This article was written as part of a workshop I ran with my colleague, Kathryn Livingston, at the ESTD conference in Belfast 2010. The workshop was titled, ‘The other 8,600 plus hours - everyday societal challenges of living with complex dissociation’. This reflects my proactive involvement in my healing. I describe what has helped me to feel a sense of purpose while managing my two very different lives during the complexities of dealing with trauma and its ramifications. The internal and external juggling that has been required to meet my internal and biological children's needs and to disrupt the ordinary family life as little as possible is discussed.