Stubborn Grace: Finding Vitality in the Midst of Adversity
The first edition in the Stubborn Grace journal series.
Funny how life splits itself into chapters you never meant to write.
One minute, you’re holding it all together, the next, you’re unraveling in waiting rooms, trying to make meaning out of paperwork and pain.
I created Stubborn Grace in the space between survival and becoming—because I needed somewhere to put the feelings that didn’t fit in a clipboard or a doctor’s report. I needed a place to remember who I was before the diagnosis, and gently guide myself into who I was becoming after.
Maybe you do too.
What This Journal Offers
Not a to-do list. Not toxic positivity.
Just a hand to hold.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Simple, science-backed prompts to regulate your breath and your body
- Gentle spaces to speak what feels unspeakable
- A rhythm of reflection that honors fatigue, grief, and small joys
- Quiet strength that whispers: you don’t have to do this alone
Whether you’re in treatment, post-treatment, or loving someone who is—this journal is here to hold you.
My Journey Keeper: Contacts & Notes
A practical companion for the days that demand structure.
Cancer brings paperwork, appointments, and conversations you never imagined having. My Journey Keeper is here to hold the logistical side of your experience—so you don’t have to hold it all in your mind.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Organized pages for appointments, notes, questions, and contacts
- Room for what matters—and relief from what doesn’t
It’s a small structure in a time of big uncertainty.
Prefer Spiral-Bound?
If a lay-flat journal feels easier in your hands or lap, there’s also a spiral-bound version available through Lulu Press.
It costs a little more and requires shipping, but it’s the same Stubborn Grace, printed in a more accessible format.
Because sometimes, ease is everything.
???? Want to Start Gently? Receive a Grace Note.
If you’re not quite ready to begin with a journal, I’ve created a free offering just for you (or someone you love):
Grace in 4 Days
A gentle journaling experience delivered to your inbox.
Includes four reflective, evidence-based prompts and one calming audio message from me.
????️ A Voice for the Journey
This journal wasn’t created in isolation.
It was spoken into hospital rooms, whispered between survivors, and presented at the Mayo Clinic as a living example of what happens when softness becomes strength.
Here’s a short clip of Lena Winslow speaking at the Mayo Clinic in partnership with The DONNA Foundation—a moment where healing and story met on stage.
“I wasn’t trying to be brave. I was trying to survive. And softness was the thing that made it possible.”
See the moment where healing, resilience, and voice came together
About the Author
Lena Winslow is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, writer, mother of three, and triple-negative breast cancer survivor.
She speaks nationally on resilience, psychological safety, and whole-person healing—and has presented at the Mayo Clinic in partnership with The DONNA Foundation, and at community-centered events with Florida Blue and the City of Jacksonville.
But most of all, Lena is a woman who knows what it feels like to live in the messy middle of uncertainty. She created Stubborn Grace not from theory but from lived experience—one prompt, one breath, one tiny win at a time.
“I made this journal because I needed it. And now, it’s here for you.”
In Conversation: Why Stubborn Grace Had to Exist
This conversation gave me room to say the things I hadn’t yet written.
About what comes after the diagnosis. About identity, permission, and the strange grace of the in-between.
If you’ve ever wondered where Stubborn Grace came from—this is the story under the story.
Not polished. Just present. Just me.
(Interview hosted by my friend, Debbie Prediger, who held this space with care.)