Permission to Break

A Memoir of Strength, Silence, and Softness

Permission to Break is a self published memoir rooted in lived experience, service, motherhood, grief, and healing. Written and released independently, this work was created without gatekeepers and without compromise.

This is not a story about collapse. It is a story about choosing honesty over endurance and learning to come home to yourself.

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Independently published. Fully owned.

• Stories shaped by public service and personal reckoning
• Honest reflections on identity, grief, faith, and emotional survival
• The quiet, difficult work of learning to receive care
• A reminder that breaking is not failure, it is often the beginning of something honest

Available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

What You Will Find Inside

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Why It Matters

This memoir is the foundation of Black Ember. The values in these pages shape our publishing, photography, and creative work. This is where it began.

Self published by design, Permission to Break stands as proof that you can own your voice, keep your rights, and build something meaningful on your own terms.

From Readers

  • “A radical act of honesty and healing. This memoir gives readers permission to stop pretending, and start listening to themselves.”

    — Laura

  • “A powerful reminder that softness can be a form of survival and healing.”

    — Shauna

  • “As someone who is used to holding everything together, this book felt like an exhale. Permission to Break gave me language for the weight I’ve been carrying and permission to lay some of it down.”

    — Lisa

  • “Rashida Saunders writes with honesty, tenderness, and courage. This memoir doesn’t just tell a story, it creates space for your own. I felt seen, challenged, and comforted all at once.”

    — Alexia

  • “This book felt like permission to exhale. It named things I didn’t have language for and reminded me that strength doesn’t have to look like endurance. I felt seen in a way that was gentle and honest.”

    — Lena

  • “Permission to Break is the kind of book you sit with, not rush through. It holds pain with care and reminds you that healing can be slow, tender, and still powerful. I finished it feeling less alone.”

    — Tasha

Hear the Introduction
In My Own Voice
Listen to a Moment from the Audiobook

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