In a way, Chelsea's jail time was like a caterpillar spinning its cocoon around itself. When she emerged this year, after her 12-year sentence was commuted by Barack Obama, the hormone therapy had begun to take hold and her dream was tantalizingly close to being realized. It was a difficult time for her - prison conditions were much harsher than usual - and at one point she was on suicide watch.
But Chelsea survived, and seems to be all the stronger for it. As well as taking on a new career as a contributing writer for pieces in newspapers such as The Guardian, she's also appeared on Good Morning America to explain her ordeal. She still has many restrictions in place, like being unable to travel to Canada or comment on certain details of the leaks, but we get the feeling that Chelsea is only just beginning to soar.