💬 A Personal Message from the Founder

Hi, I'm Chad. This is my story — and what's worked for me. I want to start by saying this: Your story matters.What worked for me may not be the exact path for you, and I don't claim to have all the answers. I only know what pulled me out of the dark — and maybe, just maybe, it might spark something in you too.

When I was very young, between the ages of 5 and 10, I experienced trauma no child should go through. My father married a woman who brought deep harm into our home. Me and one of my brothers were abused — emotionally, physically, and sexually. I have memories of standing naked in a basement corner all night while my dad was working midnight shifts. I don't know all the details — trauma has a way of blurring time — but the pain stayed, even when the memories didn't. I buried it. For 40 years.

Fast-forward to 7th grade — I started acting out. I got in trouble constantly. I loved my dad, and I felt safe around him, but I never told him what was really going on inside me. I believed I was just a screw-up. That belief followed me into adulthood like a shadow.

By my twenties, I had already racked up two DUI charges in a single week. I lost my license, fell into a deep depression, and dove headfirst into drugs. Heroin, morphine, cocaine — you name it. Addiction became my identity. I couldn't hold a job for more than a year or two. I was either back in jail, back on drugs, or stranded with no ride to work. I tried all the traditional recovery methods. Some helped, most didn't. I started to believe I was just... broken. A loser. That this was just who I was.

Then something unexpected happened.

At around 45 years old, I met a woman who told me about self-kindness and affirmations. I remember thinking, this can't be real. But something in me listened. I'd tried everything else, and I had nothing left to lose. So I started small:“No, Chad — you're not a loser. You're not your past. You can do this. But you have to start.”And so I did. I quit drugs. I quit smoking. I enrolled in college. I confronted my past. I picked up books.

I read about trauma, the brain, healing, and hope. One book that changed everything was “What Happened to You?” by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry. It taught me that the question isn't “What's wrong with me?” but “What happened to me?”

I began to understand how trauma shaped my brain — and that healing was possible. It didn't matter that other people had “worse” trauma. What mattered was how my brain responded. I couldn't change what happened, but I could change how I thought about it, how I treated myself, and what I did next.

Then I read “The Talent Code”, and my mind was blown again. It taught me that talent isn't born — it's built. Skill is built. Kindness is built. Recovery is built. Through repetition, our brain wires new pathways. These get wrapped in myelin, a substance that speeds up and strengthens signals in the brain. That means the more you repeat a thought or action — whether good or bad — the stronger it becomes.

And here's the truth that changed everything for me:
You can rewire your mind. You can rebuild your life. One wrap at a time.

I'm 49 now. I'm clean. I'm sober. I'm proud. I'll graduate with my first degree in December 2025. And, fingers crossed, I'll finally have my license back too.

I still wake up and choose recovery every day. I practice self-love. I read, write affirmations, meditate, exercise, and keep learning. I'm building this website to share the journey with you — not because I've got it all figured out, but because I know what it's like to feel like you'll never change... and then change anyway.

Thank you for your time, and for your heart. I hope to see you on the other side, friend.

Let's beat our past — one wrap at a time.

I believe in you.

— Chad Adams Drummonds
Founder, Myelin Map & Myelin Nation