Why Surviving Under Communist Rule Gave Her Unbreakable Resilience

Most of us carry trauma, loss, and regrets that seem impossible to overcome—until someone shows us that starting over is not only possible, but a divine gift. Mihaela Galfrey’s extraordinary story of surviving communist Romania, addiction, and heartbreaking loss reveals the raw power of faith, forgiveness, and resilience to transform suffering into purpose.Raised under oppressive regimes and facing her father’s secret moonshine distillery, Mihaela’s journey of healing spans decades and continents—culminating in her becoming a life coach and author of Very Netplogging, a memoir of survival and starting again. Her intimate, unfiltered storytelling takes you inside moments of betrayal, grief, and redemption—proving that even in our darkest hours, grace is at work.You'll discover how Mia navigated childhood trauma, the importance of community and professional help in breaking addictive cycles, and the pivotal role faith played in her most profound breakthroughs. We break down:

• How to rewrite your story with intention and purpose

• Practical steps for asking for help and vulnerability as acts of strength

• The transformative power of forgiving ourselves and others

• The importance of community, therapy, and faith in healing from trauma and loss

• The upcoming framework and courses Mia is developing to help others step into their true identity

This episode is essential listening for anyone feeling buried under life’s hardships—those who need a reminder that their story isn’t finished yet. Mihaela’s unwavering hope, fuelled by her faith and resilience, promises that purpose is always within reach. And her insights on starting over—time and time again—will inspire you to rewrite your own chapter with courage.Whether you’re facing grief, addiction, or the need for a new beginning, Mihaela’s journey shows that hope is a choice—and a divine calling. Tune in to feel empowered, uplifted, and reminded that even brokenness can be turned into beautiful, purposeful living.Mihaela Galfrey is a transformational life coach, speaker, and author known for her compelling story of survival and renewal. Her work helps others rediscover their purpose, break free from past regrets, and step boldly into the life they’re meant to live.If you’ve ever wondered whether your past can be a foundation for your future, this episode is your starting point. Step into hope. Reclaim your story. Ignite your next chapter.

Transcript

Welcome and Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_03 0:33

Life doesn't turn out the way we plan. And sometimes we deal with divorce or grief or loss or so it just doesn't turn out the way we planned. But that doesn't mean God is done with us. That doesn't mean our life is over. So the second book, there's a collection of stories from my husband's point of view through his singleness, through him being a single father.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Welcome to the Dorothy Ross Show, where real faith meets real stories. Hosted by Dorothy Ross, here with very hard and inspiring stories. And today we're divided into another incredible festival of overcoming child and experiencing the faithfulness of God. Whether you're facing your own battles or just in the right place. So let's get started. It's bigger than any object at all.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Hello everyone, thank you again for joining us for another episode of the Dorsey Up Show. On today's episode, we have Mia Garfrey, who is a speaker, certified life coach, and the author of very networking, a memoir of survival, sisterhood, and starting over. Mia was raised under Cameron School in Romania. Mia immigrated to the United States alone at 27 and rebuilt her life while facing addiction, widowhood, and the responsibility of caring for her sister through cancer. Her memoir serves the raw reality of surviving trauma and loss while learning how to begin again. The whole story Mia speaks to anyone who has ever felt buried by life challenges and wondered whether they could rise again. Mia, thank you so much for coming on the show today.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Thank you so much for having me, Darcy.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Absolutely. You grew up in under communist school in Romani in Romania and later immigrated to the United States alone. How did those early years experience experience?

SPEAKER_03 3:02

Um

Growing Up Under Communism

SPEAKER_03 3:03

when I came to the United States, culture shock was definitely w an understatement because when when we grew up, we didn't grow up with much material things, but we grew up with a very, very tight niche family, and we grew up surrounded by a lot of love and a lot of um we always knew that our siblings will have our back. So that was one thing that it was that always holds us to stay closer to each other, closer to the Lord. But as far as the difference when it comes to material things, in Romania was more a survival for was a fight for survival for food. That that was a necessity, and that was the main thing my family was doing. What a lot of people don't know. Again, I'm speaking from my own experience, others might have different experiences, but from my experience growing up under the communist regime, it was extremely hard to find food because everything was restricted. So, as my parents, they were extremely hard workers, and they encouraged us. We started working really early on. My first job was at 11 years old. We worked really hard, but that did not change the fact that the main objective daily was more of survival, was food, finding the necessities. So it was very different from the United States when I came here. So in 2023, one of my sisters got diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and um I became one of her caretakers, and I was traveling back and forth from Knoxville, Tennessee to Montana, and through through hospital rooms and surgeries and chemo, our conversation changed. We didn't talk anything at surface, everything was about life and dreams and legacy, and

Sister’s Illness and The Memoir

SPEAKER_03 5:13

through that, my sister said, you know, we made a lot of promises when we were kids that we should never make um regarding secrets and things that we experienced. And he said, I want you to start writing our book about how we grew up under the communist regime. So some of the stories we shared together and we talked about it when she was still alive. Um, she passed away in November of 2023. I moved back, I came back home. And I started writing early in uh 2024 when my therapist said, Look, I I think you should just start writing in your journal some of those stories. And fast forward a few months later, I shared with her some of those, and she said you you need to publish it. And uh with support of my husband and my immediate family, we we decided to just publish it, buried now broken. And we're working on the second now.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Okay, and what what's the second one gonna be about?

SPEAKER_03 6:21

So the first one is a lot about uh highlights, you know, hardship, uh growing up under the communist regime, addiction, abuse, and but in every single chapter you see God's grace and how God brought us from some very hard situations. The second one I'm co-writing with my husband, and uh this one it's about second chances. Sometimes in life, life doesn't turn out the way we plan, and uh sometimes we deal with divorce or grief or loss or so it just doesn't turn out the way we plan, but that doesn't mean God is done with us, that doesn't mean our life is over. So the second book, there's a collection of stories from my husband's point of view through his singleness, through him being a single father, and uh some stories from my point of view, and then coming together, and each chapter has key takeaways about second chances and lessons we've learned through our hardship.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

I read in your bio and then you're you know doing some research about you. I saw one I saw a story that you posted and it was about that you were stealing liquor, stealing, you know, moonshine from your father. You know, I y um your your your father started to beat

Second Chances and The Next Book

SPEAKER_01 7:53

up on your mother, and you never, you know, you your mother told you to go away, and it wasn't until decades later that, you know, you told your mother what you were doing. Is that one little story that you would be hearing in your book? And would you maybe elaborate on that on that story?

SPEAKER_03 8:12

Yes. So that was one of those stories I had a very hard time writing why it was a very hard, dark season in my life, and it took me close to 30 years to forgive myself and close to 30 years to talk to my mom. So my father was working really, really hard on the construction side, but in order to make ends mean and be able to provide for us, he also had a secret like moonshine distillery that was not necessarily legal at the time. I don't know if now it is, but so we had very easy access to alcohol. So I started drinking at a very, very early age. And um I remember I used to go in my father's room and I used to steal some of his alcohol. Well, I didn't know he used to measure it when he used to go to work to know exactly how much he had. So that story that you're talking about is a story that marked me. And for many, many years I could not stop shake that vision that how much her I brought to my mom, and I felt like a coward that I never owned up to it. She knew was one of the kids. But I'm the youngest of ten children. I have six brothers. She thought I was one of the brothers, not the youngest child. And I just didn't have me to tell her, and that was one of the reasons I was so broken, so damaged that when my father passed

Addiction, Shame, and Forgiveness

SPEAKER_03 9:43

away in '99, I was 18 years old, I left home because I did not know how to cope with it. I did not know how to reach out for help. I did not have the resources that I have now, and I was not ready to be vulnerable and said, I'm struggling. So that's why I left home and I continue in my behavior and things that I'm not proud of, but I've learned from it. And God showed me that again, there's always forgiveness, and God is love. And no matter what you're going through, no matter what you think you've done, there's still forgiveness. So I was in my 30s 30s, actually, after my first husband passed in 2015, I flew back to Romania and I finally confessed to my mom. And I just it's like it was me, mom, the whole time. And I was crying, and and you know, most loving mother, she said, that's okay, that's of the past. But for me, I held that in for so long, and I did not know if she could forgave me, but I think the biggest part was I didn't know how to forgive myself for that.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

No, you know, we obviously, you know, you believe in God and you you know you you have a relationship with him. When did that relationship with God start? Did it start back in Romania or did it start when you got here to the United States?

SPEAKER_03 11:18

It was in Romania. It was before I left Romania. I was in a few abusive, physically abusive relationships. And through that, I was again still drinking. And that was something that I was giving it up for a little bit. I was going back to it, and people who've been through addiction, they know that that is an evil cycle. It's like the intentions are there, but without the proper proper community and proper help, it's extremely it was extremely hard. So I hit rock bottom and I had to leave uh where I was at, and um, due to my um fiance at the time, left one of my friends pregnant, and I knew that was over, so I I had to relocate. So I went to a Christian college, and there I realized like I it was so much accountability, and I ended up getting three jobs, and I was never alone from the moment like 4:30 to 5 in the morning until late, late at night, somebody was constantly there, and that accountability helped me tremendously. I'm not saying it was easy by any means, and later on I've learned that even overworking was an addiction, and I also learned that when hardship hits, to make sure I surround myself with strong community that could help me go through it because it's very easy to get back into it if we're not careful.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Yeah. What made you decide to go to a Bible college?

SPEAKER_03 13:00

I had no choice. I felt like I had nowhere to go. So somebody told me, hey, there's this college and they have dorms, and I knew at that time, which is funny because nobody ever asked me that question, why that college? I was so at the breaking point that I heard about that college, and at that time I said, I'll go anywhere, we will give me a roof. And they gave me a roof over my head because they had dorms. And uh because other than that, I would have had no place to go. Based on what I was thinking, my 20, 21, 23, like very young mind, I thought I always I had no place to go. Now when I look back, I

Faith, Bible College, Community

SPEAKER_03 13:43

could have always gone home. My family would have accepted me with open arms. But at that time, I wasn't thinking that way.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

Um, you know, that you had an addiction to alcohol, and you even said, you know, in in your last um question that or a last answer there that even work can become an addiction if we work it, you know, work too hard. What what were there other addictions that you dealt with? Because you started, you know, drinking at a very young age.

SPEAKER_03 14:16

Yeah, for me, drinking was the one that haunted me the most. I did uh went to pills also and then overworking. And that was the one that I realized now, even when after my first husband passed away, that was the one I immediately turned to turn to. I had a good, stable, full-time job, but I was like, this is not enough. I don't have accountability, I don't have family here, I don't have a community that I know that I at the time I didn't feel comfortable to talk about who I was and what I've you know, because I felt like a fraud. So I went once again, I went back to getting three jobs in 2015 here in the States.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Did you feel like you were a fraud because you were a Christian and believed in God or was it something else?

SPEAKER_03 15:10

Like a fraud a lot of times because here I was going to church, I was helping in church, and then I was going home and get drunk. And I was not um and and I'm not here, I'm not here to say it it what's right or what's wrong as far as drinking. That was for me, for me, that's how I felt because I did not have the courage to stand up and say, I am struggling. I did not have the courage to be vulnerable because I like I liked at that time to keep the image of the oh she's such a good person, always go to church, always get involved in so many charities, and um I c I kind of like that because I felt like if I keep those two worlds separate, nobody will ever know that I'm I'm I'm battling so many demons.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

But after after my sister passed, that's when I said, This is who I am, enough it's enough. Uh yes, I struggled for many, many years.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

What help what finally helped you break that cycle of addiction?

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Finding the right community, um, also therapy. Um, my therapist, I I didn't believe in therapy before. I thought it was the waste of time and a waste of money. And uh I said, well, if I have a problem, I talk to God. But God equips some people with skills that are necessary. She helped me understand, uh, and she helped me um walk through um the reasoning why I have so many nightmares, and I was battling nightmares and nightmares all my life, and I never knew why. Well, she helped me figure out some of things like in my childhood when I was five and six years old, some traumas that I didn't know how to cope with. So, what helped me the most

Therapy and Breaking the Cycle

SPEAKER_03 17:13

is getting the right help and talk through it and figure out that what happened to me was not necessarily something that a child should go through. And also take ownership of the mistakes I made. Between therapy and being involved with the right community and the right people for accountability, that's what helped me tremendously, tremendously. And it also helped me understand and realize that I'm not broken, I'm whole. God created me to be whole and I can still make a difference in other people's lives, but I can do that more if I'm honest with myself and honest with others than just try to fit a certain mold.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Yeah. No, faith uh obviously is a simple part of your life. And how is how has your faith been a turning point during your darkest times in your life?

SPEAKER_03 18:11

So those I know because I've been through different different chapters, different phases when I face those dark the darkness. And um it looks it looks different. It's different when my father passed from when my first husband passed. Um it's different from when my sister passed. I feel like the biggest wake up for me is when I lost my sister in 2023 because she was my lifeline. I was calling her every single day. I've never made a decision without talking to her. So when she passed, I remember I came back home and I told my husband, I love you. I love you with all my heart, and I love our kids and our family, but I can't see where to go from here. I completely lost my purpose. And he encouraged me to see a therapist, and through that I've learned that I was putting my purpose in so many things that had no value. The true was she helped me realize that my purpose is to do the best I can to serve others. And if God opens doors, and as long as He's gonna open doors, I'm gonna continue to show up and be there for others and show them in their darkest time. Try to be a light and show them that this is not the end. This is not the end, and God can use your story no matter how how hard your story looks, and no matter what you went through, God can take it and He can use it to His glory.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Tell us about, you know, because you bec you became your cat uh sister's caretaker caretaker when she got cancer. Tell us about that process and what what that was like.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

So early on when I got there, one of the things she said, she said, look, everybody says ovarian cancer is like a dead sentence. But I want you to believe in me. And I would I need you to believe with me that I'm gonna heal. And said no matter what the

Caregiving, Grief, Purpose

SPEAKER_03 20:13

doctor says, no matter what anybody says, I need you to be with me. And that was extremely hard because no matter what anybody was saying, I said we're gonna beat this, so we we tried, um uh we did like and also took a holistic route and we're hitting them from both directions, and through the entire time, I I tried to keep that faith and tried to keep the hope, but I've learned so, so much. I've seen my mom being a caretaker, taking care of my father before he passed, but I never truly understood what that meant. I never truly understood that that was a 24-7 job. I never understood so many things that would be involved in. I spent more time on Google to research, hey, how to change bandages, how to give the medication, how to there were so many things I didn't know that chemo will do to a person that and bed sores and all of that. So it was one of the hardest things I ever been through in my entire life to see somebody you love slowly, slowly dying. And until 11 days prior to her passing, I I saw with her and I said it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay, you're gonna you're gonna um recover from this. But she did pass away in in November.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

Yeah. I'm sorry to hear that. And and you said she passed away in in November of last year?

SPEAKER_03 21:44

No, uh November of 2023 is when she passed away.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Okay. I think I I mentioned um November because only because my dad passed away last November of of uh 2025. And I was his cat and I was his caretaker as well, so I can relate and, you know, know what you no, know what you went through.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Yeah, I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Writing very net broken involved revisiting heavy topics like survival, sisterhood and starting over. What surprised you most about writing and pub and the publishing process and how did it and how did your own healing?

SPEAKER_03 22:30

So back back in Romania yeah. ago. I remember I submitted a few times. I used to I used to love to write. And I used to write poems and I learned my mom used to do the same. And when I came to the States I realized that um I had to start from scratch. I I had to buy a dictionary, try to learn the language and that passion of mine of writing, it kind of faded. I didn't know how know how to do it in English. But I spent a lot of time, so money and a lot of years learning English. So when my sister said that I said okay so we start you know talking back and forth. But now I I know it's a God doing that up because I can sit in front of the computer if um I try to write my best time of writing is between 4 30 a.m till seven a before I go to work. And that is the time that is the most peaceful, creative I don't know, but I can literally sit in front of the computer around that time for hours. There were times my husband used to walk in my where I'm usually write and say hey babe are you going to work today? I was like oh yeah I have plenty of time I was like no it's seven o'clock I was like oh no because I was like for hours I can just say and just write and write and and I have so much to say and uh um the second book is uh already they're working on the cover right now but as soon as that book is out for pre-orders I wanna submit the third manus manuscript and that one it's more about

Writing and Rewriting Your Story

SPEAKER_03 24:13

helping people understand that no help help people to find an identity is gonna be something that's gonna also be turned into a course and what you could write down yourself exercises but it teaches you how to step into who you are meant to be and not you know take the backseat to laugh.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

Yeah no a lot of our personal stories are unfinished and can be rewritten with purpose for listeners who feel like they're hard shit artists have to define them what does rewriting your story actually look like in daily life so how does the stor how how it looks writing in a daily life? Yeah how do how do what does rewriting your story actually look like in daily life?

SPEAKER_03 25:10

In the beginning it was extremely hard I told somebody say hey have you read your own book the funny thing is every time I try to read it I start crying I I I get so emotional because every single chapter it brings very raw very real emotions for me and it takes me back to those hard times but in the same time those tears are tears of joy because God gave me the wisdom to put the those words onto paper and my prayer is that it can encourage somebody that look no matter what you go through there is light on the other side. So it is it is hard some of the stories are easier I just smile and just type away other stories I cry through every single word that I'm typing because it brings back a lot of emotions.

SPEAKER_01 26:09

You seem to have gone a lot in your life and even with starting over in your life and what is starting over really look like in practice?

SPEAKER_03 26:21

Well yeah I started over at least three times. So when my father passed like I mentioned in the beginning of the episode I did not know how to cope with it and I knew that my father passed and um I wouldn't have access to the alcohol but I knew I needed because I did not know how to walk with it walk from it. I left about eight mile eight hundred miles away from my home where my parents my family lived um so I was 18 years old. I didn't know how to live on my own. I didn't but I didn't know what else I thought that was that's that's normal or it was normal back then in Romania. Once you're 18 you consider an adult and you need to start a life on your own. Well I was not ready. Well the second time is when I lost my husband my first husband in 2015. A lot of people don't know that you know I came from America barely knew English and my husband took care of everything. Yeah I managed to get a job I bought a dictionary I learned English the best that I could um I got my driving license like a little close to a year after I got married and I came to the States and I got my first job

Starting Over and Finding Hope

SPEAKER_03 27:43

however my husband took care of everything. So when he passed I didn't even know how to log into the computer and pay my own bills. It was so so I had to start over and learn everything from scratch which a lot of people said like that that's unheard of but that's where I was at so um it was not easy but every time I start over uh it was hard lessons that I learned but I also learned that there was a community of people that would have been willing to step in and help and especially after 2015 I truly truly seen so many people stepping in and helping me and I'm forever grateful for that. For readers who feel buried by life hardship what is the first step toward rebuilding hope and purpose one of the first steps that I wish somebody would have told me first is don't give up don't give up no matter how dark your life looks right now do not give up second ask for help it's okay to ask for help but you have to be open and you have to be vulnerable and reach out to people who maybe felt like you did before reach out to people who've been through the hardship that you've been before because they will be able to give you an insight that you maybe didn't think of so don't give up and and try to reach out to find help. You know you mentioned I I forgot to mention it in your last in your last question or Ancuat about speaking and you know not knowing English and everything but you know in this podcast you're doing a great job with you you know with the with the English language thank you so much thank you so much I have 17 years of practice and I constantly even now after 17 years I still take classes online I'm still learning and I'm still growing I'm actually in school now to uh um I'm um eme practitioner and I'm in level three right now so constantly I'm I'm learning what and what is that that you just mentioned what what is it that you do EME practitioner it's transformational coaching life coaching so I help people who feel stuck I help them through a set of questions and practical lessons I help them get to a point where they find their purpose pretty much yeah what's getting you the most going or hoping you're gonna right now what I what I'm hoping to so what I'm hoping right now from the book or the keynote speaking what brings me the most joy it's actually helping people helping people so like I said previously if I see somebody that it's stuck and and they have a hard time finding joy themselves I I love to sit down with them and walk through their life journey to figure out when was that moment and when they felt like they lost their their desire their power their purpose try to find that get to the root of the problem and help them find that there is hope there is purpose there is joy

Coaching With Action and Accountability

SPEAKER_03 31:13

but there's you have to be willing and open to take the first step um you will have to do your homework and you will have to take action and I will hold you accountable after three sessions if they don't take action I usually walk away as that I can recommend you to somebody else but because I want people to step into who God created them to be but they have to take action. So that brings me the most joy to see down with people and kind of figure out where they're at and help them help them step into their purpose.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

Yeah I always want to ask my guests as I get ready to end what one word of encouragement that you would like to leave with my audience.

SPEAKER_03 32:04

Okay if you're going through something and at some point in your life you will go through something if you haven't yet if you go through some hardship the biggest thing that I encourage you is like do not give up there is help out there for everybody and there is help for no matter what you're going through there is help so I struggle and encourage you reach the somebody who can actually sit down with you and walk the journey with you because in 2023 after I lost my sister I completely felt like there was no reason for me to continue on and I lost my purpose but God brought me the most amazing person in my life my therapist to walk me walk walk in the darkness with me and hold space for me while I was healing so that is the advice I can give you please find find somebody who can walk the journey with you. Amen and where can people find your book and even find out more information about you and about

Where To Find Mia and Closing

SPEAKER_03 33:13

your life coaching so I'm also I'm a keynote speaker and a life coach and um everything to find me is very easy so my name is Mia Godfrey and I kept everything simple my website is Mia Gaffrey Facebook Mia Godfrey LinkedIn I'm Mia Godfrey I'm on Instagram I'm author Mia Godfrey so my name if you know my name you will find me on the website it's MiaGoffrey.com and you can contact me in there accent well Mia thank you so much for coming on the show today we greatly appreciate having you thank you so much for having me Dorothy and uh we'll stay in touch appreciate you absolutely well guys and girls thank you so much for tuning in and for uh for listening again to this episode please go and check out Mia's website and her book will have the information in the show notes and please go and check out um past episodes on DorseyRoss show.com and please leave a a review on Apple Podcast and until next time stop blessed bye bye that's all for today's episode of the Dorsey Ross Show.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

Thank you so much to our guests for sharing such a powerful story of face a very episode