Keys to Finding Freedom
It was the surreal night before our first pandemic lockdown. We were stocking up on toilet paper and food, doing the proverbial pivot to online, and wondering what we would do stuck in our homes for three weeks. Poking a joke at how ambitious we all felt about our forced hiatus from real life, I wrote on Facebook that I was going to learn a new language, start a vegetable garden, organise the whole house, start doing Pilates, go to bed early each night, and write a book. Little did I know that I actually would come out of the pandemic as an author!
Sharing life-transforming ideas has always been my passion. After growing up in Durban North and leaving for a few years to work overseas after university, my husband, Tom, and I returned to South Africa to raise our family and fulfil our call to ministry. We now live in Westbrook with our two wildlings, William and Luke. I’ve been a preaching pastor at Grace Family Church in Umhlanga for fifteen years and have branched out into public speaking and facilitating workshops over the last five years. I am also a qualified life coach, and my greatest joy is seeing people discover a light-bulb moment for themselves that helps them become soaring, flourishing and free.
One of the platforms where I expressed my love for words was writing. I’ve always suspected I may have a book in me. My love of bringing hope and humour to people found a home in the early days of The Umhlanga Magazine and The Ballito Magazine, with a column called The Rookie Mom. Almost ten years later, these early writings became the foundation of my book.
It all came together when I was diagnosed with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2019. Living with undiagnosed ADHD my whole life had taken its toll on my mental health for years. I had lost myself somewhere in the lies that I was hazy, lazy and crazy. I was trying to keep up appearances, hide the struggle and manage my complicated, busy life without knowing that I was neurodivergent. This led to burnout, depression and some very dark days.
My life changed dramatically as I took a deep dive into what ADHD actually is and how it looks different in a thirty-something woman to a six-year-old boy. Looking back over those early articles from The Rookie Mom, I realised they were classic, textbook cases of living with ADHD! Suddenly it all made sense because we believe lies in the absence of truth. But when we can be honest and accurate in diagnosing the problems in our lives, we can find the right support and solutions.
After such a tangible experience of how the truth can set us free, I saw that decades of experience in writing, pastoring, and coaching might come together in a book that would help people name their cage and find their freedom. The keys had been there all along. I just needed to pick them up and unlock the door.
In May 2021, I signed up for an online course called “Writing My Book” by Matt Bird. He promised that if we followed his planning, structure, and community-based accountability process, we could write a book in one hundred days. With the support of my fellow writers and amazing family and by working exceptionally hard at learning all kinds of new skills, I launched my first book, “Empty Cages: Keys to Finding Freedom”, into the world in November 2021. Since then, I have sold over one thousand copies as a self-published author. I knew I loved writing, but I never expected to enjoy all the other aspects of this job so much. From the book layout and design to social media and marketing, sharing the book with the world brings me immense joy.
My big dream is to get “Empty Cages” picked up by a publishing house overseas so it can spread its wings overseas and hopefully get a book deal to keep writing. Because I believe everyone can live soaring, flourishing and free!
Words by: Jess Basson