An inspiring true story of determination to survive and to heal
New York, NY – From years of inheriting the generational trauma of her Italian American family, to marrying a man that she didn’t love, to enduring physical, mental, and emotional abuse, and the grueling custody battle for her kids, Francesca Miracola learned the hard way that healing comes from within–and now she’s releasing a book to inspire others to do the same I Got It From Here (She Writes Press, Apr 25, 2023) is Miracola’s true story of abuse, trauma, healing, and freedom from the scars of her past, and it’s an inspirational and empowering narrative for anyone seeking to reshape their lives from the ashes.
After years of sweeping things under the rug in her traditional Italian American family, Francesca is ready to shed her past and start a new life with her husband, Jason. While not completely in love with him, she decides to marry him in hopes for a better life. However, it’s not the picture-perfect fairytale she imagined. From the misogynistic red flags to physical and mental abuse, Francesca awakens from the cycle of trauma she’s lived with and finds strength to heal. In sharing her true account of generational trauma, domestic violence, and self-denial, Miracola hopes her story will inspire other survivors to be the protagonist of their own story.
Raw and illuminating, I Got It from Here is one woman’s story of saving herself and her children from the grips of a sociopath posing as a family man–and from the inherited trauma passed down by her own family of birth–while learning to trust in the inner voice that’s been trying to guide her all along.
I Got It From Here
Francesca Miracola | April 25, 2023 | She Writes Press | Memoir
Paperback | 978-1-64742-483-1 | $17.95
Ebook | B0B8H555T6 | $9.99
Francesca Miracola is an Italian American from Queens, NY, currently living on Long Island, but in her mind she’s a free-spirited wanderer. She wants to travel the world, but she’s afraid to fly, although a glass of wine gets her through most flights. Francesca’s mostly an introvert who greatly prefers deep, meaningful conversations to surface small talk. She keeps her circle small, and she’s still debating if that’s a good or bad thing. She’s a breast cancer survivor, but she rarely defines herself as one—probably because she feels like she’s been surviving something most of her life. She’s funny; at least, she makes herself laugh. Francesca graduated cum laude from New York University and worked in financial services for twenty-five years, even though she wanted to be a therapist. That’s probably because she needed a therapist. Francesca finally wound up on her true path as a student and teacher of A Course in Miracles, author, life coach, and founder of Protagonist Within LLC. Francesca is a wife, a best friend, and above all, a mother. Find out more about Francesca Miracola at her website
In an interview, Francesca Miracola can discuss:
- The lessons she learned from her experiences and the takeaways she wants everyone, especially young girls, to absorb
- How she was able to heal her old wounds and create a new life for her family and herself
- Her career pivot from accountant to life coach teaching others the methods she used to heal from trauma and her passion for mental health education
- The challenges of writing a narrative memoir about lived trauma and the strength she found to open up about her past in hopes of spreading her message
Advanced praise for I Got it From Here
“The author’s clear, straightforward prose effectively captures her complex psychological state . . . Miracola does a particularly good job of contextualizing the relationship within a larger culture of neglect and misogyny. The end result is as engaging as it is disturbing. A thoughtful and affecting memoir of marriage and divorce.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Miracola, a talented writer, has the ability to pull readers into her story from the first page, with perfect pacing and evocative, inviting prose. . . . Resilience and hope distinguish this wrenching memoir of ending an abusive marriage.”
– BookLife
“I Got It from Here is an inspiring memoir about overcoming an upbringing in a dysfunctional family, social conditioning, corruption, and a sociopathic ex-husband to claw one’s way to happiness.”
– Foreword Reviews
An Interview with
Francesca Miracola
1. What is the #1 lesson that you want younger girls (primarily those in college) to learn from your story?
Listen to your gut and be true to yourself! If a decision, a relationship, or the general way you are existing feels off, pay attention to that signal – it’s your true self trying to get your attention. Ask it what to do and then quiet your mind – listen for the soft still voice, the whisper – follow that guide.
Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve been ignoring your gut and giving in to the expectations of others or people-please hoping to earn love and acceptance; we’ve all done it. Be proud of yourself for coming to the awareness and let go of the guilt and shame you feel for the mistakes you may have already made. Forgive yourself and begin again.
2. How were you able to find peace and heal from your past trauma?
The first step was acknowledging that I wasn’t at peace. I found myself thinking, there must be a better way. That’s when I found A Course in Miracles. The Course helped me realize I had to heal what was going on internally, not fix what was happening externally.
The Course taught me to practice Forgiveness – not a holier than thou pardon of other people, but more of letting go of my grievances. Once I embarked on my healing journey other resources showed up along the way. I’m especially grateful for the trauma therapy I received.
The final step was simply deciding that I want to live in peace and joy; now every step I take remains centered in that decision.
3. How did the chaos in your life help you find a purpose?
The chaos triggered my spiritual awakening and led me to A Course in Miracles. Once I embarked on my healing journey my purpose began to unfold. I became a student and teacher of ACIM, an author, a life coach, and a cycle breaker for my family. Each step in the process felt right, it flowed, it didn’t feel forced – I felt like everything was happening through me, not by me.
4. Why did you decide to write this memoir?
The memoir gnawed at me for many, many years. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer my first thought was my children – I feared I would leave them too soon; my 2nd thought was the memoir – I feared I would die without having written it.
My primary motivation for writing it was to share my story with my children – I wanted them to understand my fears and therefore only know my love.
5. You have mentioned that you enjoy when authors make you smile or laugh when reading – especially with heavy topics. Is there anything else in your daily routine that fills you with joy and did any of this help you with your past traumatic experiences?
Daily routines that bring me joy and helped me heal my trauma:
- No phone, emails, news first thing in the morning. I start my day with a lesson from A Course in Miracles.
- Power walks.
- Insatiable appetite for self-help and spiritual awakening material – I listen to tons of videos and podcasts.
- Laughter!
The irony is, part of healing my trauma helped me see that I wasn’t filling my daily routine with joy (I was filling it with self-help which was great, but not necessarily joy). These days I’m trying to rediscover who I am and what I love to do. To start, I’m changing my career, playing pickleball with my husband, accepting my introverted nature – and I can’t wait to discover what else it is I will do for joy – stay tuned.
PS – being a mom is the greatest joy of my life (and my children have been my greatest teachers of love and healing and wonder and joy).
6. Tell us more about the “Moron Manual” you mentioned your mother used to raise you and your siblings.
The Moron Manual, as noted in the memoir, is an ethnic mother’s guide of senseless rules imposed to perpetuate generational insanity. The manual isn’t in print; it lived in my mother’s head. In her world, there was a right and a wrong way to do everything, a protocol that had to be followed. How things looked on the outside mattered more than what was true. We constantly evaluated and judged others while fearing their judgment in return.
7. When and how did you learn to trust your inner voice?
There wasn’t one moment when I learned to trust my gut – it’s been more of an ongoing fine tuning.
As far as how I learned to trust it, hindsight. I can recall the moments when I heard my inner voice but ignored it, and I’m able to see the effects of each self-betrayal.
I’m getting better at recognizing the signals in my body and I’m able to say, “oh boy, better listen”. I don’t mess with it anymore!
Also, I stopped asking others for guidance (except on very practical matters) – I keep some things to myself – the less noise the more I can tune into my inner voice.
8. Tell is about your company, Protagonist Within, LLC and how it came to be
When I first sat down to write my memoir, I thought it would be an angry, vindictive telling of what my ex did to me. But as I feverishly typed away, it turned out to be a cathartic release of the past; I came to realize my mental and emotional state, my thoughts and my nervous system was what caused my angst. The story had always been mine; I was the protagonist. And the protagonist gets to decide how the story unfolds.
It all clicked for me! I really hoped my book would help others heal. I became so inspired to work with others on their healing journey that I became a Certified Life Coach. The next thing I knew this was morphing into my new career, my calling. I founded Protagonist Within because I know that in order to be the protagonist of your story you must look within to heal.
I help women who have lost their way release the past and begin again.
A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.
Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.
