Kevin Meehan was faced with emotional trauma, abuse, addiction, and homelessness as a teenager. To inspire others to overcome their challenges just as he was able to do, he has written of these experiences in his memoir, Fallen Peppercorns: Overcoming Child Abandonment, Abuse, Starvation & Drug Addiction To Become A Humble Optimist.

The memoir begins in the 1970s when the lives of five young brothers in Ojai, California, are turned upside down as their family unit fractures under the weight of verbal abuse and depression, which pulls their parents apart. When a priest arrived unannounced to tell them their single mother was admitted to a mental institution, they were put on a Greyhound bus (with few belongings, abandoning their pets) to Clackamas County, Oregon, to live with their father and his new family. 

When the boys endure humiliation and neglect to the point of starving by their second family, 13-year-old author Kevin escapes alone and ends up back in Southern California. There he lives in an orchard, stays alive eating oranges, and falls into selling (and using) heroin as an alternative to sporadic back-breaking labor. Somewhere between beautiful, mind-expanding drug-induced experiences, horrific beatings, and sexual assault, Kevin learned to rely only on himself. In the face of despair, Kevin developed a mental toughness tempered with compassion and a deep appreciation for the full spectrum of life’s gifts – without which he would not have survived. 

Fifty years later, Kevin has overcome the embarrassment and shame of his experiences to tell his story with a sincere motivation to help others who are having trouble progressing in their lives because of trauma. Kevin’s core belief is that even the most traumatic events are experiences that cannot diminish the beauty and potential held within us unless we allow them to do so. His ability to thrive despite the most horrific childhood experiences offers readers a blueprint to elevate their expectations and redefine what’s possible. 

Kevin's use of the metaphor of “fallen peppercorns” (from the ancient tree outside his childhood home) summarizes his perspective: “I think of my brothers and myself, and how we all started out in life no different than the fallen peppercorns, knocked from the tree by bad weather and scattered into the wind. But no matter how many times a peppercorn is crushed underneath a shoe or car tire, it still has the ability to plant its seed and grow. Trials and tribulations, bad weather, and the winds and rains of life make for more resilient peppercorns and more resilient people.” 

What’s unique about Kevin is his ability to accept his suffering, and his deep appreciation for life’s challenges which he believes are instrumental in developing the mental fortitude he exudes today. While this memoir primarily focuses on one year in his young life, through public speaking, podcasting, and his integrative medicine practice in Jackson Hole, Wyoming,  Kevin openly shares his refreshing philosophies that challenge our modern culture that seeks fulfillment from external validation, avoidance of pain, and incessant striving for “more” rather than self-love and a deep appreciation for the full spectrum of life’s gifts.