Karen was born and raised in Millinocket, Maine. After her parents divorced when she was ten, life took many unexpected turns. She attended three different high schools and became a mom at 19 while living in a home for unwed mothers—one of the first to stay with her baby, Peter, as a resident. It was there she began learning life skills and slowly rebuilding her future.

During this season, Karen found herself in the AA Twelve Step program, where she met her first husband at an AA dance. Their ten-year marriage brought lessons in resilience and two beautiful children, Matthew and Kristina. Throughout 12 years of sobriety, Karen pursued an associate degree in Criminal Justice and became a corrections officer at Penobscot County Jail in Bangor, Maine. She balanced a demanding job with life as a single mother of three, even employing a live-in nanny to help support her household.

But the fear of past abuse haunted her. “I used to sleep with my phone,” she says, “always terrified my ex would show up.” One day, she had a realization: as long as he was talking about it, he wasn’t doing it. That shift in perspective gave her the strength to walk away—from fear, and eventually, from her job.

Karen began working at a shelter for homeless teens and later became state certified in Behavioral Support levels I & II, working under a clinical agency. It was there she found her heart’s calling—pouring into broken youth and walking alongside them. After leaving her role as a corrections officer—realizing she trusted inmates more than coworkers—her addiction deepened, leading her to the streets and into dealing.