She was never broken—just buried under everyone else’s version of who she should be.
See Through is a bold, emotionally honest memoir about what it really takes to heal—not just privately, but publicly. Stephanie M. Hutchins, PhD, spent decades performing strength for the world while silently drowning in the aftermath of trauma, misdiagnosis, and chronic invisibility. This book is the result of her decision to stop hiding.
In these pages, Stephanie weaves searing personal stories with powerful insights about self-worth, shame, identity, and the cost of radical transparency. She Why “performing okay” can be a survival strategy—and how to let it goHow to set boundaries that honor your nervous system, not your need to be likedHow to navigate emotional flashbacks, over-functioning, and high-functioning traumaThe complex beauty of living a life aligned with your truth—even when it’s messy See Through doesn’t offer neat formulas or cliché advice. Instead, it offers something more permission to stop performing, speak the truth, and reclaim your voice—without apology.
If you’ve ever felt like you had to hide your pain to be loved or earn your worth to feel safe, this book is for you.
Stephanie M. Hutchins, PhD, is the author of See Through: The Art and Cost of Radical Transparency in a World That Profits from Pretending and three books on trauma recovery—Transformation After Trauma, Reclaim Your Life After Trauma, and Moving Forward. She is the founder of Serotinous Life, where she helps people healing from trauma harness the power of post-traumatic growth and reclaim authorship of their stories.
A former college professor of anatomy and physiology, Stephanie integrates a deep understanding of the human body with certifications in life coaching, advanced wellness coaching, stress management, yoga instruction, and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Her holistic approach blends science, mindfulness, and lived experience to support embodied, trauma-aware healing.
Having survived childhood abuse, sudden loss, misdiagnosis, and the invisibility of high-functioning suffering, Stephanie knows the courage it takes to live authentically. Rather than hide these truths, she has built a body of work that embraces radical honesty and guides others to live on their own terms.
Through her writing, coaching, and public speaking, Stephanie helps people move beyond survival and into integration. She believes healing isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about learning how to be fully seen, even with the scars. Her work invites readers to stop performing and start living, reclaiming voice and agency through practical, compassionate tools for transformation.
This memoir is a powerful testament to the author’s strength, resilience, and unwavering perseverance. Through deeply personal stories, she invites the reader into her life with honesty and courage, sharing not only the triumphs but also the pain, mistakes, and hard truths that shaped her journey. Her willingness to confront trauma and explore the process of self-discovery makes the narrative both raw and deeply human. What makes this memoir especially impactful is how inspiring it is without feeling forced or idealized. The author’s experiences encourage meaningful self-reflection, reminding readers that growth often comes from facing uncomfortable realities. Her journey shows that healing is not linear, but it is possible through self-awareness, persistence, and inner strength. This book is more than a life story—it is a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and an invitation to reflect on our own paths with greater honesty and compassion for ourselves.
See Through is an honest and deeply felt book, written with courage and care. The author shares her story with a clear, authentic voice and a willingness to look directly at truths, no matter how difficult that is. There is real strength in the way she moves through pain toward understanding and growth. It’s a meaningful, moving read that reflects how far she has come-very inspiring!
See Through is an unflinching exploration of what it costs to survive by appearing fine, and what it takes to stop.
What stayed with me most was how clearly this memoir names the difference between healing privately and telling the truth publicly. Stephanie M. Hutchins does not frame transparency as bravery for its own sake. Instead, she shows how performing strength can become a long term survival strategy, and how exhausting it is to keep carrying pain invisibly.
The reflections on boundaries, nervous system safety, and high functioning trauma feel grounded and lived in rather than instructional. There is no attempt to package recovery neatly. The book allows messiness, grief, and self reclamation to exist side by side.
This is a powerful read for anyone who has learned to earn safety through competence, silence, or over functioning, and is beginning to wonder what it would mean to live more honestly.