Alicia Williams-Saffold, author of “She Grew Anyway: A Memoir of Healing and Growing in the Quiet,” was recently interviewed by CBS Radio host Benji Cole on the nationally recognized program People of Distinction.
People of Distinction, hosted by Benji Cole and his father, Al Cole of CBS Radio, is one of the nation’s most wide-ranging radio programs, known for spotlighting meaningful stories and thought-provoking works. The show has become a trusted platform where authors and readers alike can discover impactful new books, particularly from passionate and independent writers.
“She Grew Anyway: A Memoir of Healing and Growing in the Quiet” by Alicia Williams-Saffold is a faith-rooted memoir of healing and resilience, tracing one woman’s journey through heartbreak, betrayal, transition, and the quiet yet profound grace that carried her forward. Far from a polished success story, this book reflects the messy, sacred process of growth — not from the finish line, but from the midst of struggle itself.
Alicia Williams-Saffold is a writer, growth coach, corporate trainer, and founder of Training Source One—a nationally accredited professional development and coaching firm. With over two decades of experience equipping leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs, Alicia is known for blending practical wisdom with faith-rooted truth. Her gift lies in helping women pause long enough to heal and grow deep enough to lead.
Whether she’s guiding a boardroom, coaching a client, or pouring truth into the page, Alicia holds space for both strategy and surrender. She equips women to navigate hard transitions, release the weight of false responsibility, and rise again from places they thought would break them.
The book opens with Williams-Saffold’s own pain and questions — the ache of being unseen, underestimated, and overwhelmed by life’s unexpected challenges. Rather than glossing over struggle, she dwells with it, exploring how quiet persistence and spiritual surrender contribute to meaningful growth.
This memoir isn’t narrated from the perspective of someone who has finished the race. Instead, the author shares her story from the middle of the fight, emphasizing that healing often happens in stillness — in the spaces we don’t rush past but allow to work on us.
This masterpiece is a tender, earnest exploration of a woman learning to walk through pain without running from it. Williams-Saffold’s story includes moments of heartbreak, betrayal, and deep transition — experiences that could easily harden the heart, but instead, become places where grace does its transformative work. Her narrative invites readers to acknowledge the reality of their wounds and the possibility of growth even when life doesn’t make sense.
Rather than promising instant answers or a neat ending, the book offers something arguably more valuable: the wisdom that growth can be quiet, spiritual, and ongoing. Through her journey, the author affirms that healing doesn’t happen by pretending pain isn’t there — it happens by being present with God and with what life has given you. For anyone who has tried to hold it all together while falling apart, this book offers a companionable voice and a fresh way to see growth.
“She Grew Anyway: A Memoir of Healing and Growing in the Quiet” is more than a memoir — it’s a mirror for readers who have walked through pain, yet still believe growth is possible. By sharing her story of heartbreak, faith, and transformation, Alicia Williams-Saffold offers a message of hope: that even in our hardest seasons, we can grow, bloom, and find strength we didn’t know we had.
Visit her website at https://bestillandgrow.com/ to know more about her book and her movement.
Get to know more about the author and the work as you listen to the full interview below: