During my senior year of high school, Mr. Ryan, my AP Government teacher, allowed us to paint a wall in his classroom with whatever inspired our teenaged minds. Entrenched in my Christian Slater era and inspired his film, “Pump Up the Volume,” I painted my mantra in bold violet letters amidst ‘90s heavy metal lyrics:

Find Your Voice and Use It.

At 17, I already had a solid track record for finding my voice and using it. From a young age, I was an outspoken, extroverted girl with a love for theatre and competitive public speaking. Whereas most kids shied away from the stage, I sought the spotlight as the emcee for our middle school talent shows (wearing a Western-inspired outfit no less!), starring roles in school and church plays, and eventually winning a State title for my performance of a Margaret Atwood piece.

Looking back, I’m blown away at how ballsy I was, especially since I was (and still am!) highly-sensitive and conflict-averse. Somehow, at a very young age, I found my voice and didn’t hesitate to use it.

Using my voice went well beyond theatrical performances.

I also spoke out against injustices.

When a bully was picking on one of my friends on the elementary school playground, I spoke up and defended her, thus making myself a target too.

In my freshman year of high school, our school millage failed, which resulted in the cutting of art, music, physical education, and other elective classes. I created stickers which declared, “My Future Just Died,” for my schoolmates and I to wear, and then, inspired by the great Jesse Jackson, I organized a student walk-out in protest of the millage failure.

I wrote papers and gave speeches about “taboo” topics, like child abuse, eating disorders, and environmental racism.

(As you can imagine, while I was respected by my peers, my non-conformist approach to high school rendered me intimating and not very popular.)

As I’ve grown more aware of societal norms, worked across different cultures and languages, and refined my style, I’ve noticed a shift in how and when I used my voice. While I sometimes miss the unbridled boldness of my youth, I’ve become less outspoken and more reserved, with an increased ability to actively listen and give space to others.

Less raw and reactionary, more spacious and gracious.

“Find Your Voice” implies that your voice is something that can be lost before being found. I’ve experienced periods where I felt like I had lost my voice or that I was being silenced (by myself, by others, or both). These periods happen to coincide with my darkest of days- when I felt swallowed whole by my emotional response to life’s challenges.

Reclaiming my voice and empowering myself to speak my truth became my “cure” for whatever I was experiencing. Through talk therapy, writing, and speaking out, I found my anecdote to breaking free from shame-spirals and the vicious grips of anxiety and depression.

These formative experiences of finding and using my voice at a such young age prepared me well for what I do today. Just in the past two weeks, I’ve coached several clients who were feeling like they had lost their voice and weren’t being heard. We worked together to reconnect with their values, purpose, and ambitions; reclaim their voice and personal power; and speak their truth, particularly in those relationships and situations where they feel unheard and disempowered. All these clients left our sessions feeling seen, supported, and empowered to speak up.

As we start Women’s History Month 2025, I challenge you to use your voice to speak up for yourself, the underrepresented and underserved, your family, your communities, and our world.

How will you be the change in the world that you’d like to see?

How will you “find your voice and use it?”

 

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