RECLAIMING MY MIND: A Journey of Resilience, Public Service, and True Survival

"Survival is a bridge, not a destination." At thirteen, Shequinta Clyke was caught in the fractures of a shifting child welfare system, uprooted from her community, and placed behind the cold institutional walls of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. What followed was a thirty-eight-year journey navigating systemic neglect, deep personal trauma, financial instability, and the sudden, terrifying valley of acute psychosis. Yet, this is not a tragedy. It is a strategic, hard-earned blueprint for reclaiming psychological autonomy. From processing complex federal immigration portfolios to coordinating files for the historic \$400-million Sydney Tar Ponds cleanup, Shequinta built a flawless public service career while quietly white-knuckling a sensitive nervous system. Now, at fifty-two, she reframes her deepest vulnerabilities as her greatest clinical assets as she steps forward into a future in nursing. Set against the rich cultural backdrop of Sydney, Cape Breton, Reclaiming My Mind is a powerful, raw, and fiercely dignified map for survivors, mothers, and anyone fighting quietly to piece their own blueprint back together