Today we’d like to introduce you to Scarlet McKenzie.
Hi Scarlet , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, thank you so much for this opportunity. I’m a woman who’s taken rock bottom and turned it into a foundation. A mother. A creator. A cycle-breaker. My life has been anything but easy, but I’ve learned how to turn pain into purpose, and now I’m using that power to help others do the same.
I was shaped by a storm; childhood trauma, institutional systems, and time spent in a juvenile group home. I’ve known heartbreak, silence, and survival, product of a broken system. But I also discovered that within all that chaos was the seed of something sacred: the ability to rebuild, on my own terms.
Today, I homeschool my daughter using a da Vinci-inspired method rooted in truth, wonder, and creativity, raising her in a way that repairs what was broken in me. I also founded Magnolia Muse Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking generational curses and supporting women and children impacted by domestic violence. Our mission? To turn survival into beauty and freedom,!through education, emotional support, and radical self-love.
I’ve walked through fire, and now I’m lighting the way for others. Whether it’s through my writing, my voice, or simply showing up with honesty and heart, I’m here to remind women that we are not what’s been done to us. We are what we choose to become, not the product of our environment
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Living with complex PTSD has been one of my greatest challenges; an invisible wound that shaped the way I viewed myself, my worth, and the world around me. For years, I didn’t have access to therapy. Financially, I was surviving on next to nothing, with no safety net. But I was determined to heal. So I became my own student, my own therapist, and my own advocate.
I devoured books like The Body Keeps the Score, The Four Agreements, and DBT self-help guides. I studied how trauma rewires the brain, and then I began the work of rewiring mine. Slowly, I started to see myself not as broken, but as rebuilding.
Part of that healing meant drawing a hard line between who could stay in my life and who had to go. I cut off anyone who violated my boundaries, without guilt, without apology. I used to confuse chaos with love, dysfunction with connection. Not anymore. I no longer find comfort in pain or let old wounds choose my future. I’ve seen the patterns, how childhood trauma led me into harmful relationships with both lovers and friends, and I’ve broken the cycle.
I also no longer allow fear or coercion to dictate my decisions. Systems like CPS once tried to silence me with threats and control, but I’ve reclaimed my voice. I stand firm in my truth, not just for me, but for my daughter. I want her to see what a strong woman looks like. I want her to know that she never has to shrink, settle, or silence herself to be loved or protected.
I’m still healing. There are days it’s heavy. But I am here. I’m grounded, grateful, and unshakeable in my purpose. What once tried to destroy me has become the very thing that fuels my fire.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The work I do is rooted in healing, advocacy, and creative expression. I am an artist in every sense of the word, not just with my hands or voice, but with the way I choose to live, lead, and uplift. Through Magnolia Muse Foundation, I create programs and resources that help women and children break free from cycles of abuse, poverty, and generational trauma. But my mission goes beyond survival, I’m here to make the world more beautiful. Whether I’m writing, homeschooling, designing safe and soulful spaces, or using my voice to speak truth, everything I create is infused with intention. I turn pain into poetry, struggle into sanctuary, and lived experience into living proof. My art is my activism. And beauty, for me, is not surface-deep, it’s the fierce, radiant light that rises when we reclaim our power and help others do the same.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If there’s one thing I wish I had known sooner, it’s this: don’t be afraid to speak out. For too long, I stayed silent; out of fear, shame, survival. But silence protects the oppressor, never the oppressed. One of my deepest beliefs is: “If you know of or see something wrong and don’t say anything, you are just as guilty as the person doing it.” That truth shook me awake.
Your voice is a weapon and a refuge. Use it. Even if it shakes. Even if you’re scared. Especially then. Speak up for yourself. Speak up for others. Question systems. Challenge silence. Your courage might be the permission someone else is waiting for.
Healing, growth, and justice all begin with truth — and truth begins when someone dares to say: “This isn’t right.” I’ve learned that being “nice” isn’t the goal. Being honest, brave, and aligned with your values is. The world doesn’t need more polite women. Ir doesn’t need us to “sir still, look pretty. It needs more powerful women who aren’t afraid to call it like they see it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletmckenzie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1726HW6KNB/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@scarlet_mckenzie
