Meet Diana

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diana a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Diana , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

In my teens and twenties, my father would ask me a question that filled me with dread:
“What is your purpose? Do you have any purpose in life?”

It unsettled me every time. Inside, I felt the answer was obvious—I didn’t have one.
Still, I’d respond with something vague like, “I want to help people. To make them happy.”
He’d push: “Why?”
I’d say, “Because it makes me happy.”
But the truth I never said out loud was: So they might love me.

For a long time, I had no sense of purpose because I had no self-love.
I always dreamed of being a writer, but I kept that dream buried—especially around my father, who I feared would criticize it or dismiss me.

And then I died. Literally. But even coming back to life didn’t give me instant clarity.
It wasn’t a dramatic awakening—it was a slow unraveling. I had to lose everything. I had to fail completely.
Only then, with nothing left to hold onto, did I turn to the one thing I had always silenced: my voice.

I began to write—not for approval, not to be loved, but because it was the only thing left that felt real. I wrote with purpose.
And even through doubt and fear, I kept going.

That writing became Borderline: A Poetic Memoir—the book that gave voice to everything I was once too afraid to say.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a memoirist, poet, podcast host, and public voice on trauma recovery and immigrant rights. At the heart of everything I do is the drive to reclaim voice—both mine and others’. I write for those who’ve felt invisible, for those navigating the silence that follows survival.

My debut book, Borderline: A Poetic Memoir, was born from that silence. It’s a deeply personal account of my life as a stateless immigrant, a survivor of domestic violence, and someone who had to rebuild everything from scratch. The book weaves poetry and prose to tell the story of losing—and reclaiming—one’s mind, voice, and sense of self.

Professionally, I’m focused on expanding the reach of my work and deepening its impact. I host and produce W.I.L.D the Podcast, a platform that explores what it means to reclaim your life after trauma. We’ve recently partnered with JessTV and JessFM in Alberta, Canada, where we now air live episodes reaching over 60,000 listeners. The conversations are raw, real, and often deeply healing—for both guests and audience.

I’m also currently writing my second memoir, Stateless, which explores my 30-year legal limbo in the United States after arriving as a child immigrant under my father’s student visa. It blends personal narrative with archival material—immigration interviews, legal documents, and photographs. My goal is not only to tell my story, but to expose the invisible bureaucratic violence that many stateless people endure.

In addition to writing and podcasting, I’ve written a feature column for Spare Change News, exposing immigration policy failures through my lived experience. I’ve also recently been featured in Canvas Rebel and will appear in VoyageMIA and other upcoming publications.

What excites me most is that everything I do is connected—writing, advocacy, and storytelling aren’t separate paths for me. They’re all part of the same mission: to break the silence, reclaim space, and remind others that survival is a story worth telling. Not just the before and after—but the middle, the mess, the climb.

This isn’t just a brand. It’s a life reclaimed—and an open door for anyone who’s ever felt voiceless.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, three qualities shaped my journey: resilience, self-awareness, and the courage to reclaim my voice.

Resilience was the foundation. I faced loss, trauma, and legal battles that could have broken me. But getting up each time I fell allowed me to rebuild. Resilience isn’t about never falling—it’s about rising every time.

Self-awareness came next. Through reflection, I learned to understand my needs, fears, and patterns. Without it, I would have kept chasing false ideas of purpose and love. Self-awareness showed me where I needed healing and where to set boundaries.

Finally, the courage to reclaim my voice transformed everything. For years, I stayed silent—out of fear, shame, and survival. Speaking my truth through writing, advocacy, and conversation became the path to real connection and freedom.

For those starting their journey, my advice is simple:
1. Be patient with yourself. Healing isn’t linear.
2. Build self-awareness through journaling, therapy, or honest reflection.
3. Express yourself in safe ways—through writing, art, or small acts of truth. Your voice matters, even if it’s just heard by you.

And above all: you don’t have to do it alone.
Asking for help is okay. Having support and connection is vital.
I never sought out support—I didn’t know how. I was too scared to ask for help. So I understand how hard it can be. But you can start small. Let books be your first nudge. Join an online support group. See what aligns with your truth and your healing path.

Because healing is truly about reclaiming the self—the person you were always meant to be before the trauma.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

Over the past 12 months, my biggest area of growth has been learning how to take up space—emotionally, creatively, and professionally.

For most of my life, I made myself small. I was afraid to be seen, afraid to speak too loudly, afraid to want too much. But something shifted this past year. After publishing Borderline: A Poetic Memoir, I began to realize that sharing my story wasn’t just brave—it was necessary. And that my voice wasn’t a burden—it was a bridge.

I learned how to advocate for myself in ways I never had before. Whether it was negotiating collaborations, applying for fellowships, or showing up fully as a podcast host and writer, I began moving through fear instead of letting it stop me. I stopped waiting for permission to belong—and started claiming space as a survivor, as a stateless immigrant, and as an artist.

It’s still a daily practice, but I’ve come to understand that growth isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about returning to who you were before the world told you to shrink.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

ALR Imagery
Ashton Loren Ryan

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