Dear Diary: Let’s Spill the Origin Story

By: Kali Kay

from the pages of the — Dirty30Diaries

The story behind how the Dirty30 Diaries became more than just pen and paper.

---

How the Dirty30 Dairies was born....

Since I was a kid, I’ve been a storyteller. My mom will tell you my gift of gab has outshined every other trait I’ve got. My grandma will back her up. Mr. Hoshaw, my 5th grade teacher, will also back that up. Honestly, anyone who’s ever sat still long enough to hear me talk knows I’ve been spinning vivid, dramatic, and occasionally ridiculous tales since I could string sentences together. I’ve always had a knack for painting pictures with words—bright, bold, and way beyond my years. Who knew that mouth of mine would turn out to be one of my greatest gifts?

I’ve never been quiet. Never been a wallflower. I see the world through my own lens—zoomed in, high-def, and emotionally charged. I notice the little things, the weird things, the things people skip over. And then I wrap them up in words like a chaotic little present. It’s always been my thing. I see things just a little bit differently, my outlook has always been a little skewed. 

Somewhere along the way, I realized that when my thoughts got too big, my feelings too loud, and my anxiety too spicy for casual conversation, writing was my escape hatch. It became my therapy before I even knew what therapy was. I’d scribble down everything—especially when I felt misunderstood, unheard, or just plain overwhelmed. And let’s be real: I also had to stop sending emotional novels to my exes like they were my personal therapists. Turns out, texting your entire emotional breakdown to someone who’s already halfway out the door doesn’t lead to healing—it leads to being left on “delivered.” Paper, however, does not ghost you. It doesn’t judge. It just listens.

So... enter the Dirty30 Diaries.

This blog is my collection of thoughts, tips, tricks, wisdom, sass, and all the messy magic that comes with trying to survive your 30s. It really took shape over the last year and a half—after life decided to rip the rug out from under me and leave me flat on my (s)ass. I went through some major changes (we’ll get into those later, don’t worry), and suddenly I was drowning in big feelings, big fears, and big WTFs. So I did what I do best: I wrote. I typed. I voice-noted. I journaled. I word-vomited all over the place until I started to feel like myself again.

It’s been a wild ride—full of breakdowns, breakthroughs, disasters, glow-ups, and a whole lot of “what the hell is happening?” And now, I’m sharing it with you. My hope is that somewhere in this mess, you find something helpful. Something funny. Something real. Or maybe just the comfort of knowing you’re not the only one unraveling and rebuilding in adulthood.

Now, let’s get one thing straight: I am not an English major. I spell like a drunk raccoon with a keyboard. I’m not a professional writer, blogger, or grammar queen. So if you’re here to nitpick punctuation, kindly exit stage left. This blog is not for the grammar police—it’s for the real ones. I promise to be honest, heartfelt, and do my best not to butcher the English language entirely.

So if you’re down for a little dirt, a little chaos, and a whole lot of truth, welcome to the Dirty 30 Diaries. Buckle up, babe—it’s about to get messy.

— Until Next Time, Kali Kay

Follow more: @Dirty30Diaries