In Out of the Valley, Into My Purpose, educator and leadership coach Roxanne Hyer opens her life in a way most people avoid: the parts that hurt, the parts that changed her, and the parts where God carried her when she felt empty. This memoir follows the seasons that shaped her faith, her family, and her calling, showing how purpose often forms after loss, not before it.
Hyer’s story begins with early goodbyes and quiet survival.
As a little girl, she watches her father leave without warning and learns to
hide pain behind straight A’s and a brave face. Her mother, Emily “Mamie”
Gomez, becomes her steady ground: working hard, serving others, and living out
a faith that is more than words. Years later, that same mother is taken
suddenly, and Hyer’s world splits in two.
The heart of the book moves through marriage, motherhood,
and the hard work of staying rooted. Hyer tells how she said yes to Jason and a
future she could not fully picture, then learned what it means to build a
family through sacrifice, uncertainty, and prayer. When life finally feels
stable: career wins, a home, and a busy rhythm, new valleys arrive: distance in
marriage, unresolved grief, and the crushing weight of trying to hold
everything together.
Then comes the fall that no one reads as a warning. A
“pinched nerve” becomes months of decline, and a hospital visit for breathing
trouble becomes an unexpected diagnosis. Hyer walks readers through the shock
of hearing the word cancer, the helpless waiting, and the small moments that
matter when time feels short; hands held, prayers whispered, and family drawn
back together.
Out of the Valley, Into My Purpose is not a
book of quick fixes. It is a real account of grief that lingers, faith that
sometimes feels like only holding on, and a God who keeps working even when
answers do not come fast. It is also a story of redirection. Hyer shares how
God used closed doors and painful seasons to reroute her life, leading her into
coaching and consulting through HYER EDUCATION, work that helps leaders and
schools grow with clarity and purpose.
For readers walking through loss, burnout, family strain, or
uncertain transitions, Hyer offers the reminder that valleys do not last
forever, and that something meaningful can still be forming in the dark.
The memoir also speaks to anyone who has been the “strong
one” for too long. Hyer writes with honesty about exhaustion, fear, and the
questions people carry in church pews and hospital hallways. Her message is
simple: surrender is not weakness, and God can still write purpose through
broken seasons.
About the Author
Roxanne Hyer is the founder of HYER EDUCATION, a growth and
development consulting company that supports schools, leaders, and
organizations through coaching, training, and values-centered transformation.
She lives in South Carolina with her husband, Jason, and their family.