About ME
Brooke
Wife, Mom, Woman, and Creator of I Guess I'll Drive
Hi, It's me, and my entire body is the problem
Hi, I’m Brooke — and like so many others, I lived most of my life on hard mode.
After a complete and utter mental breakdown circa 2015, I fought to understand what the actual fuck was wrong with me. It wasn't until my 40's that I was diagnosed with OCD and ADHD.
Late diagnoses come with a lot: relief, grief, anger, clarity. Suddenly, so much of my story made sense — the exhaustion, the crippling anxiety, the spirals, the overstimulation (a word I WISH I knew and understood when my kids were little), the shutdowns, the constant battle with my own mind.
Amongst all of this I also carried so many physical problems, constant pain, migraines, dizziness, heart palpitations, temperature intolerance, the entire list is giving CVS receipt.
And because of my mental health none of this was taken seriously. I’ll never forget the moment I went to my primary care doctor, scared, depleted and overwhelmed with it all, I had curated a list of everything I was suffering with begging for answers. I genuinely thought he would help.. Instead, he dismissed me with a cold suggestion: “This is all in your head, here is a number of a therapist”
Side note: I had been in therapy for almost a year and a half at this point
He wasn’t entirely wrong — I did need support. But not like that. And not at the expense of the very real physical conditions I was desperately trying to understand.
So I took my health into my own hands. Since then, I’ve built a care team that listens — and they’ve helped uncover a list of diagnoses that paint a much clearer picture:
BVD, POTS, fibromyalgia, hypermobility syndrome, and MCAS.
All real. All complex. All worth treating with compassion.
This space was born from that journey — from the anger, the exhaustion, and the need for connection. But also from love and the desire to help others going through this exact same in this exact moment.
A little about my life:
I’ve been married for over 24 years to someone who’s patiently walked through this with me. We have three perfect Gen Z kids and a small pack of dogs — four, but I’d happily add more. I love reading (smut mostly), music (avid Swiftie and lover of Stevie), movies, and TV. And more recently, I have become a gamer. A 44 year old mom gamer. Do we still say Newb?
I’ve lived in the same place my entire life, I used to think I would never want to live anywhere else, I think I was just scared. Colorado is where I really want to be.
I'm close with my parents and siblings. I’m the oldest of three — ACOD, which is so weird. I have had the same friends since I was 14. They're the best people on this entire planet besides my kids and hubs.
I decided to create I Guess I’ll Drive for myslef really but also to hold space for those of us still driving on empty. The ones who’ve been told “it’s all in your head,” too. The ones still figuring it out, still pushing forward, still trying to make sense of what it all means.
If that’s you: I’m so glad you’re here.