The First To Make It This Far

The First To Get This Far is a lyrical journey through one woman's transformation from childhood instability to hard-won independence. At two years old, Cadence loses her father and begins a nomadic existence moving from Florida to Texas, learning to bend without breaking.



This deeply personal autobiographical fiction follows Cadence from ages 2 to 30 as she navigates grief, displacement, and the weight of generational cycles that threaten to define her. When music becomes her identity—the one constant in a shifting world—she dreams of escape through rhythm and performance. But at seventeen, a pivotal decision changes everything: she moves in with her cousin Brandon, who becomes her mentor and teaches her that true freedom comes not from chasing dreams, but from building wealth with intention.



Through evocative prose that blends contemporary authenticity with literary beauty, The First To Get This Far explores what it means to survive without looking like survival. Cadence learns to delay gratification, to choose stability over passion, to become "the blueprint" for generations behind her. She earned her degree while others doubted her. She builds assets while depression whispers. She learns that bending—like a willow in a storm—is not weakness but survival's most powerful form.



This is a story about breaking cycles. About being the first in your family to finish what you start. About discovering that healing isn't loud—it's a quiet resurrection that no one claps for. It's about understanding that music wasn't the life raft; discipline, strategy, and relentless persistence were.



By thirty, Cadence has achieved financial independence, becoming living proof that someone from her background, with her obstacles, can transform struggle into strength. She looks nothing like what she survived—and that's the point.



For readers who loved The Vanishing Half, Educated, or Wild, The First To Get This Far offers raw emotion wrapped in beautiful language, showing how one woman learned to trust the bend, find her own tempo, and become the ancestor her younger self needed.



This isn't just survival. This is becoming whole.

Wanda Rogers is an author, entrepreneur, and creative strategist whose work centers resilience, intentional living, and breaking generational cycles. Through her platform Mellow Mastermind, she builds community for those transitioning from survival mode to designing lives of purpose and freedom. The First To Get This Far represents Rogers' literary debut, born from years of processing her own experiences through the transformative distance of fiction. By creating protagonist Cadence as a vessel rather than a direct autobiography, Rogers crafts a story that honors emotional truth while allowing space for imagination and artistry. The novella draws from real emotions, real struggles, and real triumphs-remixed into a narrative that speaks to universal themes of identity, ambition, and self-determination. Rogers' approach to storytelling mirrors her philosophy on life: strategic, intentional, and beautifully crafted. She writes with what she calls "8 Mile energy"-raw, immediate, visceral-while maintaining lyrical prose that elevates the narrative beyond typical memoir. Her work centers Black female experiences without making trauma the only story, instead focusing on agency, growth, and the power of strategic decision-making. She currently resides in Texas, where she continues building her creative empire while planning for financial independence. Connect with Wanda Rogers: Website: www.officiallymars.com Social: @MellowMastermind (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok) Community: Mellow Mastermind Discord Server LinkTree: LinkTr.ee/WandaMars