I didn’t build this website because I was brave.
I built it because I was scared and couldn’t find what I needed anywhere else.
I kept running into writing that felt finished when my life wasn’t. Encouraging, but distant. Polished, but hollow. Everything seemed to skip over the fear and land straight on resilience.
Most days, I wasn’t looking for hope.
I was looking for something that felt real.
I wanted to know that the panic that showed up late at night wasn’t a personal failure. That the exhaustion, the spiraling, the quiet dread before appointments all made sense. That you could be prepared and still terrified. Functional and still falling apart.
I wanted a place where the waiting mattered. Where the in-between wasn’t treated like wasted time. Where nothing happening didn’t mean nothing was happening.
So I built it.
Mojo & the Mess isn’t a highlight reel or a timeline of wins. It’s built around real life — the parts most people don’t know how to talk about.
Home
The Home page is the front door. It exists to explain what this space is and what it isn’t before asking anything of you. It’s meant to feel grounding, especially if you’re new, overwhelmed, or not sure why you clicked the link in the first place. You don’t need to stay there long — it’s just a place to land.
Blog
The Blog is the heart of the site. That’s where the writing lives — unfiltered, imperfect, and honest. Some posts are heavy. Some are quiet. Some are just me trying to make sense of a moment before it passes. You don’t need to read in order. There’s no storyline you’ve missed. Click what feels familiar and leave the rest.
Resources
The Resources section exists for the days when your brain feels overloaded. It’s a place for definitions, explanations, and words you might not know yet — or are too tired to look up. It’s there to save you from late-night Googling spirals and from having to explain yourself to people who don’t understand. Use it once, come back often, or ignore it until you need it.
Keep Mojo & the Mess Going
This page exists because people asked how to help. It’s optional, never expected, and never tied to access or gratitude. Nothing on this site is locked. Nothing is conditional. That page is simply there for those who want to help keep the site online, the writing going, and the resources available. If that’s not you, you’re still welcome here.
There isn’t a right way to move through this website.
You don’t need to start anywhere specific.
You don’t need to read everything.
You don’t need to feel better when you’re done.
This site isn’t about being strong or positive.
It’s a record of staying.
Of showing up to appointments, hard conversations, and ordinary days that take more effort than anyone sees.
It holds the parts of illness that don’t photograph well — the financial stress, the mental load, the fear that lingers even on “good” days.
It also holds routine, small comforts, and a dog who notices when things change. It’s about learning how to exist when certainty disappears.
If you’re here because you’re scared too, you didn’t miss anything.
This isn’t the hopeful version.
It’s the honest one.
This website exists because I needed it.
If it helps you feel less alone, even briefly, that’s enough.
— Izzy
Mojo & the Mess 🐾
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