YOUR VOICE, YOUR POWER

EMPOWERING YOU1ST

There’s a moment in everyone’s life when the voice inside you says, “Enough is enough.” Mine spoke on December 21st, 2021. A date tattooed in memory, not on skin. I had spent years nodding, agreeing, shrinking, editing my words to fit someone else’s story. I moved like a shadow in rooms where I should’ve been the light. I softened the truth to make others comfortable, even when it choked me. But that day… that day I remembered what it felt like to be seen. To be heard. To be reminded what true love and unwavering loyalty really look like. Narrating your life out loud isn’t just cathartic; it’s transformative. Every word you speak builds your power. Every phrase you claim reshapes your reality.

When you hear people say, “Speak your truth,” it sounds simple. Easy, even. But the truth is that speaking your truth takes bravery. It takes clarity. It takes the kind of honesty that makes your chest tighten before your mouth even opens. Most of us were trained to silence ourselves long before we ever learned to speak. We were told not to talk back, not to be “too much,” not to say what we feel. And the problem with all that forced silence is that we eventually forget what our own voice sounds like.

But here’s the part nobody tells you: your voice is medicine.

If the tongue is a double-edged sword capable of destruction, then it must also be a healing tool capable of reconstruction. It can repair; it's a scapula, can stitch wounds closed, act as salve to soothe and betadine to cleanse. Your voice helps you see things for exactly what they are. When you speak something out loud, you call it into clarity. You separate illusions from intuition. You reclaim control. You say, “This is what it is, and this is what it’s not.”

You don’t have to broadcast your truth to the whole world. You start by speaking it to yourself.

If you’re unsure where to begin, try narrating your experiences as if you’re the main character… because you are. When something bothers you, say it out loud. When something feels good, say that too. Describe your day. Explain your emotions. Voice your fears. Name your desires. You can do it in private. You can whisper it. You can speak into the air, into the mirror, or into your phone.

The power is not in the performance.

The power is in the permission.

A simple voice memo can change your entire perspective. A two-minute recording can uncover feelings you didn’t even know you were holding. We suppress so much internally that hearing ourselves externally surprises us. Suddenly you realize, “Oh… that’s what I’ve been carrying.” And just like that, the healing begins.

This is why audiobooks and affirmations are so powerful. When you hear words spoken — especially in a voice that feels familiar or safe — your mind listens differently. Spoken words bypass walls that written words can’t always access. They hit the emotional center. They rewire. They shift energy. They remind your subconscious what your conscious mind has forgotten.

People think confidence is loud, dramatic, flashy. But true confidence is rooted in ownership. It’s knowing who you are and speaking from that place without shrinking. It’s claiming space without apologizing for it. Confidence doesn’t demand attention — it attracts it. And your voice is the magnet.

“Your voice ain't gotta be the loudest in the room — it just has to BELONG to you.”

Authenticity carries a vibration that volume never will.

So this week, I’m giving you a simple assignment. Consider it your first step in the journey back to your own voice.

Journaling Prompt:

Record a 2-minute voice memo of your thoughts right now.

Then listen back.

Ask yourself: What does my voice reveal about my power?

You might hear strength you didn’t know you had. You might hear exhaustion you’ve been ignoring. You might hear a version of you that’s been waiting to come forward.

Your voice will always tell you the truth — if you give it space to speak.

In the next part of this series, I’ll show you what happened when I used my voice in a room where everyone expected silence — and how one bold statement changed the trajectory of the entire room.

— McQueen