Meet Founder Evelyn Hawkins, CNMT, MCPC, CPFS
Certified Professional Coach & Medical Trauma Expert
I know what it feels like to lose yourself ... to have your body, mind, and identity slowly slip away while the world around you keeps moving as if nothing has changed. I know the frustration of searching for answers, the isolation of being unheard, and the deep grief of watching life as you knew it fade into something unrecognizable.
Before my life was turned upside down, I was strong, capable, and driven. I started playing soccer at age five and competed competitively until I was 17. In high school, I was an all-star softball player, and in my late teens, I turned to rock climbing, taking on routes like The Nutcracker in Yosemite, California. At just 17, I became the Medical Team Leader for a Search and Rescue team in Santa Cruz, California. Later, I found fulfillment in coaching soccer through my 20s and building a career as a Neuromuscular Therapist, helping others to move without pain.
Then slowly everything changed.
At 24 (1997), I was prescribed Klonopin for insomnia. I trusted my doctors. I had no idea that what was meant to help me would silently begin unraveling my health, my mind, and my life. For 23 years, I took it as prescribed ... never knowing that the increasing symptoms I was experiencing were not "just me" but the drug itself. When I finally voiced my concerns in 2017, my doctor responded by reassuring me that it wasn’t the benzodiazepine causing my symptoms and then made the suggestion for me to stop cold turkey if I believed that the Klonopin was the problem.
By the time I realized the truth, I had already suffered severe neurological damage ... what is now known as Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND). I was left with devastating symptoms:
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Neuropathy
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Akathisia
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Ataxia
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Visual disturbances and blindness
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Tinnitus
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Derealization
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Neurogenic stuttering
This wasn’t an illness ... it was brain damage and a complete loss of self from taking a medication as prescribed for a chemical imbalance that I didn't even have. I became disabled, isolated, and disconnected from the life I had once lived so fully.
But I survived, and here we are.
I founded Valor&Bloom because I believe in the power of resilience, the importance of being heard, and the undeniable truth that you are worth fighting for. I know firsthand how terrifying, confusing, and isolating this journey is, and I also know that healing (though nonlinear and deeply personal) is possible.
It's time to reclaim your voice and your agency ... to fully take control of your own story and live the life you were meant to live.
Mission Statement
At Valor&Bloom, we see you. We know the road you’ve traveled has been anything but easy. The fear, the gaslighting, the loss of trust in a system that was supposed to help you ... these are burdens you never should have had to carry. The withdrawal, the cognitive struggles, the physical symptoms that seem invisible to the outside world but all-consuming to you ... this is not just something to "push through." It’s real. And you are not alone.
Our mission is to provide a safe, compassionate space where your experience is validated, your pain is acknowledged, and your healing is prioritized. We specialize in supporting those who have suffered brain injuries and/or nervous system dysregulation from taking medications as prescribed. We understand that the damage is more than physical ... it’s emotional, mental, and deeply personal.
You’ve already survived what most people couldn’t imagine. Now, it’s time to rebuild ... on your terms, at your pace, in a way that feels right for you. And we’ll be here, every step of the way.