Add to ORKGFirst, my deepest thanks go to the ten women who allowed me to step into their shoes and to write about their lives. This paper is your voice. I am sincerely thankful to the thesis committee who guided this work. Dr. Charla Markham Shaw, as Supervising Professor, you have gone the extra digital miles in guiding this thesis. You have been an excellent role model. Dr. Sasha Grant, you have encouraged me to find myself as a researcher and us my own voice. Dr. Ivana Segvic Boudreaux, thank you for listening to my ideas about meaning making—even when they didn’t make any sense! I am also thankful to Dr. Lana Rings for opening the world of discourse studies to me. It has changed the way I think about life forever. Above all, I am most grateful t...