Faith, Italy & Finding Me
Part memoir, part guided journey — thirty days of reflection set against the coastlines and cathedrals of Italy, written for any woman standing at the edge of a new chapter and wondering if she's allowed to choose herself.
Each day pairs a piece of Michelle's own story with scripture, reflection, and space to sit with what's true for you.
Signed copies are available only here.
"What scripture will keep you?"
As I was packing my trunk for college, Mom came into my room and asked me a question that would change me to my core for the rest of my life.
Mom asked me, "What scripture are you going to use to keep you while you are away from home?"
I said, "Mom, what do you mean by keep me?"
She explained that in life if you do not believe in something, you will fall for anything.
She told me that life was going to be full of hills and valleys and trials and tribulations but, if I held on to something, it would see me through. Her hope was that she had given me a solid foundation of faith, love and prayer.
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Being my full 17-year-old self, I would turn 18 a few weeks later, I thought I knew it all.
What did I need scripture for?
I was grown.
I could feel myself getting sassy and prideful.
She just didn't understand.
I was leaving and I had it all figured out.
My life had a plan.
Why did I need church?
Why did I need a scripture?
My mind reeled with the possibilities of what she was really asking, but I didn't have time to really ponder what she meant. I had packing and life to get to.
Mom knew that I had been struggling with my belief in church and organized religion in general but, never my love of Jesus Christ. I had grown up going to church.
She became born again in 1975 watching The 700 Club with Pat Robertson. As she reached her hand towards the TV, she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. She became saved, which meant that anytime the church doors were open, we were there.
However, she knew her daughter well. To capture my mind and slow my rush to get to college and to get away from home, she used that inquisitive rush against me.
You see, my favorite word was WHY.
From the moment I could talk I asked why.
From the time I rose until I closed my eyes, I asked why.
Why is the sky blue?
Why does Dad work on a military base?
Why do I have to eat liver once a month?
I was relentless in my pursuit of discovery, rushing to the next answer so I could get to the next discovery.
So, she changed tactic. Instead, she asked me if I had a favorite scripture.
I said, "Yes, of course, Hebrews 11:1."
And she asked me, "Why? Why Hebrews?"
I felt like I had her.
After so many years of hearing her answer to my why questions, I answered the way she did whenever she wanted me to stop asking. Sitting up taller on my bed, I was ready to impart all of my 17-year-old wisdom: "Just because." And I went back to packing. I mean, surely that would stop her, right?
I really didn't feel like talking to Mom. But as I reflect on that time, so many years ago, Mom was trying to capture time in a bottle.
She wanted to give me a gift of belief, but she also wanted to receive the gift of my time before life changed me from her little girl into the woman I was becoming.
Mom insisted. She wanted my last why.
I said, "Mom! I have hoped for and believed in so many things without proof that they would come true. But I knew in my heart that Jesus heard me even when no one else did. I just don't believe in church anymore."
She asked me to explore and study religions for myself. It was her hope that I would find my personal relationship with Jesus.
She understood my inquisitive mind and my quest for my version of why.
Thirty days in Italy. One leap of faith. Read the rest of the journey.
Get Your CopyThe Companion Notebook
A guided journal built to walk beside the book — space for reflection, healing, and becoming, prompted day by day so the journey doesn't stay on the page. It's the difference between reading someone else's story and finally writing your own.
Best paired with the book, but complete enough to stand alone for daily journaling and prayer.
The Complete Journey Bundle
The book and its companion notebook together, at a price better than buying separately — everything you need to move through the full thirty days.
Full Signature Set: signed hardcover, signed journal with the first entry written by Michelle, and a Hebrews 11:1 bookmark.
Faith & Purpose Set: everything in the Signature Set, plus a Nuru paper-bead bracelet handmade by Namunyak artisans in Kenya.
Book Michelle to Speak
At 53, Michelle booked a solo trip to Italy at midnight — on faith alone, with no itinerary and no one asking her to go. That decision became Faith, Italy & Finding Me, and the message she now brings to women's conferences, churches, and retreats everywhere: you don't need evidence to take the leap. You just need to go.
Choose Yourself Coaching
One-on-one coaching for women standing at the edge of a new chapter, ready to stop waiting for evidence and start choosing themselves. Michelle is a Certified Professional Life Coach through the Life Purpose Institute, and her coaching can include prayer, scripture, and faith reflection if you choose.
Opening January 2027, with only a few spots available.
The founding rate is for the first three clients of 2027.