A memoir · Coming 2027
Being Unapologetically Myself
A story of Boarding School Syndrome, Complex PTSD, a collapse in perimenopause — and the long road back to the girl who was sent away.
Be first to read itby Tory Markham-Beech
Chapter One · The Initial Breach
The day my ‘Home Self’ was archived and the ‘Survival Mask’ was commissioned.
“In contract law a fundamental breach occurs when one party acts in a way that makes the continuation of the agreement impossible. At just a little over eight years old I didn't know the law but I certainly felt the breach and have done for every single day of my life since. The agreement was simple: I was a child and I was safe and happy at home. The moment I stepped out of ‘home’ and got in the car to be driven to the airport the contract was voided. I found myself in the alarming situation of having to negotiate a new one, alone.”
Inside the book
Sent away
Boarded at just eight years old — and the quiet, lifelong cost of a childhood contract broken.
The survival mask
Living with Complex PTSD behind a face built to cope, perform and never need anyone.
The collapse
How perimenopause brought everything I had held together crashing down.
Coming home to me
Taking off the mask, piece by piece, and learning to be unapologetically myself.
About the author
Tory Markham-Beech
Tory was sent to boarding school at eight. For decades she wore the mask that kept her safe — until, in perimenopause, it finally cracked. This book is her honest account of what lies beneath, written for everyone who has ever had to survive instead of simply be.
Walk with me to launch day
Join the list for early chapters, behind-the-scenes writing notes and first news of the 2027 release.