Welcome...
Permission to Be is not just a book.
It’s an invitation.
An invitation to stop performing wellness.
To stop bargaining with your truth. To stop asking what’s wrong with you... and begin listening to what’s been asking for your attention all along.
This page is the home of Permission to Be: a place to learn about the book, stay connected as it unfolds into the world, explore reader experiences, and inquire about conversations, studies, and events rooted in its themes.
About the Book
Permission to Be is the story I didn’t know I was allowed to tell. For years, I lived in the in-between. Not quite “rock bottom,” and not visibly falling apart... but quietly numbing, people-pleasing, and disappearing inside a life that looked functional from the outside. I wasn’t drinking to excess every day. I wasn’t losing everything. And yet… I somehow lost myself.
This memoir traces the moment I stopped asking What’s wrong with me? and began asking a more honest question: What am I avoiding feeling?
Through sobriety, self-inquiry, and the slow unraveling of old patterns, I began to see how much of my life had been shaped by fear of disappointing others, the belief that my worth was conditional, and the habit of reaching for anything that might soften these fears.
Permission to Be is not a story of perfection or arrival; it is a story of remembering. Of choosing presence over numbing. Of learning to listen inward instead of performing outward. Of discovering that the life I was searching for didn’t require becoming someone new; only allowing myself to be who I already was.
This book is for anyone who has ever felt “fine,” but not free. For those living in the gray. For anyone quietly wondering if there’s more... and sensing that the answer might be gentler than they were taught to believe.
Who This Book Is For
This book may resonate if you:
- Are sober, sober-curious, or questioning your relationship with alcohol or numbing behaviors
- Feel successful or functional on the outside, but disconnected on the inside
- Struggle with people-pleasing, self-abandonment, or conditional self-worth
- Are navigating identity shifts, emotional regulation, or learning to trust yourself again
- Long for a softer, truer way of living without pressure to “fix” yourself
About the Author
Micaela “Miki” Byrne
is an artist, writer, and life coach/creativity strategist whose work lives at the intersection of story, healing, and self-trust. With a background in Theatre, Operative Vocal Performance, and English Literature, Miki has always been drawn to the power of voice—both the ones we share aloud and the ones that shape us from within. After choosing sobriety in 2023, she entered a profound season of listening, healing, and creative renewal. Her work weaves lived experience with mindfulness, positive psychology, and creativity coaching, offering gentle reflections for those learning how to live without numbing, hiding, or rushing their becoming.
Miki is the founder of Metta Momentum, a coaching and creative community devoted to self-love, emotional regulation, and gentle growth. She shares her work through writing, music, meditation, coaching, and conversation.
Release Information
📖
Print & E-Book:
February 3, 2026
🎧
Audiobook (narrated by the author): February 14, 2026
(Independent sales and signed copies coming soon.)
Reader Reflections & Reviews
(Coming Soon)
This space will hold early reader reflections, testimonials, and press excerpts as they become available.
If you’ve read Permission to Be and would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you.
Bring Permission to Be Into Your Space
I’m available for:
- 📚 Book studies & group discussions
- 🎤 Speaking engagements & readings
- 🎙 Podcast interviews & panels
- 🧘 Workshops on sobriety, self-trust, emotional regulation, and identity
If you’re interested in hosting a conversation or event centered around Permission to Be, please inquire below for availability and rates.
Stay Close...
If this book speaks to you, I’d love to stay connected.
Sign up below to receive updates about Permission to Be, including:
- release announcements
- behind-the-scenes reflections
- excerpts and audio offerings
- reader-only invitations and bonuses
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Just presence, poetry, and truth...
sent gently.