theconnectionsnj.com PAGE 32 DINING OUT HEALTH & WELLNESS can play a role in healing. She speaks honestly about therapy, medical care, and community support, while sharing the role faith has played in her journey. For Denise, Unshaken is more than a book. It is a platform, a purpose, and an invitation for others to step out of silence, seek help, and believe their story is not over. Denise will be at the Somerville International Street Fair, Sunday, June 7, to sell and sign copies of Unshaken. Readers can learn more at GlorifiedWriting.com. Unshaken is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through major book retailers. n a world where mental health is often misunderstood or quietly endured, local New Jersey author Denise Pimentel is using her voice to change the conversation. Through her memoir, Unshaken, and her advocacy work, she’s helping others find hope in life’s most difficult battles. Denise’s story is not one of simple triumph but of deep struggle, resilience, and purpose. She has lived through bipolar disorder, psychiatric hospitalizations, trauma, abuse, grief, and the loss of her young uncle, firefighter Louis Arena, on 9/11. After years of working to achieve stability, everything changed when she suffered a life-altering stroke at 47. The stroke forced her to step away from her career as an educator in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District and spend nine months in therapy, rebuilding physically and cognitively. During this season of healing, something unexpected happened. As part of cognitive therapy, Denise was encouraged to write daily to strengthen her mind. What began as a therapeutic exercise became something much greater. She returned to a manuscript she’d once started during a manic episode years earlier, a personal account she had set aside. This time, she approached it with clarity, purpose, and a renewed sense of calling. “Writing started as part of my recovery, but it became something much bigger. It was the moment I realized that what nearly broke me could actually become the very thing that CONNECTION COMMENDS gave my life new purpose,” she shares. That manuscript became Unshaken: A True Story of a Bleeding Mind, Broken Body, and Buried Grief. More than a memoir, Unshaken is a message of hope for anyone navigating mental illness, trauma, caregiving, or recovery. Denise shares her journey not to dwell in pain, but to show that healing is possible and that our hardest seasons do not define our future. Today, Denise is expanding her impact beyond the page. She is the founder of Glorified Writing and host of the Unshaken Voices podcast, where she interviews authors and others who share messages of resilience, mental health awareness, and what helped them through difficult seasons, including faith. She also speaks at community events and advocacy initiatives, helping to break the stigma surrounding mental illness. Her work has been recognized by the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma, which invited her to serve as a New Jersey author representative at its Mental Health Awareness event in May 2026. She has also been featured in Bridgewater Patch and The Breeze and has received letters of support from local and national officials, including the White House, as well as encouragement from Angel Studios. At the heart of Denise’s message is a belief that both professional support and faith I Meet the Woman Turning Pain into Purpose After Mental Illness and Stroke By Denise Pimentel “Writing started as part of my recovery, but it became something much bigger. It was the moment I realized that what nearly broke me could actually become the very thing that gave my life new purpose.” AFTER MENTAL ILLNESS AND STROKE MEET DENISE IN PERSON SCAN TO LEARN MORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS SOMERVILLE INTERNATIONAL STREET FAIR JUNE 7, 2026 Author of Unshaken Featured in Bridgewater Patch and The Breeze Invited to the NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma Authors' Corner Founder of Glorified Writing LLC Producer & Host of Unshaken Voices Podcast on Apple WESTFIELD STREET FAIR & CRAFT SHOW OCTOBER 10, 2026 Author Speaker Mental Health Advocate Invite Denise to speak, share story, or inspire audience. (908) 210-0290 DeniseMPimentel@glorifiedwriting.com glorifiedwriting.com Producer & Host of Unshaken Voices Podcast on Apple
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