Journal Entries
from the journal
Radiation Recovery and the Mental Fog No One Warns You About
Over a year after head and neck radiation, I still experience cognitive fog—quiet, persistent, and hard to explain unless you’ve lived through it. This isn’t ADHD. It isn’t distraction. It’s recovery. And some days, it feels like trying to think through glass....
, ,
Turning My ADHD Into a Creative Superpower
For years, ADHD made me feel unpredictable—even unreliable. Now I see the patterns for what they are: energy, momentum, instinct, and yes, creativity. Here's how I work with it instead of against it....
,
When My Brain Can’t Create, I Rearrange Furniture
When the strategic or creative part of my brain starts to dim, I don’t walk away—I shift gears. I make something small, something physical, something beautiful. It’s not about distraction. It’s about sparking the return....
,
Amber Tripp Perez crossing the finish line at the Chicago Fight for Air Climb at Soldier Field
From Breathless to Unstoppable – I Climbed 3 Times!

A little over a year ago, I was coming up the stairs from my basement when I had to stop halfway. I remember sitting down, winded and disoriented, wondering why something so simple felt suddenly impossible. At the time, I didn’t know that a tumor was growing in my nasal...

Woman with long wavy blonde hair enjoying a peaceful morning with a coffee cup on a sunlit porch.
What I Know Now About Rest That I Didn’t at 25
At 25, I thought rest was something you earned. Now I know better. Rest isn’t a reward—it’s a necessity. A form of strength. A skill worth practicing. In this journal entry, I reflect on how my understanding of rest has evolved—and what it truly means to protect your energy without...
Amber Tripp Perez prepares for the Fight for Air Climb at Soldier Field in Chicago, hosted by the American Lung Association
Climbing Toward Something New: Why the Fight for Air Climb Matters to Me
After months of recovery on my own journey, I’m taking on the Fight for Air Climb at Soldier Field—not just to raise funds, but to reclaim something personal. This is about healing, purpose, and turning trauma into action....
Amber Tripp Perez smiling with an Imerman Angels Mentor Angel badge displayed
News: I’m So Excited to Announce That I’m Now an Imerman Angel Mentor—Here’s Why It Means So Much to Me
After surviving nasal cancer and facial reconstruction, I found strength in a peer who had lived it too. Now, I’m proud to be that person for someone else—as an Imerman Angel Mentor....
What Atomic Habits Got Me to Actually Change—And What It Didn’t
Atomic Habits makes behavior change sound simple. In this post, I share what actually worked for me (and what flopped), and how I made habits stick without becoming a different person....
I Forgot I Loved That
We all forget. This post is about rediscovery—the moments when something clicks and you remember who you were before life got loud. And what happens when you invite that version back in....
Why Do We Avoid the Hard Conversations We Know We Need to Have?
We know the talks we’ve been dodging. This post explores the psychology of avoidance and how to approach difficult conversations with clarity, compassion, and less fear....