Worthy Roots exists to honor your survival and fuel your growth.
About Me
Hi, I’m Adolisca—founder of Worthy Roots, trauma survivor, and advocate for healing that’s real, raw, and rooted in truth.I grew up in San Bernardino County, California. The Inland Empire (or IE)—not Beverly Hills or the OC. My community was predominantly Black and Brown, and many of my friends came from working-class households where survival was a daily reality. While I had material stability food, housing, access to school, I was also navigating emotional challenges that weren’t always visible from the outside. That contrast taught me early on that safety isn’t about just physical needs it’s about how we’re held, heard, and supported. That understanding continues to shape how I hold space for others in their healing.I’ve lived through the foster care system and the kind of instability that made it hard to breathe, let alone dream. That time in my life taught me to become hyper-independent, but I’ve since learned that strength doesn’t have to mean doing everything alone.I’ve been in abusive relationships; the kind that left me shaken, disconnected, and ashamed of how much I had abandoned myself, to feel loved. I learned the hard way that my worth wasn’t up for debate and it didn’t depend on who loved me, who left, or what I survived. And neither does yours.I’ve juggled motherhood, custody battles, and housing instability, working multiple jobs to survive while numbing out emotionally. For a long time, I believed burnout was just part of being a good woman, a good mom, a good partner. I now know that boundaries aren’t selfish, they are a form of self-love, self-respect, and a reminder that I am worthy.And when I finally had my basic needs consistently met, when I moved to a safer location, built healthier relationships, and felt stability in my body for the first time in years, my anxiety started to disappear. Not because I fixed myself, but because my nervous system was no longer trapped in survival. That was a turning point: realizing that my anxiety wasn’t who I was; it was how my body responded to feeling unsafe for too long.For the last eight years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside survivors whose barriers were compounded by systemic racism, poverty, disability, and queerness. I’ve seen—up close—how deeply oppressive and extractive our systems truly are. These structures aren’t broken; they’re functioning exactly as they were designed: to keep marginalized people down.My work in the nonprofit sector has included supporting transitional-aged youth, survivors of human trafficking and domestic abuse, women on probation, LGBTQIA+ individuals experiencing houselessness, and chronically houseless people living with disabilities. For the past three years, I’ve been working with a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps house our most vulnerable unhoused neighbors—while navigating the very systems that routinely push them out.This work—both personal and professional—has shaped everything I bring to Worthy Roots.That said, I want to name this clearly: I am a white, cisgender, able-bodied woman. And that means I hold privilege—privilege that’s given me access to second chances, safety nets, and support that many people I’ve worked alongside have been denied. My trauma was real, but so was the access I had that helped me rise. I don’t ever want to ignore that.I also don’t believe in pretending I’ve arrived. I’m still learning actively. I’m revisiting how white supremacy shows up in my own nervous system and how I’ve internalized urgency, perfectionism, and people-pleasing as safety strategies. I check my biases in real time, especially when I feel defensive. I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve had to listen, reflect, and make different choices.I also intentionally center BIPOC voices in the content I engage with; whether it’s the books I read, the creators I follow on TikTok and Instagram, the podcasts I listen to, or the stories I choose to amplify in film, music, and media. Representation matters. And it’s not just about what I share, but whose stories I trust enough to learn from, elevate, and pay forward. You can see a full list of my favorite BIPOC authors, creators, and storytellers: Content that's Shaped Me.I try to engage with feedback: not as an attack, but as an invitation to grow. I’m committed to being someone who can hold space for others without needing to be right, praised, or centered. That’s part of the healing, too.I didn’t create Worthy Roots to center myself. I created it because I’ve seen how deeply the world fails survivors; especially those who are Black, Brown, trans, disabled, undocumented, poor, or otherwise pushed to the margins. I’ve seen how healing is gatekept, how the people who need the most support are offered the least, and how even therapeutic spaces can retraumatize the very people they claim to help.Worthy Roots was built to be something different: a space rooted in truth, accessibility, and collective care. A space that honors the messiness of healing without demanding perfection and refuses to replicate the same oppressive systems we’re trying to heal from.Worthy Roots is for survivors doing the hard work of healing in systems that weren’t built for their thriving. It’s for the ones who are exhausted, self-aware, over-giving and still waking up every day to try again.Healing here looks like:
• Setting boundaries, even when it makes your stomach churn.
• Slowing down instead of spiraling (on a good day).
• Trying again and again and again, after falling short.
• Taking Accountability for the harm we cause, Apologizing, & Actively trying to do better.
• Letting go of the shame that was never ours to carry.
• Asking for help and unlearning the guilt.
• Practicing presence, even when life feels heavy.
• Getting honest about who we are beneath the survival strategies.Worthy Roots is for those who want more than just validation they want transformation.You don’t have to earn love.
You don’t need to prove your worth.
You just need a space where your healing is allowed to be messy, powerful, and yours.If no one has told you lately:
You are not broken.
You are becoming and you are allowed to take your time.Worthy Roots is here to walk with you, every step of the way.
A Quick Note About AI
Some of the content I create is supported by AI tools, but every piece is rooted in my lived experience, healing journey, and professional work with trauma.As someone who still works full-time in the nonprofit sector supporting vulnerable communities, I use AI to help organize my thoughts, save time, and bring my vision to life as a mama, survivor, and founder of Worthy Roots.But the soul of this work? That’s all me.Worthy Roots isn’t automated: it’s authentic. Always.
