Walk Through The Fire

Published June 11th, 2025

I walked through the fire barefoot,

to burn away what no longer served me—

to set fire to the parts of me

that I no longer needed around—

the ones that once protected me,

but caused more harm than good.

I walked through the fire barefoot.

I burned it all down.

To rise again from the ashes,

with scars that no longer opened.

I came out the other side

with that fire still inside of me,

burning brighter,

with nothing to hide.

©Annemarie O’Brien 2025.  

All rights reserved.

Looking at The Patterns That Hold You Back

Facing yourself is hard. Looking at your own patterns—how you show up, how you protect yourself, the ways you act that don’t always reflect your best self—it’s uncomfortable.

Going inward means recognising the behaviours you developed to feel safe—and seeing how they might be holding you back now. It means facing the parts of yourself you’d rather avoid—the reactions you’re not proud of, the behaviours that hurt people, the patterns you keep repeating.

It means asking: Where did this come from? Why am I still carrying it?

And being honest enough with yourself to admit when something needs to change.