The Pain We Carry - Hardcover

The Pain We Carry is a raw and unflinching memoir of survival, abandonment, state violence, and the long road home to oneself. Kristen Nicole Powell takes readers into the heart of her childhood-through addiction, domestic violence, foster care, juvenile justice, incarceration, and the aching hunger to be loved. From running away at twelve to facing 25-to-life as a teen, she writes with unfiltered honesty about trauma, shame, generational wounds, and the cost of resilience.

But this is also a story of reclamation-of a girl who refused to stay silent, a young mother who chose life through the darkest nights, and a woman who now stands as an advocate, leader, and healer for youth impacted by systems. The Pain We Carry is more than a memoir. It is testimony. It is survival. It is a hand reaching back for every person who has ever felt unseen, unsafe, or unworthy-reminding them that healing is possible, and that their voice matters.