Welcome to My Journey!

Welcome! I’m glad you’ve found me. My name is Diana Degan and I am a woman on a journey of discovery. But really, aren’t we all? So, what makes mine unique enough that I would create a website, a blog, a newsletter (hint, hint, sign up now!) and write a book?

Well, sixteen years ago, I met a man. Ha! So, starts every romance novel. But, it’s true. I was attending the small family wedding of my younger brother in the Dominican Republic and one day at lunch, as I surveyed the endless choices of sweet temptations before me at the dessert buffet, I heard a voice ask, “What looks good?”

Little did I know that those three words were going to change my life forever in ways that I could never imagine.

Within months, I was thrown heart first into the intense drama of loving a man going through a high conflict divorce from a woman with narcissistic personality disorder–although it would take us another three years to figure that out. And I became a stepmother…to two young pre-teen girls who were 11 and 12 at the time. I didn’t even get the cute puppy years!

Being a stepmother is the hardest job in the world. The most unrecognized, unappreciated job in the world. It is a true labour of love. It is lonely, and you think you are losing your mind.

I am an award-winning, integrated marketing communications expert, recognized in my industry and my local business community, and I struggled with this.

I have found this journey intensely lonely, frustrating and inspiring of emotions that I have never felt before—like anger, rage and sheer disbelief. But, there have also been rewards.

As I took on my new role of stepmother, I was desperately searching for help, looking for books, looking for groups to attend and there were few resources at the time. I was working with two different therapists, one for me personally and my partner and I were seeing one together.

I first started writing about fifteen years ago, but there was always another crisis that we were dealing with. So, I would push my notes aside. I recently decided the universe was telling me the time was right to share the story of my journey, to help other stepmoms. I bring a mature, sophisticated, experienced, passionate voice to the table, one that has endured the trauma of being a stepmom in a high conflict divorce situation. And I’m willing to talk about it.

I didn’t plan on being a stepmom, but it happened anyway, so I had to figure out how to be the best one I could be, the hard way. Now, I want to help make the journey for other stepmoms a little easier and a little less lonely.

Wishing you love and learning,