Writing Through the Hard Things—and Finding Your Way Back

Some authors write about what they know. Others write about what they have survived, questioned, carried, and ultimately learned to understand.

Todd Michael does both.

As a Filipino American memoirist and independent author, Todd writes with remarkable openness about subjects many people find difficult to put into words—childhood bullying, abuse, trauma, identity, grief, loss, healing, and starting over. Yet what stands out about his work isn't simply the difficulty of the experiences he shares. It's the thread of hope running through them.

I first came to know Todd through the International Impact Book Awards community, and when the idea for our inaugural Book Blast began taking shape, Todd stepped forward not only as a participating author, but also as our first co-host.

That matters to me.

Launching something new takes more than a good idea. It takes people who are willing to believe in the vision before there's a track record to point to. Todd brought enthusiasm, encouragement, and a genuine spirit of collaboration to our first event, helping create the kind of supportive author community I hoped The Author Collab could become.

What struck me was not only Todd's commitment to his own work, but the way he showed up for other authors. He celebrated their successes, encouraged participation, and understood from the beginning that collaboration works best when we aren't simply asking, "How can this help my book?" but also, "How can I help the other authors succeed?"

That spirit is at the heart of The Author Collab.

So it seems especially fitting that Todd Michael—our first Book Blast co-host—is also the first author we're inviting you to meet in our Beyond the Book interview series.

His Breath Trilogy—Returning Home, The Dogs Who Taught Me to Breathe, and When the Breath Came Back—takes readers through different stages of one deeply personal journey. Todd has described the books as three breaths: the inhale, the steadying breath, and the exhale. Together, they explore what happens when we finally confront the experiences that shaped us—and what it can mean to find our way home to ourselves.

His story as an author is equally interesting. Todd is fully self-published, has written across memoir and children's literature, and has seen his books reach readers and bestseller and new-release lists in the United States, Canada, and Australia. His work has also opened doors to awards, magazine features, and television appearances.

But rankings and recognition are only one part of Todd's story.

Sometimes the most meaningful measure of a book's impact happens one reader at a time. At a book signing, a mother approached Todd after reading about his experiences with childhood bullying. Her son was being bullied, too, and she asked Todd whether he had ever written a children's book about it.

That conversation helped inspire The Boy Who Felt Invisible.

To me, that's what being a visible author can ultimately accomplish. We write our stories, put them into the world, and sometimes discover that someone we may never have known needed exactly the words we were willing to share.

So rather than simply introducing you to Todd Michael's books, I wanted to introduce you to Todd Michael, the author behind them.

Let's go beyond the book.

This is his interview:

Todd Michael is a Filipino American memoirist whose work centers on healing, identity, and the quiet resilience found in lived experience. A fully self‑published indie author, Todd has released five books across memoir and children’s literature, with his Breath Trilogy reaching #1 New Release in multiple categories across the United States, Canada, and Australia, including Self Help Abuse, Asian American Biographies, Pacific Islander Biographies, Pet Loss, Pet Grief, and LGBT Biographies, and placing in the Top 20 Best Sellers in several competitive categories. His children’s book, The Boy Who Felt Invisible, was inspired by a moment at a book signing when a mother thanked Todd for writing courageously about childhood bullying and asked if he had a children’s book on the topic; her son was enduring bullying and needed to know he wasn’t alone. Todd has been named a Distinguished Author by the International Impact Book Awards, featured on the back cover of the August edition of FORCE Magazine, and interviewed on Good Morning San Diego, reflecting his growing presence in both the literary and media landscape. His writing blends emotional honesty with cultural depth, often inspired by the five dogs who shaped his life: Jack, Joey, Charli, Franki, and Tucker. He continues to champion the importance of authentic indie storytelling while expanding his catalog with new memoirs and children’s books.

Todd’s featured work, Returning Home, is the first book in The Breath Trilogy, a memoir sequence exploring childhood bullying, abuse, trauma, healing, a near‑fatal heart attack, the loss of his mother, and the long journey back to oneself. Across the trilogy, Todd traces the emotional and physical unraveling that shaped his life, the reckoning that forced him to confront buried truth, and the unexpected teachers, including five extraordinary dogs, who helped him rebuild with gentleness. His forthcoming memoir, Sixteen Homes, walks readers through the sixteen homes he owned while living the American dream, and the shattering impact of the 2008 financial crisis, where he lost two homes and was forced to rebuild not just his finances, but his identity. Written with honesty and emotional clarity, Todd’s books resonate with readers seeking connection, hope, and the reminder that breath always returns, even after the hardest seasons.

I’m a Filipino American memoirist whose writing began during the darkest chapter of my life. While recovering in the CICU in Toronto after a near-fatal heart attack during COVID, my mother was in hospice in San Diego, and I was unable to be by her side. That experience, the fear, the isolation, the grief, and the realization of how quickly life can change, became the moment I knew I needed to write. I wanted to tell the truth about trauma, healing, and survival so others would feel less alone in their own battles. What started as a way to process my pain became a calling: to create memoirs and children’s books that offer connection, hope, and the reminder that breath always returns, even in our hardest seasons.

Returning Home was inspired by the weight of stories I had carried in silence for most of my life. Childhood bullying, abuse, trauma, and the complicated grief of losing my mother had shaped me in ways I never fully acknowledged. Eventually, those experiences began resurfacing with a force I could no longer ignore, and I realized I didn’t want to die without telling my truth. Writing became the way I finally faced what I had buried, transforming years of pain into something honest, human, and connective. I wrote this book to give voice to the parts of my story that needed to be spoken, and to help others feel seen in their own. The original manuscript was 96,000 words, powerful, but far too big and overwhelming for a memoir, so I made the decision to split it into three books, each one giving the story the space and clarity it deserved. What became the Breath Trilogy was a six-year labor of love.

The ideal reader for my book is anyone who has ever felt unseen, unheard, or overwhelmed by the weight of their own story. My memoirs speak to people who have lived through childhood bullying, trauma, grief, identity struggles, or moments where life felt heavier than they knew how to carry. They’re also for readers who may not share my experiences but want to understand them with empathy and openness. What I hope they gain is a sense of connection, the feeling that they are not alone in their pain, their healing, or their search for breath after difficult seasons. If my story helps even one person feel seen, validated, or hopeful again, then the work has done what it was meant to do.

The biggest challenge I faced was writing about experiences I had spent most of my life trying to forget. Telling the truth about childhood bullying, abuse, trauma, grief, and identity required a level of vulnerability I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Publishing as a fully self-published author added another layer of difficulty, I had to learn everything on my own, from editing and formatting to cover design, distribution, and marketing, all while carrying the emotional weight of the story itself. Another challenge I didn’t expect in today’s world is having people ask if I used AI to write my books. The answer is no, every word is mine. But I’m also honest about the fact that I used AI tools to help format and edit my manuscripts, the same way authors use software or professional services. It doesn’t replace my voice; it simply supports the technical side of publishing. What helped me overcome it was the belief that my story could help someone else feel less alone. Every time the process felt overwhelming, I reminded myself that silence had cost me too much already. Sharing my truth, fully and without apology, became the way I reclaimed my voice and moved forward.

What surprised me most was how many people connected with the parts of my story I once thought were too painful or too personal to share. I expected the writing process to be difficult, and it was, but I didn’t expect readers to respond with such empathy, vulnerability, and gratitude. As a fully self-published author, I also learned just how much work goes into bringing a book to life: editing, formatting, cover design, distribution, marketing, and doing it all without a team. But the biggest surprise was realizing that my truth didn’t just belong to me anymore. Once I shared it, it became something readers saw themselves in, and that connection has been the most unexpected and meaningful part of the entire journey.

If readers could carry only one thing with them after finishing my book, I hope it’s the feeling that healing is possible, no matter how long it’s been, no matter how heavy the story, no matter how many times life has taken their breath away. My deepest hope is that they walk away knowing they are not alone, that their experiences matter, and that their truth deserves to be spoken. If my book can remind someone that breath, hope, and connection always return, even after the hardest seasons, then I’ve done what I set out to do.

My advice is simple: start before you feel ready. Most people wait for the perfect moment, the perfect outline, or the perfect confidence, but none of that shows up until you begin. You don’t need to know how the whole book will unfold; you just need to write one honest sentence and let the next one follow. Don’t worry about being polished or profound. Just tell the truth you’ve been carrying. And remember, your story doesn’t have to be loud to matter, it just has to be yours. Someone out there needs the very thing you’re afraid to say.

I’m currently working on Twenty-Three Years, Seven Months, a deeply personal memoir about my mother’s twenty-three-year battle with multiple myeloma and the second cancer that took her in just seven months. It’s the first book I’m writing that isn’t about me, and that has made the process both meaningful and incredibly difficult. I have the chapters outlined, but I can’t seem to find the words to start, because this story belongs to her, and I want to honor it with the care it deserves. Writing about her strength, her faith, and the quiet ways she kept choosing life has been the most emotional work I’ve ever attempted. My hope is that this memoir will offer comfort to anyone walking through illness, caregiving, or loss, while preserving the legacy of the woman who shaped my world.

Becoming an author has taught me that I’m far stronger, more resilient, and more honest than I ever believed myself to be. Writing forced me to confront memories I had spent years avoiding, and in doing so, I learned that vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s clarity. I discovered that my voice matters, that my truth has weight, and that sharing it can create connection in places I never expected. Most of all, becoming an author taught me that healing isn’t a destination but a practice, and every page I write is another step toward becoming the person I was always meant to be.

The Author Collab believes authors accomplish more
together than alone.

Collaboration, to me, means choosing to build something together that none of us could create alone. It’s the willingness to show up with honesty, humility, and openness, and to trust that every person brings a piece of the story, the vision, or the solution. Collaboration isn’t about control, it’s about connection. It’s listening deeply, sharing generously, and creating space for others to shine. Whether it’s working with readers, fellow authors, illustrators, or the communities that support my books, collaboration reminds me that creativity is strongest when it’s shared. It’s how we lift each other, learn from each other, and make the work more meaningful than it would ever be on our own.

Author Website

www.toddmichaelauthor.com

Preferred Social Media Links (Optional)

Instagram: Instagram

Facebook: Facebook

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/todd-michael-andaya-73149140

Amazon Book Links

Returning Home Amazon.com: Returning Home: A Memoir: 9798996248117: Michael, Todd: Books

When the Breath Came Back Amazon.com: When the Breath Came Back: A Memoir: 9798996248148: Michael, Todd: Books

The Dogs Who Taught Me to Breathe The Dogs Who Taught Me To Breathe: Michael, Todd: 9798996248193: Amazon.com: Books

Sixteen Homes Amazon.com: Sixteen Doors: A Memoir eBook : Michael, Todd: Kindle Store

From Heidi

What strikes me most about Todd's journey is the reminder that our hardest experiences can become bridges to other people. Todd didn't write about bullying knowing that one day a mother would approach him because her own child needed those words. He simply had the courage to tell the story.

That's one of the extraordinary things about becoming an author: we don't always know who needs our story until we are brave enough to share it.