Carissa is a talented high school athlete with a promising future—but that future is shattered at the end of her junior year. Charged as an adult with two counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 21 years in a New Mexico prison, she's forced to deal with the demons from her past as she struggles to survive.

Carissa is a talented high school athlete with a promising future—but that future is shattered at the end of her junior year. Charged as an adult with two counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 21 years in a New Mexico prison, she's forced to deal with the demons from her past as she struggles to survive. Trust Your Struggle explores a child's survival in the adult correctional system and how she used her time to overcome deep-seated traumas. Based closely on real people and events, it paints a vivid picture of how a rising young star who had everything going for her could commit such a heinous act. It intends to enlighten, empower, and inspire those who have been either directly or indirectly impacted by the criminal justice system.

Carissa B. McGee is an advocate, author, and basketball official whose story is well-known in New Mexico, the state in which she's spent her life. Once a rising star athlete from Las Cruces, she committed a violent crime with tragic consequences—but it was also serendipitous, as it put her on her life's path. She is owner and founder of Real Talk Consulting, LLC, whose mission is to inspire people to live to their fullest potential. She also continues to work as a Training Specialist for the New Mexico Peer Education Project for the nonprofit organization, Project ECHO. She lives in New Mexico with her wife and their two pit bulls. Follow her on Facebook (carissamcgee545) and Instagram (c.bmcgee), or check her out on one of the many basketball courts throughout New Mexico (she'll be wearing the white and black stripes).