We have so much to share with the world. It all starts with our story.
Hello Reader,
I hope you’re finding a silver lining and moments of joy this week.
It’s such a gift to connect with you beyond social media. My goal with this newsletter is simple: to share a dose of joy and an opening thought that resonates with you.
As I take in the landscape of everything happening right now, I try to zoom out and see it from a bigger perspective. A lot is going on, but what stands out to me most is the ongoing attempt to erase us from the very fabric we created.
When I think about the millions of stories we hold, I realize that so many of them have yet to be told. During Black History Month, we honor great figures, but let’s be honest—it's often the same stories. Yet, each of our families carries untold stories. Even your story has yet to be fully told.
I’ll never forget a moment during the great pause when it felt like hope was slipping away once again. I was visiting my best friend, because, of course, she was in my bubble, and I watched my goddaughter hold her newborn baby.
And that moment stopped me in my tracks.
As I watched the baby in her arms, it hit me that if I didn’t make it to 2021, this child, (my goddaughter's daughter) would never hear my story. All the hard work I had put into my dreams, the stories of resilience, lessons learned, and the legacy I was building would disappear with me.
That thought was deeply unsettling. I’ve spent years working towards my dreams, but in that moment, I realized: what’s the point of creating a legacy if no one knows about it? Isn’t legacy about passing something down, about telling your story so it lives beyond you?
That’s when I knew I needed to start sharing my story. And I realized, our story is our most precious legacy. Yet, many of us feel unworthy of telling it. We’re inundated by media and social media telling us who is important and what stories are worth sharing, leading us to keep our stories to ourselves.
But as I told the host of a podcast I was on recently, “I believe our story is the key to our healing.” There is nothing more profound or defiant than telling the world who you are. And there’s no better way to release shame, guilt, and trauma than by sharing your story. Our stories have the power to transform lives—ours and the listeners’. They build confidence and cultivate true freedom.
Just like joy, sharing our story and controlling our narrative is an act of resistance. It took me years to unravel the programming of believing the things others said about me. Those words became embedded in the fabric of my identity, coloring my choices—everything from the relationships I accepted to the opportunities I walked away from. For years, parts of me believed I wasn’t worthy of more. But my journey of self-discovery shifted that belief completely.
In the first season of Black Women Amplified, I shared pieces of my own story and perspective. Now, I’m not suggesting you start a podcast (unless you want to!). But what I am saying is this: pick up a notebook, grab your favorite pen, and begin writing down the moments in your life that have shaped who you are today.
Because, day by day, the erasure of our stories is real. As Michelle Obama says, “When they go low, we go high.” I say, when they try to erase us, we get louder. Not by marching in the streets, but by embracing the magnificence of who we are and boldly declaring, We are here.
Tell your story, Sis.
If you haven’t read the Unlock Your Story guide yet, it’s my gift to you. I’ll link it below—hopefully, it will inspire you to get loud in your own way. Also, if you’re ready to embark on your self-discovery journey, my Envision coaching program might be perfect for you. Just hit reply, and we can start the conversation and talk about the next steps.
We are always evolving, and we have so much to share with the world. It all starts with our story.
Have a magnificent weekend,
Monica Wisdom
www.blackwomenamplified.com
