Doré Frances, Author at Dore Frances

About Doré Frances

Doré Frances is a retired educational consultant, mental health advocate, and founder of Mental and Health Awareness—a platform dedicated to empowering individuals and families with compassionate, accessible resources. With decades of experience supporting young adults, caregivers, and behavioral health programs, Doré now focuses on community engagement and promoting meaningful change through education, storytelling, and collaboration. Known for her direct yet deeply empathetic approach, Doré brings a lifetime of lived experience to her writing, blending professional insight with personal reflections on resilience, trauma recovery, and personal growth. She is especially passionate about youth advocacy, emotional wellness, and amplifying the voices of those often unheard. When she's not writing or connecting with like-minded advocates, you can find Doré exploring the beauty of Colorado with her service dog, Aspen. Let’s build a more understanding, mentally healthy world—one story at a time.

Beneath My Silence – True Beauty Is Choosing Kindness in a Harsh World – Series

What makes you beautiful has very little to do with how you look. It’s that you didn’t let pain turn you sharp.

You were tested, stretched, and wounded in places no one could see ~

and still, you chose empathy over armor. You offer kindness without keeping score. You lead with warmth even on heavy days. That choice ~

to remain compassionate in a world that rewards hardness ~

is a quiet kind of strength. And that strength is what makes your beauty lasting.

By Doré Frances|2026-01-14T09:52:17-07:00January 14th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Dore Frances, Series, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Hunger for More—and the Grace of Enough

We live in a culture that treats more as progress and excess as freedom, yet many of us feel increasingly disconnected from our own lives.

We struggle when we ask more of life than it can give. We try to stand fully in the present while reaching for another place, another moment, another version of ourselves. This desire to have it all often shows up as restlessness—a low hum of dissatisfaction, a fear of missing out.

Yet our limits are not errors in the design. They are part of what it means to be human. When we resist those limits, a subtle sense of lack takes hold. […]

By Doré Frances|2026-01-12T14:43:39-07:00January 12th, 2026|Dore Frances, Relationships, Series, Whispers To The Soul, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – Why Relationships Fade: Neglect, Trust, and the Power of Effort – Series

Most relationships don’t end all at once ~

they fade over time. They unravel through neglect, selfish choices, unspoken truths, and moments where consideration quietly disappears.

It’s rarely one big event, but rather the accumulation of small omissions: not listening closely, not showing up consistently, not being honest when it matters most.

Relationships ~

whether between friends, colleagues, or partners ~

require intention. When effort becomes optional, and connection stops being a priority, distance naturally grows. Neglect can be just as harmful as outright hurt, leaving people feeling unseen, unvalued, and alone.

Trust depends on honesty and openness. Once truth is compromised, repairing the bond takes real work and willingness from both […]

By Doré Frances|2026-01-11T11:26:31-07:00January 11th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Dore Frances, Relationships, Series, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Stories We Believe

A well-told story invites belief. It doesn’t need to be true—it just needs to sound right. And we are often just as willing to believe the stories we tell ourselves. When we quietly ignore what should give us pause, it becomes remarkably easy to convince ourselves that a questionable choice is a good one.

We do it when we buy things beyond our means, settle into relationships that almost—but not quite—fit, or take financial risks that create long-term stress while promising short-term relief.

In those moments, we aren’t being honest with ourselves, which is why not every thought deserves our trust.

So what can we trust?

If […]

By Doré Frances|2026-01-10T11:21:32-07:00January 10th, 2026|Dore Frances, Relationships, Spirituality, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – God’s Timing and the People Placed Along Your Path – Series

When we choose to open our hearts to the people God places along our path, our vision sharpens. We begin to recognize not only what God is doing in our lives, but how deliberately and tenderly it is being done.

The right people do not arrive by accident;

they come with intention, woven into the larger story God is shaping within us. Each encounter holds meaning.

The next person you meet may be far more than a coincidence ~

they may carry a word you need, a lesson you’re ready for, or the quiet answer to a prayer you stopped remembering. These connections are gentle signposts of purpose, scattered thoughtfully along our journey.

By Doré Frances|2026-01-09T10:36:01-07:00January 9th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Dore Frances, Series, Spirituality, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – Never Lose Yourself – Series

Already Enough

Do not shrink to be chosen. Do not dim to be held. You were never meant to fracture yourself to make the world more comfortable.

You arrived intact ~
no missing pieces, no unfinished edges, no permission required.

The world is not your savior. It is your teacher. It places stones in your path so you remember how strong your legs are.

Every challenge is an invitation, every ending a doorway, every moment asking softly:

Will you rise as who you truly are?

Claim your ground. Stand in your name. Your power has been waiting for you to stop giving it away.

You are […]

By Doré Frances|2026-01-08T14:59:03-07:00January 8th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Dore Frances, Series, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Content Warning

This piece contains personal reflections on childhood sexual abuse, trauma, and post-traumatic stress. The experiences are shared thoughtfully and without graphic detail. Please read at your own pace and take care of yourself however you need.

Reclaiming My Voice

A few hours ago, a hike with Aspen felt like exactly what I needed. Now, the sadness has quietly moved back in.

I sit down to write, knowing it won’t be easy. This writing is one of the ways I continue to reclaim my life. I am facing those who caused harm, even though they no longer walk this earth. Still, I woke this morning feeling strong. The sun shimmered, […]

By Doré Frances|2026-01-04T12:06:30-07:00January 4th, 2026|1161 Covington Road, Aldo Cascinai (Dad), Dore Frances, Relationships, Series, The Girl Left Behind Series, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Notes From George – Resilience, and the Quiet Wisdom of Optimism – Series

George learned resilience early.

Between the ages of six and eighteen, he lived through sustained psychological and physical harm. There were times I truly feared for our lives.

No one intervened—our alcoholic stepmother continued unchecked, and our father did not step in.

Against that backdrop, George’s later struggles with drinking, reckless choices, and incarceration are sadly understandable. The circumstances we came from were overwhelming.

Still, George refused to surrender optimism.

As children, we endured acts of cruelty that remain difficult to put into words. Once, our stepmother sprayed oven cleaner directly into George’s eye. I locked us in the laundry room and rinsed it as best I could with a wet cloth. He […]

By Doré Frances|2026-01-04T12:06:57-07:00January 2nd, 2026|Dore Frances, George A. Cascinai, Notes From George Series, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

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