“Moving to the U.S. was isolating. Everyone has their own lives, but when you come to a place that is only for women, it brings you back to that sense of community.”
Linda* was raised in a parent’s worst nightmare. As a baby, her family was forced out of their home country of Palestine and into refugee camps in Lebanon. For 19 years, they made the camp their home, prioritizing family, going to school, and evading the area’s ongoing violence.
“We had violence and shootings. Even though there were bombings outside, we sat at home, and our entire family came together. That sense of community was very heart-warming.”
It was hard for Linda to be successful in school as a child because her environment was so stressful.
“Growing up, we had one room for the whole family. It served as our bedroom, family room, kitchen, everything in that one room. I didn’t have space to study, and at school, the teachers didn’t create a safe space to learn.”
Her teachers weren’t well-trained and used physical discipline and verbal abuse to enforce their will and ultimately belittle their students.
“Each teacher would have a stick [ready to hit us], and they would call us names. They bragged about hitting the children who weren’t the best in the classroom.”
Linda miraculously stayed mentally strong and recalled looking at the teacher and thinking: ‘I’m not the person you’re telling me I am. I know my capability. I know I’m able to become the person that I want to be.’
Her mental strength stemmed from a firm belief that despite how and where she was raised, she was meant for something more.
Linda did create a life beyond her wildest dreams. She went to college and earned an accounting degree. At around 20 years old, she moved to the United States, married her husband, and had two children of her own.
“I knew that I would have a different future. Every moment that I lived in the camp, I believed that I would have a better life. I would not accept less. I did not choose my life or where I was born, but it’s my responsibility to choose for myself and my kids.”
Although thrilled to turn a fresh page on her life, the U.S. was somewhat lonely for Linda; she missed the sense of community that was necessary in the refugee camp, and knew it was also time to truly address her trauma.
“I thought, ‘Okay, I’m here in the U.S. now. It’s a fresh life. I want to leave the past and just move on.’ For a few months that worked, I felt like I was living a new life, and then I realized those struggles, even though I don’t have them around me anymore, they are in me internally, and I had to face them.”
Linda needed support and community around her, so she turned to Fresh Start to ensure she broke the cycle and became the mom she wanted to be for her kids.
“I got to know about Fresh Start, and it was so exciting for me because I love learning and being around a community. Fresh Start has everything all in one.”
She enrolled in the personal and financial empowerment series before participating in Grow with Google.
“I was going through doubts as a mom. I was scared to fail my kids. I want to be the best mom for them. When I did the personal empowerment series, I was mind-blown.
“[I learned] to raise my kids in a healthy environment, I have to prioritize myself, give myself love, and learn to not feel shame…It’s important to know your worth, and this is a place where you will find yourself again.”
The series introduced Linda to other like-minded women also looking to better their lives, break generational traumas, create healthy boundaries, and grow their self-worth. Working with a group of women returned Linda to the sense of community she’d longed for.
“Many times, we supported each other in one way or another, with a text to cheer up. Being there for each other is uplifting. Women are born for each other; we need our energy.”
She hoped that other women struggling with parenting, mental health, or simply in need of support and community would find Fresh Start’s resources. She noted how necessary it is to maintain one’s own identity outside of the role of caregiver.
“Fresh Start provided me with a community of the right people. It’s helped me a lot and empowered me to be the person I want to be, to believe in myself more, and not to give up.”
With Fresh Start’s community and resources, Linda was on the way to achieving her goals: healing generational trauma and becoming the best version of herself to create a childhood for her children that did not reflect her own.
In Summer 2025, Linda was eager to give back and joined the Client Advisory Council (CAC) which serves as a bridge between Fresh Start clients and organizational leadership, ensuring that client voices are meaningfully represented in decisions that impact their growth and success.