In light of what’s been occurring in our country over the last few weeks with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and her testimony of her sexual assault in front of the entire country… I thought it was important to re-share this powerful interview. There is nothing more profoundly healing than having the ability to share your truth- your hard, messy, scary and sometimes inconvenient truth- with someone, and have them look you in the eyes and say, “I believe you.” This podcast expresses the importance of those 3 words, and more-so the importance of using our voice + sharing our stories in a world that has spent centuries trying to keep them silenced. Your story matters, YOU matter… and I hope today’s episode reminds you just how true that is.   Najwa is an author, a poet and a motivational powerhouse who has used the act of sharing her truths to liberate herself, and to help millions of others do so as well in the process. Her books “Mind Platter” and “The Nectar of Pain” will rock you to your core. Through her own suffering, Najwa learned how to unload the burden of her shame by finding her voice and using it to speak up and speak out. She is unapologetically real, and encourages you and I to join her in that movement... and wouldn’t you know, that is music to my ears! This conversation brought us both to tears once or twice, and I have no doubt it will do the same for you. Make sure you grab some tissues for this one (I guarantee you’re going to need a few) and get ready to be moved by this small but fierce woman! IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: How looking outside of ourselves for love will leave us feeling empty and “homeless” How to climb our mountains of struggle, instead of carrying them Why anyone’s opinion of our story should never deter us from telling it The 3 most important words we can say when someone is brave enough to tell us their truth How to be a more present parent and bear witness to our children’s struggles so they don’t ever have to feel alone. Why our own voice is the most important voice we will ever hear THINGS I ASK: At what point of your journey did you decide to engage in the most intimate relationship of your life; the one with yourself? As parents of sensitive children, how can we better witness and support our babies so that they don’t have to feel the aloneness that you felt? What is your definition of “home” and how has that transformed for you? How have you found the strength to share your story in such a courageous way? What do you say to those who are on the verge of sharing their story? SOUL SHIFTING QUOTES: “I believe that we have so much depth within us, that we are afraid to stir it up.” “These struggles aren’t meant to live with me. I’m not meant to carry them everywhere I go. I’m meant to get rid of them. “Love should help you grow. It should empower you. It should add to your life, it shouldn’t complete your life. It should make your life better, not good.” “Healing comes in stages. We tend to believe that those stages are fixed. But some days you take ten steps ahead, and some days you go back. That’s normal.” “Sometimes, I look at myself in the mirror, and I tell myself, “I believe you.” “I was hearing all of these voices from every single direction, and the only voice missing…was my voice. So, I had to ask myself the question, “What’s the purpose of pleasing all of those people…if my voice is buried?” “You don’t search for a home in someone else. You build a home inside of you.” “What if you kept your love, and your value, and your self-worth inside of you, so, at the end of the day, you came home to yourself?” “As long as you have that story inside of you, you’re going to have that mountain on your heart. And when you’re carrying a weight, as light as it is, the longer you carry it, the heavier it becomes.” “My writing was, always will be, forever, until the last letter that I write; to liberate myself.”