Voyage Houston Article
Today we’d like to introduce you to Fran Speake.
Fran, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story is one of hope and inspiration, a kind of rags to riches story. I only share it to lift others up and to offer them a way out through my experience. I give them something to cling to through my faith, and I help them find joy in their own lives. I became an author only after experiencing a catastrophic incident involving the crooked judge in my divorce and custody battle. When I became witness to this unbelievable event, I heard through prayer, “you’re going to write a book.” Now I had been working in healthcare for twenty years and was comfortable in doing so, and the last thing I had aspirations to be was an author. However, my first book is actually my own story titled Daughter of the King:Finally Free. Ninety-nine percent of the readers have all had the same thing to say about it which was, “I couldn’t put it down.” I am super happy about that and have become a resiliency expert through all the trials and tribulations. Even after the book was out, my publisher was arrested and charged with eight felony counts of fraudulent business activities so I believe adversity never ends and learning to cope is vital to happiness. Here is a quick synopsis of my story.
I grew up in Alief, Texas, a suburb of Houston in the 60’s and 70’s, during a simpler time. I thought I had an idyllic childhood, but in reality, I lived in a house that had no love, affection, or regard for the children in it. It also had tons of violent fighting. As a result, I grew up with a huge hole in my soul, like a lot of people from this generation. Hitting puberty, my parents divorced ending the violence but opening up a freedom that I quickly basked in. Being raised with such neglect, I delighted in any form of attention I could discover, it fed something in me, a fundamental desire to be seen and heard, to know I mattered. The problem was that this was the free love, drugs, sex and rock and roll era and oh how I fit right in. As a child, becoming a drug addict is not something anyone strives to be and is usually a reaction or result of never being taught coping skills. When things or situations become difficult, one may reach to drugs and/or alcohol to turn off those uncomfortable feelings. This happens with children of abuse as well. And it happened with me. I ran with a pretty rowdy crowd, even marrying the cousin of famous rockers Edward and Alex Van Halen. Sadly, that marriage was doomed from the start.
Fast forward to 1987 and I met and later married someone I thought would be good for me, an up and coming attorney who, for now, was a handsome law student. I thought this union would get me away from the lifestyle I had become so accustomed to, the heavy partying all the time. And for a short while, it worked but if you are not healthy, you attract the same and thus we were living in dysfunction junction. Without giving everything away, this union failed as well and, through the nasty divorce and custody battle, I learned about a new low that people will go to when they are dishonest and want to win at all costs. The judge was as crooked as they come, but only against women. But what happened to him and his family is something that leaves most people with jaws dropped. I was so naive that I honestly believed if I was truthful, it would all work out in what was best for the children. Boy was I wrong.
There is so much more to the story but I would like for you to be surprised when, hopefully, you read it. I have been in recovery since 2003 and learned so much, a couple sad statistics being that 19.7 million American adults, aged 12 and older battle a substance abuse disorder and it cost American society $740 billion annually. It is true that in order to keep it, we have to pass it on, however, I have also learned is it is my biggest joy to do so. Sponsoring, mentoring or teaching others is a way of giving of myself, not just with addiction but with co-dependency, failed relationships and how to take responsibility for your own life and therefore your happiness. Leaving that victim mentality will help anyone in how to survive in this sometimes very hard world. And in this very hard world, a world we may or may not understand, we sometimes forget the most basic rule…be kind.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The first two years of my sobriety I was faced with one court order after another, never in my favor. I was publicly humiliated over and over but I grew from it and as I stayed sober through it all, I persevered personally. In the court battle I lost everything, including my children, but I got stronger, tougher, wiser and, of course, later got my children back.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a resiliency expert and survivor. I am an addiction and co-dependency expert, as demonstrated through my recovery. I am most proud of the fact that I live my life in service to God and others. The thing that sets me apart is that there are a lot of people that get sober and maintain sobriety but then there are those of us that actually do the work on ourselves to ensure we are not just sober but we really are happy, joyous and free.
What were you like growing up?
Prior to my parents divorce, I was living in a fantasy world of make believe, falling in love with Donny Osmond, Jack Wild of H.R.Pufnstuf fame and spending countless hours day dreaming. I had huge aspirations of becoming a famous actress when I was young, but in reality, when I went to school, I longed to become a photographer. Life and my inability to handle it pushed me in another direction and at age 30, I went back to school and became a respiratory therapist and am still practicing today. I am of Italian heritage and bubbly…and with me, there is never a lack of conversation. At age 17 I almost entered the air force and did all the necessary tests except sign on the dotted line and that was because I wanted so badly to be a pilot and they told me I couldn’t because I didn’t have 20/20 vision. They informed me that the tests showed I had the strongest abilities to become an airplane mechanic to which my stubborn nature blurted out, “I want to fly them, not fix them.” I love being an RT though and I am in service every single day to all my patients. I have held hands and comforted patients while they transition from this life and let family cry on my shoulder as their loved one passes on. I have taught people on home ventilators, tracheostomy care and generally how to care for their family member at home. It has been extremely rewarding personally. I have worked in management so I know both ends to this business. I am very content in my choices and have no regrets.
Contact Info:
- Website: franspeake.com
- Instagram: daughterofthekingfinallyfree
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DaughterOfTheKingFinallyFree
- Twitter: @franspeake
