Carissa Maxwell is finally free … and freedom is a state of mind.

“To me,” she said during a recent interview, “being free means that you are true to yourself and true to your own your story and how it has shaped you, and you believe the person you present to the world is authentically who you see yourself to be.”

From childhood, Carissa was determined to justify her worthiness in life. “I grew up in a home where what you produce is what makes you valuable and loved. The message to me was that you are not loved because you are loved; you are loved if you do what is expected without question, regurgitate acceptable ideas, and cater to others’ needs before your own. I was like a chameleon, changing colors to stay safe and be ‘good.’”

People-pleasing tendencies mixed with a big determination to do great things drove Carissa to make a big impact on the world. She married right out of college and settled with the idea that being a young wife and mother would unlock the key to happiness and fulfillment. She was going to build a family unit that was better than what she had, and she was going to be good at it—the best.