Stella Gibney grew up in 1960s New Zealand. She was the fifth child in a family of six. But unlike her brothers and sisters, Stella suffered a number of abusive incidents during her formative years.

But Stella was determined not to let years of horrific abusive situations and domestic violence determine her life. She found solace in writing her thoughts down in a series of journals. Through writing she began to understand her feelings and how to gain control of her life. Over the course of 16 journals, Stella relived every moment of her life and managed to deal with the memories and move on with her life in a positive way. Now Stella has completely turned her life around and become the happy, confident person she had always wanted to be.

Today Stella has a happy healthy life with her two loving sons. This is her inspiring story of reclaiming her life and creating a happy home for herself and her two boys.