Broken Open: A Mother's Journey to Survive Her Children's Addiction and Mental Illness with Maureen Towns

Maureen Towns BScN, MA is a relationship mentor with over 25 years of nursing experience in both public and private health care across Canada. After experiencing mental illness and addiction with her own children, she founded Maureen Towns Consulting to help families struggling to care for their own loved ones. Her work with parents inspires them to rediscover themselves within chaotic and challenging situations. In her recently published book Broken Open: A Mother's Journey to Survive Her Children's Addiction and Mental Illness Maureen shares her journey through her teenage kids' mental illnesses to help parents find freedom in chaos. Part memoir and part guide, Broken Open shows you how to empower your children to reclaim their lives, without losing yourself in the process. After growing up in an abusive, alcoholic home and raising her children through their mental health issues, Maureen discovered a more authentic way of living after learning resilience, detachment, self-care, and communication. In the years following her family's challenges, Maureen has camped on a beach in Thailand, slept under the stars on a remote Philippine Island, sailed and snorkeled in the Andaman Sea, became a dive master in Roatan and dove with sharks in the Red Sea. Born in Ontario, Maureen currently resides in Calgary, Alberta. She can most often be found hiking in the Rocky Mountains, doing CrossFit with her son, Sam, biking with her son, Ben, and granddaughter, Athena, or just hanging out with her daughters, Sydney and Ally. Maureen also hosts the Broken Open Podcast. www.maureentowns.com