Well, How Did I Get Here?
Haunting the Huntington Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, CA
42 and unemployed for the first time in my adult life. Now what?
And you may find yourself… in a beautiful house, in a beautiful suburb, with a beautiful cat, and a partner you actually want to settle down with. And you may ask yourself: Well, how did I get here?
As the Talking Heads song echoes in my head, creative inspiration is flowing freely in my brain, not distracted or blocked by work anxiety. For the first time in 20+ years, I’m feeling like well, me.
I’ve been working since the minute I turned 15 and could legally snag a work permit. My introduction to minimum wage (I think was $4.50 at the time) started at a Dairy Queen in Joliet, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago most famous for it’s prisons, and spiraled into a decade-long odyssey through the circles of hell in hospitality. I’ve sold records, dildos, crystals, served countless plates in busy restaurants, and logged miles as a Lyft and Uber driver when the rent was due.
Growing up with blue-collar parents who never quite saw the world beyond our doorstep motivated me to get out as fast as I could. I left home for Chicago at 17, spent 12 years grinding, and eventually found myself very lost in a city I once loved, and tired of the cold. At 29, after applying to over a thousand different jobs in Los Angeles, one finally bit: I packed two cats and my entire life into a beat-up Ford Focus and drove to LA alone. No home, just a job lead and a lot of nerves.
The Marketing Pivot
Somewhere along the way to now, I discovered I was a "natural" at marketing. It wasn't the plan, but mentors through the years encouraged me to lean into it. I found success there, building brands and telling stories for others, but I always felt a disconnect; like I was using my creative battery to power someone else’s spotlight.
Then came 2025, a depressing year for many, myself included. I was in the deepest state of depression I’d felt in a long time (not since my mother died in 2021 during the pandemic) and was unexpectedly laid off right before Thanksgiving. But something more unexpected happened. The depression suddenly lifted and it felt like the universe grabbed me by the shoulders and said SNAP THE HELL OUT OF IT.
The Midlife Glow-Up (or Crisis, You Pick)
I’m 42, and discovering my neurodivergent tendencies. I’m finally reading books fully again instead of just starting them. I’m writing for myself. I’m living in Pasadena, a place I never thought I’d call home, balancing that perfect line between hot child in the city and escape from witch mountain vibes.
Society is sadly crumbling right outside our doors, but inside, I’m building my safe, creative space. Why wait for someone to hire me when I can create the job I actually want? I’m taking my 20+ years of experience, which you can see a glimpse of in my professional portfolio here and blending it with my love for the weird, the historic, and the kitchy.
Helen Haunts is more than just a blog or an IG handle. It’s an invitation. Whether you’re a fellow wild child learning how to take time to smell the roses, a cinema nerd, or someone who just really appreciates a good ghost story over a Chicago hot dog, you’re welcome here. There’s no shame, only growth, laughs, and the occasional "good cry" we all need.
So, let’s explore. Let’s learn from each other. And for fucks sake, let's find a really good martini.
Follow the journey on Instagram: @helenhaunts
