Silence Was Never Your Destiny

Who taught you that silence was the price of acceptance?

Before you even understood what power was… someone was already trying to take it from you.

You were taught to smile, to be nice, to sit still, to stay small. Maybe it happened in your home. Maybe in your church. Or maybe in a relationship where loving someone meant losing yourself.

But here’s the truth:
Silence was never meant to save us. It was meant to erase us.

And I’ve got something to say about that.

The Lie We Inherited

From the moment we’re born, girls are praised for compliance.
“Be a good girl.”
“Don’t be difficult.”
“Boys will be boys.”
“Don’t make a scene.”

Translation?
Don’t challenge the status quo. Don’t question bad behavior. Don’t make waves—even when you’re drowning.

Our silence wasn’t a gift. It was a survival tactic.
We watched our mothers bite their tongues, our grandmothers stay quiet when they should have screamed. We were taught that being liked was more important than being heard.

And in that unspoken lesson, we were erased.

My Story: The Cost of Silence

I was taught from a young age that my voice didn’t matter.
And I believed it.

In my marriage of 14 years, I was in a perfect-looking relationship. But I had no voice. My needs, dreams, and desires were dismissed or minimized. I was given crumbs and told I should be grateful.

And I stayed silent. Until I couldn’t anymore.

One day, I found myself alone in the car, crossing a bridge, and wondering if driving off it would be easier than staying in my life.

That was my moment.

That was when I told my husband, “I have something to say.”

And with that, I reclaimed my life.

The Butterfly & the Apology

Last year, my father passed away. We were never close, but after his death, he came to me in a meditation. I became a child again, and he knelt to eye level and said,
“I’m sorry I stole your wings.”

A white butterfly flew from his palm to my shoulder.
In that moment, I understood what he meant:
He had silenced me.
He clipped my wings.

Later, I found a real photo from my childhood—one I had seen in the vision. A photo of us holding hands. It was confirmation that the message was real. His silence. His apology. My wings.

That’s what this work is—reclamation.

Silence Is Historical, Biblical, Systemic

This isn’t just personal. It’s generational.

In the witch trials, our voices were a death sentence.
In politics and religion, our silence was expected.
And even now—in hospitals, workplaces, and courtrooms—we are still silenced, discredited, dismissed.

Silence has been disguised as virtue.
As love.
As loyalty.
But it’s a lie.

We were taught that being agreeable was more valuable than being truthful.
That our voice was a burden.
That our silence made us more lovable.

And we believed it.

What Happens When a Woman Speaks?

She shatters the mold she was forced into.

She disrupts the system.

She dares to say, No. Enough. Never again.

Look at Rosa Parks.
One word—no—ignited a movement.
One moment of defiance changed history.

Reclaiming your voice is a radical act.
It’s how we break cycles.
It’s how we reclaim power.
It’s how we write ourselves back into history.

Speaking Up Is How We Rise

Speaking up isn’t easy. I know that.

It risks rejection, judgment, conflict.
It makes people uncomfortable.
And it can cost you everything—except your soul.

But every time you stay silent to keep the peace, you betray yourself.

Every time you bite your tongue, you disappear—bit by bit.
Until one day you look in the mirror and can’t recognize the woman looking back.

You become a version of yourself that’s easier for the world to digest… but impossible for you to live with.

You Don’t Need Permission to Be Powerful

You don’t need to be chosen.

You don’t need to be liked.

You just need to decide that your voice matters.

Because it does.

Your voice is your sword.
Your truth is your superpower.
And your confidence is your shield.

And the moment you speak with certainty and conviction, the world will listen—even if they don’t want to.

This Isn’t Just About You

Your voice is not just for you.
It’s for the woman who hears it and thinks,
“Maybe I’m not crazy. Maybe I’m not alone.”

You speaking up is how she finds the courage to do the same.

Malala Yousafzai. Rosa Parks. Sojourner Truth. Susan B. Anthony.
They didn’t wait for the right time.
They didn’t ask for permission.

They spoke.
They moved.
They changed everything.

If Your Voice Didn’t Matter, They Wouldn’t Try So Hard to Silence It

There’s a reason outspoken women are called “difficult,” “angry,” or “crazy.”

Because the world is terrified of a woman who refuses to be silenced.

They know what happens when we stop shrinking.
When we stop apologizing.
When we finally own our voice.

We become unforgettable.
Undeniable.
Unstoppable.

So I Ask You…

What would you say if you knew you’d be heard?

What if the thing you’re afraid to say… is the exact thing someone else is praying to hear?

You don’t need to be a world leader to start a movement.
You just have to say what’s true.

Silence is No Longer an Option

Not in this world. Not in this lifetime.

We are the mothers, the daughters, the rebels, the revolutionaries.
We are the power, the creators, the storm, the shift.

So speak.
Because someone is counting on your courage to remember their own.

And as Olive Schreiner once wrote:

“The woman wanderer goes forth to seek the land of freedom… and she says, ‘I am alone.’
And Reason replies, ‘Silence. What do you hear?’
She says, ‘I hear the sound of feet—thousands upon thousands—they are coming this way.’
And Reason replies, ‘Lead on.’”

Lead on, sister.

It’s your turn.

Join the movement at GuidedByJamie.com.
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Because silence was never your destiny—and now, you’ve got something to say.