide deck.
It is the:
□ joke someone makes about being the child who always knew when to stay quiet.
□ whole room laughing at a line about “reading the room” before they even knew what nervous system awareness was.
□ woman who laughs first, then wipes her eyes because she realizes she has spent her whole life being praised for strength that was really survival.
□ man at a community event who hears a comedian talk about family secrets with just enough humor to make it safe, then says afterward, “I never thought about it like that.”
That is what laughter can do.
It sneaks past the guarded part of us.
It gives truth a softer landing.
It lets people feel seen without feeling exposed.
And sometimes, that opening is more powerful than another polished message.
I have watched people relax into hard conversations after one honest laugh.
Their arms uncross.
Their face softens.
Their body gets the message before their words catch up.
“I am safe enough to hear this.”
As an ACEs advocate, I believe in education. I believe in research. I believe in giving people language for what they lived through.
But I also believe a room full of open hearts can be more powerful than a room full of perfect words.
Healing does not always begin with someone saying, “Tell me what happened.”
Sometimes it begins when someone says something so true you laugh before you cry.
That is part of why I built Laughter 4 Social Change.
For the people who are ready to hear truth land differently.
Come and join us:
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
The registration link is in the comments.
Healing does not always begin with someone saying, “Tell me what happened.”
Sometimes it begins when someone says something so true you laugh before you cry.
That is part of why I built Laughter 4 Social Change.
For the people who are ready to hear truth land differently.
Come and join us:
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
Come experience a space where truth feels human enough to stay with.
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
Trauma should never be turned into a show. But healing deserves more doors than a silent room and a box of tissues.
I want to say this clearly because I know the name Laughter 4 Social Change can make people curious.
I am not trying to make trauma entertaining.
I am creating a space where healing feels reachable.
There is a difference.
When I teach about ACEs, I see how quickly people can shut down when the conversation feels too heavy from the start.
The room gets quiet.
People start looking at the floor.
Some smile politely because they do not want anyone to know the topic just touched a place they have spent years protecting.
And I understand that.
Nobody wants to feel exposed in a room full of strangers.
Nobody wants their pain turned into a lesson before their body feels safe enough to listen.
That is why I believe humor belongs in trauma-informed spaces when it is used with care.
I have seen people open up after a light moment in a way they never would have opened up during a formal presentation.
I have seen someone laugh at a line about “being fine” when everybody in the room knew fine meant tired, overwhelmed, and holding it together with prayer, caffeine, and one good parking spot.
I have seen parents, educators, survivors, caregivers, and community leaders stay in conversations longer because the room did not feel like it was asking them to bleed in public.
That is what this event is about.
Access.
A softer doorway.
A place where people can breathe, laugh, listen, and maybe recognize something true about their own story without feeling trapped by it.
Because if healing spaces only feel intense, many people will never enter them.
Laughter 4 Social Change is emotionally accessible.
It is honest.
It is thoughtful.
It is built with respect for the weight people carry and the courage it takes to walk into a room where healing is even on the table.
Come experience a space where truth feels human enough to stay with.
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
Come experience a space where truth feels human enough to stay with.
📅 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⏱️ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 The Station, 750 W. Desoto, Clermont, FL
