https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log daily 0.75 2025-11-23 https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/a-terrific-balance monthly 0.5 2025-06-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/dc4e9fe3-c5db-47bd-b003-4c7959378d88/IMG_0824.jpg Travel Log - A Terrific Balance https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/reflections monthly 0.5 2025-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/39adb971-7e72-4ef5-b275-9f3b373e2edb/IMG_0582.jpg Travel Log - Reflections - I’ve found myself admiring the reflections in the water I happened upon this summer: a bank of clouds drifting caught in the expanse of the irrigating ditch, or the line of pines caught in the water I’m paddling through in mountain lakes. Recently, we had a deluge of water pour through our hills after a sudden storm. Water ran down the draws, filling little reservoirs along the bedrock it flowed over. As I stepped over a small rocky pool, I was caught by how much of the sky I could see reflected in it. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/coexistence monthly 0.5 2025-06-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/f894848a-7a9f-4242-8493-1518743d2237/E42A84FB-70D3-4AD8-B40E-0109955F4901.JPG Travel Log - Coexistence I tend to live in a really complicated intellectual and emotional space, but the things I am most drawn to often are incredibly simple: the blue of juniper berries against red dirt, dandelion wisps, leaves blowing on the cottonwood tree next to our home. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/bouyancy monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/d66122cc-2cc0-43d4-b1ef-6c8aa13ab089/C51F2245-10EB-4030-87DA-1D22670F2572.JPG Travel Log - Bouyancy - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/refractions monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/4e791cdc-cd21-49d4-8de4-c643d6662f27/IMG_8614.jpg Travel Log - Refractions - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/orion monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/abeb4a36-5e9b-4e42-90f3-23bda5d2457f/604FA11C-1F09-4EDC-ABA5-56701CF98DA2.JPG Travel Log - Orion - Make it stand out Moon in Dawn Sky https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/determiners monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/d682840c-b0f5-47a6-bf51-b249f2bb1da6/D27FC06B-D00D-43D7-ABC6-E95648D2C500.JPG Travel Log - Determiners - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/a-bit-of-wonder monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/fcceeb4b-4978-4533-9da6-c3b8bd755d2f/9E9CFCF6-CE36-420A-B4CC-399AC3CC35E5.JPG Travel Log - A Bit of Wonder - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/clinging monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/d7d2e5d9-d4c4-4831-ac9a-52bc805d4bda/68E3FC9A-E533-4C70-993E-D48B5EDCF71C.JPG Travel Log - Clinging - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/blog-post-title-two-5ndzx monthly 0.5 2022-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/47d77f09-4f44-4016-a048-d5dff27d881f/saddle+shoes Travel Log - Uncertainty - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/blog-post-title-three-m9r23 monthly 0.5 2022-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/a2dd045c-a1b6-46fc-8a18-68201b519929/91763D44-F953-49C6-8726-E5BF92850DB6.JPG Travel Log - Returning to Source - Make it stand out Belemnite Fragments https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/blog-post-title-four-d8mjp monthly 0.5 2022-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/b518876d-bc4d-453f-8caa-e27397f35b8d/9D25FD49-09FE-4D6E-B682-C12F8D2EFBB1.JPG Travel Log - Formation - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/category/Repressed+Memory monthly 0.5 https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/travel-log/category/Childhood+Sexual+Assualt monthly 0.5 https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/about daily 0.75 2022-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/705f08c9-2ecd-4bef-b344-d1841ed943e7/92246761-Jessica%2BPromo%2BPhotos-9.JPG About - Born into a family who declared that “You should never let the truth get in the way of a good story,” Jessica Golden is oddly compelled to write the truth, or at least her perception of it which invariably changes with each line written. Golden takes readers on a journey inward to discover how all of our stories inevitably have the power to connect the disparate elements that create us. Growing up on the shore of Lake Michigan, Golden witnessed the power of wind and waves, the silence in deep forests, and the impermanence of undulating sand dunes. In Los Angeles, she mastered the 405, the 110, the 101, and the 5 and followed them to the mountains, deserts, redwoods, and the ocean surrounding her. Currently, she calls Ten Sleep, Wyoming home and revels in the murmur of cottonwood leaves, the warmth of red dirt cliffs, and the quiet creeks that flow through deep canyons and wide meadows alike. Her writing is informed by her landscape, intertwined with the lessons they provide to her as she witnesses the synchronicity that exists between our search for ourselves and the natural rhythm surrounding us. Like a cat with nine lives, Golden has escaped several potential professions. To date, she has risen from the ashes of accounting, office administration and IT support; graduate programs and secondary education; outfitter, journalist, community outreach coordinator, and seeks now only to continue her journey as author. Along the way, she obtained her B.A. in Literature from St. Thomas Aquinas and her M.A. From Loyola Marymount. She has written in one form or another in each of her past lives: newsletters, office manuals, grants, news articles, obituaries, and now, despite the lack of any practicality, writes to answer the dictates of her heart wherever that may lead her. Golden is currently a member of Wyoming Writers Inc. and Women Writing the West, serving in positions ranging from greeter to President. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/home daily 1.0 2022-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/8d2545d2-d3d8-4c41-8907-c22708f9888d/IMG_3982.JPG Home https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/8b7302f8-2b59-41dc-92a1-17259fd9195e/92246762-Jessica%2BPromo%2BPhotos-19.JPG Contact - Contact I am grateful to call Ten Sleep, WY my home. I would like to acknowledge, first and foremost, that Ten Sleep rests on ground which was used by the Apsáalooke (Crow), Newe Sogobia (Eastern Shoshone), Tséstho’e (Cheyenne) and Očhéthi Šakówiᶇ for hunting, ceremonies, and as part of trade routes established throughout the state. I honor and appreciate the indigenous people who have the longest relationship to this place. Legend has it that the name came from the town’s location: it took ten nights to get between it and other significant Native American Camps. It took me a lot of restless nights before I settled anywhere, but I quickly fell in love with the red dirt roads, fragrant sagebrush, and wide-open skies that surround us here. The land here offers its own solace to those seeking it. I’ve been here seven thousand sleeps now and am grateful for each one of them. Find Jessica on Instagram @jessicagoldenauthor, Twitter @JessicaGoldenWY, or Facebook @jessicagoldenauthor. Contact Me hello@jessicagoldenauthor.com https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/speaking daily 0.75 2023-01-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/1652566804445-OZ9RU5YOE43KEM3HGRDM/unsplash-image-KeiUIl9Lzo4.jpg Speaking - Decide, Deconstruct, Define, and Deliver: The Gifts of Trauma Recovery Healing from trauma is a lifelong process. Survivors face one layer after another of behavioral issues, addictions, triggers, and recovery. The journey is daunting and oftentimes feels like an unrelenting assault within a sea of obstacles. Pain is the touchstone of growth and recovery is a process of constant transformation in an ever-changing landscape. It is easy to become disheartened along the way. Learning to see the gifts inherent in recovery restores a sense of purpose to survivors and provides a roadmap to the destinations along the journey that create meaning, agency, and hope as we travel. No one wants trauma to be a part of their story, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t claim the depth of opportunity it gives to us to reach deeply, to live fully, and to reform our lives in a redemption only offered through forging ourselves in the fire of our own experience. Decide: We have a choice to create or destroy in every decision we make as we move along the road of recovery. Learning to tap into our own creativity helps survivors contribute to a world in which so much was taken from them, a balance whose exchange paves the way towards a life filled with sustainable growth. Deconstruct: For every challenge and experience that gets thrown at us, we have to be able to take it apart piece by piece and find our own part in each experience. Because, ultimately, we only get to fix our own part. When we see the things we can change, we become more empowered, compassionate, and capable of making good decisions. Define: Learning to define ourselves by who we are today and not by what happened to us in the past, reclaims an essential part of ourselves. When you get to the place where you don’t need anyone to define, validate or acknowledge your story for you, you find freedom. Deliver: Our challenges have the power to tear us apart or to deliver us to greater awareness. Pain is the touchstone of all spiritual growth and recovery is a process of constant transformation in an ever-changing landscape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/1652566200250-BM47IWLS361OFBGL3BIK/unsplash-image-ZI33wmNexYI.jpg Speaking - Call and Response: Building collaborative space between storytellers and audiences. Storytelling is an ancient and intimate tradition. It allows us to disclose lessons, creating the power to teach and heal. But, the power to share a story isn’t just in the hands of the storyteller: It often resides in the capacity of the audience to receive what’s being given. Telling a difficult story asks both storyteller and audience to stretch beyond themselves in an act of reciprocity to create a meeting place born in the synthesis between what is shared and what is heard. Building an invitation into our stories for our audience to resonate and respond fosters intentional connection allowing for growth and creativity, often in new and unexpected ways. But learning how to speak about sexual abuse in the face of the pervasive denial in our families, our communities, and our culture, takes a strong north star, a good compass, and the ability to navigate in unchartered territory. Courage: Vulnerability creates the space for authenticity and real connection. Facing your dragons publicly gives your audience the permission to face their own stories, reflect on their roles within the framework, and identify how your journey is part of a larger narrative we all share. Recovery: Let your audience honor your resiliency and strength by sharing the person you have become, the gifts of your journey, and the empowered voice of a survivor working to contribute to healing and education. Depersonalize: We tell effective stories when we learn to rise out of the emotion and into an objective narrative that allows the audience to find a way to connect, internalize, and take action. We create receptivity when we respect the capacity of our audience to receive the weight of our stories. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/work daily 0.75 2022-02-18 https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/work/tensleep monthly 0.5 2022-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/852941c7-c784-4dee-ae86-b079ab973cde/IMG_1427.jpg Work - Ten Sleeps from Anywhere https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/work/constantvelocity monthly 0.5 2022-05-20 https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/work/scytelsandspindles monthly 0.5 2022-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/1645141869696-MKWS7088375PTUJH7JVM/unsplash-image-_KCrSolz6FI.jpg Work - Scytels and Spindles - Scytels and Spindles Through anecdotes based on the fragments she has recovered, Golden moves us through the truth of her own story as it becomes clear, an awakening that happens line by line. Scytels and Spindles moves readers both physically and emotionally, confronting the unbelievability of repressed trauma, the shame and isolation of living in secret, and the hope that sharing the truth of who we really are can pave the way for every survivor to be mended. Some stories simply don’t move in a linear arch of travel, beginning and endings can be intertwined. Mine has come to be in bits and pieces, disassociated fragments rendered into a whole. I’ve learned to come at it from the edges, allowing the picture to form peripherally, all the strands building slowly into a tapestry. Beating the threads closer together allows me to see the story, words woven in each pass revealing a truth I am building up to as I work from right to left, in and out, the loom bearing the weight of my actions. The loom lends itself to women, the violence and love we must feel for those who enter and leave us, the war we fight to hold onto ourselves in the midst of it all. We have been weaving together our work and our stories, our lives and our pain, as we spin our way through the straw to the gold. I am surprised to find myself weaving together all of these lost moments, scratching letters in the dust, wondering if the telling of it will ever create a final persecution for the perpetrators, or, if I am lucky, a transformation of my own. Perhaps I will share a song that will earn me the wings I need to rise out of all this darkness. https://www.jessicagoldenauthor.com/work/flight-risk monthly 0.5 2022-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61dcbab5e98bdc5dd80a9bb0/1643240848175-G4QFMP0IRUVM4NXCUNRT/IMG_0575.jpg Work - Flight Risk