Live Free Wellness

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Live Free Wellness

Hi, I’m Marrisa! Tranformational Speaker
Cancer Survivor & Solo mom
👩🏻‍⚕️RN, BSN, MPH, CPT

I help people who feel beaten down after life shifts—those in the “now what?”—realign & rediscover who they are through integrative wellness & holistic coaching.

03/13/2026

Sometimes there are no words and tears are the only thing that allows you to release everything that you've been holding in. I don't cry like this often but let me tell you, crying- like truly ugly crying is one of the most incredible releases of pain for me.

And, when it comes, I welcome it and honor the experience and let the RELEASE happen.

We spend so much time holding it together. Pushing through. Keeping it moving. Staying strong for everyone else.

But the body and the mind- our cells- keep score and we need to let it out whether its moving our bodies, dancing it out, crying, screaming, meditating. RELEASING!

This allows our nervous system to finally exhale after holding its breath for so long.

I've cried in a lot of places! As a young child, as a teenager, a woman, a mother- as someone diagnosed with cancer. I've cried in grief, in memories- in exhaustion. And I've cried in the middle of rebuilding my life many times!

Every single time there is a shift with a little bit more light. A breath that comes after the release.

If you've been holding it together so long you've forgotten what it feels like to let go, this is your permission.

It's okay to cry.

If you need support, DM me "SUPPORT." I'm here.

03/12/2026

Nobody prepares you for the after.

You get through the hard thing, the cancer and treatments, the addiction and getting sober- finding your pink cloud, the heartbreak and trying to remember who you are as YOU, the loss and everyone around you see keeps moving. Like, okay, she made it. She's fine now. It's over.

But you're standing there like.

Now what?

Because something shifted. And you don't totally recognize yourself anymore. And you're not sure if that's okay or if something is wrong with you.

But, nothing is wrong with you.

Your nervous system has been in survival mode. It doesn't just turn off because the crisis is over. It needs time. Space. Support. It needs to actually learn that it's safe now.

That's what I call the, "Now What" phase.

The in-between. After the storm but before you feel like yourself again.

It's real. It's disorienting. And it makes complete sense.

If this is where you may be right now, you're not behind. You may feel beat down or broken but you're just in the middle of something BIG!

And that's exactly where I come in. I help women who feel shattered by life's struggles find themselves again and rediscover who they are through holistic coaching and integrative wellness. Looking at mind, body, spirit and health- all science-backed and soul-led. ❤️

DM me "NOW WHAT" and let's talk.

03/10/2026

Detox.. literally one of the worst places to land. The he**in kick is no joke- where you flop around like a fish out of water, sh****ng at the same time- stomach cramps. Pain in your legs so bad that you could take a hammer to them to beat the muscles.

And then you have inpatient detox- also not fun but yet, many stories from those times too. Trying to scam the nurses to get more medication to help the pain and discomfort. A place where nothing you say is true, even if you are telling the truth.

I'm one of the lucky ones that had my moment where I was done using and ready to listen but there were stops along the way.

Walking through addiction and homelessness is just one of the many hurdles I've walked through and an important step that helped to shape me and bring me to where I am today.

We don't have to suffer. We don't have to be alone. There is support out there, whether with me or someone else. If you are in the struggle of life after a big shift where you don't know who you are anymore- I can help.

Sending everyone so much love today and all days!

03/06/2026

When did I know I was done?
I was so tired. I was tired of everything. I had a throat infection.
Shane and I had been fighting about everything. Drugs. Money. Survival. There was NOTHING and I mean nothing fun about the life we were living.

He left and came back with a handcuff still on his wrist after escaping security at Rite Aid. A shirt wrapped around his arm. No shirt on his body. He was covered in scabs from picking and so was I.

I was looking at a mirror and was convinced that I had bugs.

I was tired. So beyond tired.

That was the day that I couldn't keep going. I called Todd from the Needle Exchange and I asked for help.

He worked his magic like he did for so many of us and got me into detox. That call changed everything. That surrender changed my entire life.

If you’re in a place where you’re that tired, whether from addiction or just big life's shifts, you don’t have to do it alone.

DM me “SUPPORT.”

03/04/2026

What was I doing with a kitten on the street in a hundred-dollar-a-week, cockroach-infested room we were calling home? Oh man, the stories. Shane and I could hear the kittens meowing in the Frontier Hotel on Skid Row (where the Million Dollar Movie was filmed).

It was pure chaos between the drugs, getting enough money for drugs, doing drugs and all the cockroaches, which still to this day are my biggest fear. And yet somehow… there was our little girl- terrified. Shane climbed over a really high ledge to reach her. A tiny white kitten, black covered in fleas.

We washed her in the sink with lice shampoo because that’s what we had. Her litter box was cardboard box with torn newspaper. She would wake me in the moring by playing with my dreadlocks.

Her name was Huera. My little white girl. Homeless with us and even when I went to rehab one of my longest friends took her for me and when I left rehab, she came home to me, through rebuilding my life.

Over twenty years that little kitten stayed by my side.

In the middle of insanity, there was still love, through all the ups and downs that came over the years. My little girl was there for it. Her love mattered and the journey we had together.

These little connections we make along the road are connections that can impact our lives forever. If you need support or know someone who does, I am HERE!

DM me “SUPPORT.”

03/02/2026

When I moved to Skid Row there was a shift because now I was closer to where I needed to be. I was closer to the drugs. Closer to the chaos which felt so normal to me and closer to the life we were choosing.

Shane and i would wait. Sick. Sweating. Jittery. Watching and waiting for our guy. We'd have the money we hustled all day for, ready. Our stomachs aching and our bodies in withdrawal. Just waiting until we could get the drugs in our hands. This was a life of survival.

We’d use all night. Pass out and wake up sick, needing to use again. And then we'd spend the day figuring out how to make money so we could do it all over.

Stealing. Hustling. Fake IDs. Barely surviving this life of addiction and the cycle that comes with it.

Every single day was the SAME.

Addiction shrinks your world down to one goal: don’t get sick. Freedom had faded and we were in a constant loop of use, getting sick, desperation and pain.

The freedom I have today looks nothing like that. I have a clear mind a steady body and a life I don’t have to escape from. I have FREEDOM from addiction

If you’re stuck in a cycle that feels endless, DM me “BREAK.”

**in

02/27/2026

How did I survive being young and on the street?

The village that surrounded those of us that were out there in the battle everyday.

It was people. The youth drop-in centers. The Needle Exchange.

The people who met me exactly where I was and taught me what harm reduction was. Many of those people are still in my life. They held me, loved me, showed me the way without every forcing anything.

Food. Showers. A phone call. Clean supplies. A women’s night to give us a safe place to be. And they showed me love.

Over 25 years later- these programs and these people still exist. Showing up, fighting the fight- protecting people and the impact they had on my life helped me find my way into nursing and my work today as an Integrative Wellness Coach. Combining all of my life experiences with all of the formal education that came later.

This gentleness saved me.

If you’re in a place where you need support, you don’t have to do it alone.

DM me “SUPPORT.”

02/26/2026

Addiction gave me an out. An out to disconnect from the world. Following rules, abiding by what people expected from me. The streets were a place where all us kids took care of each other, while also selfishly only taking care of ourselves and our addiction. I don’t lie or try to hide what my experience was- we had fun and THEN we didn’t. Dope sickness, hunger, wounds, people dying- we weren’t actually free. We were trapped in this vicious cycle and nothing was romantic.

The freedom I have today is real freedom. Waking up clear headed, hearing the birds and feeling the love of the new day vs anger or fear. Enjoying the sunshine on my face, the breeze. Balanced and stable and very deeply alive.

It took me along time to find it but real freedom isn’t escaping your life — it’s finally being able to stay in it and feel gratitude for it even in the darkest of days.

02/25/2026

My first night homeless in Hollywood. What an adventure into a world I really knew nothing about but for some reason, I wasn't scared. Walking out of detox, I made that decision that I was "free" or so I thought. No more bills, no rent. The freedom to run free and do what I want. I was 21. Running, chasing- looking for a different life. Finding a way to escape the one I was in.

There is so much I learned later in life to help me better understand how and why I stepped into addiction and how to pull myself out of it but in these moments as I was stepping in I had no idea the depths I would fall.

If you’re in a season that used to feel free and is now dark and chaotic, I get it. I've been there too. And if you or someone you know needs help and are tired of surviving, reach out.

02/24/2026

Oh this life of mine. So many seasons. So many adventure and so much hard work to get to where I am today.

I’ve rebuilt myself from the ground over and over. Always getting up and fighting for this life.

And regularly, people tell me the same thing.

“You should write a book.”

“You need to tell your story.”

So here I am, telling pieces of my lived life. Staging on stages, in rooms, on podcasts, here sharing so that I can help others know they are not alone and that there are so many ways to get through the storms.

Here I AM

And if you’re looking for a transformational speaker for your event, podcast, or organization, DM me “SPEAK.”

Let’s have the conversation.

02/20/2026

Do you put your mask on first before assisting others? This is such an important rule to apply in life. When our cup is empty it's almost impossible to pour from it but so many of us keep going and prioritize our kids, partners, work, friends before ourselves. What does it look like if you create boundaries that are aligned with you and choosing you?

I create a Self-Love Success Blueprint to help you reconnect to yourself, find deep love, honor your boundaries and show up more present. And one of the most amazing benefits when you prioritize yourself is more success in all areas of your life!

If you’re ready to build more self-trust in yourself, DM me “BLUEPRINT” and I’ll send you the details.

02/19/2026

Walking through Malibu Creek.

What you see is not a straight path.
It's not perfectly smooth.
Rocks. Uneven ground. Adjusting your footing.

That’s the “Now What?” phase.

When life shifts.
When you’ve outgrown who you were.
When you no longer know who you are.
When you know you’re meant for something, something more, but you’re not fully clear yet.

This is where you may feel hit when you're down but also an opportunity for realignment.

Mind, body, spirit, health.

One steady step at a time.

If you’re in your “Now What?” season and ready to realign, release, and reclaim who you are, I'd love to support you.

Book a call, let's connect and build your next chapter with intention.

Address

1125 N McCadden Pl
Los Angeles, CA
90038

Website

http://Livefreewellness.org/

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