Lessons from Pam Grier’s Memoir for Survivors
updated from December 2024
I love it when women tell our own stories in our own words!
When Pam Grier's memoir came out...I had to read it!
When I was a little girl I was not allowed to watch Pam Gri [...]

8 Lessons for Survivors from the Film Mi Familia
I first saw this film back when walking down the aisles of Blockbuster on Friday nights was hot.
I picked up the case, saw a lot of my favorite actors, and rented it for the weekend. I never forgot this story. Amazing. Â
Some [...]
Survivor Affirmations Inspired by The Joy Luck Club (with audio book)
There’s something sacred about The Joy Luck Club.Not just the story—but the witnessing. The layering. The quiet truths that refuse to stay buried.
Let’s honor that energy with affirmations that carry the same depth, dignity, an [...]

Lessons from The Wedding: The Kind of Love That Looks Good—and Still Costs You
Another televised Oprah production. She doesn't appear in this film, but if you are a fan of the wonderful series Greenleaf, you will definitely note her "presence."
This story, based on the work of author Dorothy West, isn’t j [...]
Hajia Gambo Sawaba: She Did Not Wait to Be Allowed
(You should see how elated I am! This series is going to give me those laugh lines we are supposed to hate.)
There are women who were toldto stay small, stay quiet, stay inside the lines drawn for them.
And then there are wome [...]
Congolese Women, Sacred Knowledge, and Spiritual Leadership: A Gentle Introduction
There is a quiet truth that has always existed, even when it wasn’t written down.
Across the lands now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women have long held roles of spiritual insight, healing, and guidance. Not [...]
Sheila Johnson: When the Path Changes, I Do Not Shrink—I Reimagine
I am not limited by what did not work.I am expanded by what I now know.I dream again—and this time, I dream with power.
There are women who succeed.
And then there are women who change the structure of success itself—so other [...]
Võ Thị Sáu: 🌿She Was Young. And Still… She Stood.
“I was never too young to see clearly—and I honor the strength that rose in me anyway.”
Võ Thị Sáu was a girl.
Not grown.Not protected.Not given time to slowly become.
A girl.
And still…
She stood.
She lived in [...]

Denise Ho: 🌿Once You See It, You Can’t Go Back
“The greatest gift in this life is always more of me—and I am not going back to less.”
Denise Ho was a singer.
A successful one.
She had:
access
visibility
opportunity
a path that was already wor [...]

Selena Quintanilla: 🌿 She Brought Joy to the World. And We Will Not Ignore What Took Her.
Selena Quintanilla carried something extremely rare.
Joy that felt real.Warmth that reached people across language, culture, and place.A presence that made people feel seen.
She was building something beautiful.
Not just a ca [...]
🌺 Frida Kahlo: She Lived in a Body That Hurt—and Still Created Beauty
 For a long time I celebrated Frida's art and had no idea she lived in pain. I was truly spellbound by the art. As a young person, I thought the art was representing a different type of pain.....
Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico. [...]

🌿Josephine Baker: She Refused the Limits Placed on Her Body
Joséphine Baker was born in the United States.She knew segregation.She knew what it meant to be looked at and not seen.
So she left.
And in Paris… she found something different.
Not perfect.But different enough to breathe.
[...]

🌿 Josephine Baker: She Found a Place Where She Could Breathe
Joséphine Baker did not just “move to France.”
She left a place that constrained her…and stepped into a place that, for a time, allowed her to expand.
That distinction matters.
In the United States, she faced what so ma [...]
🌺 Marielle Franco: She Spoke. Even When It Was Dangerous to Speak.
Marielle Franco was a Black woman from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
She knew violence.Not from headlines.From proximity.
From lived experience.
From watching what happens when communities are over-policed, under-protected, [...]
🌿 Halimah Yacob: She Was Not Handed Ease. She Built Something Anyway.
Halimah Yacob did not begin life surrounded by comfort.
She lost her father young.Her family struggled.There were real limitations. Not imagined ones.
And still… she kept going.
Not loudly.Not for applause.But steadily.
That [...]
12 Reasons Lauryn Hill Deserves More Respect for Her Impact on Music (w/affirmations)
The only reason that men question Lauryn Hill's
accomplishments
is because they can't find a way
to take credit for them.
Lauryn Hill was never just an artist.
She was a creative center of gravity.
She wrote.
She produ [...]

Affirming Television Moments: When the Women Tore Down the Wall
First, giving gratitude to Oprah because this type of programming was very uncommon back in 1989. When you wanted to see television films like this, you waited for Oprah to make them.Â
It was sad, but she kept us fed.Â
There a [...]

Living in Truth in a Loud World: The Courage to Stand Tall
There was a time when a singer could stand on a stage, look out at the world, and sing a line that would echo for generations:
“I did it my way.”
The song My Way, made famous by Frank Sinatra, has become a cultural symbol of l [...]

Inspired by Survivor Viola Davis: You Don’t Need Perfect Weather to Bloom
Some flowers wait for sunshine.Others learn how to grow toward the light
even while clouds remain overhead.
Gratitude to a shining star....Viola Davis
A woman who never waited for perfect weather to bloom.
You grew thro [...]

She Quit Dancing for Britney Spears and Janet Jackson to Design Luxury Shoes Janet Wears
This entrepreneur quit dancing for Britney Spears and Janet Jackson to follow her passion for designing luxury shoes - Face2Face Africa
Giving yourself a chance is the first act of believing in the life you are [...]
AFFIRMATIONS AND SELF LOVE
🌿 Reclaiming: Cleaning the Skin Is Caring for the Self
I recently heard a male podcaster proudly say he “doesn’t touch his feet,” as if neglecting parts of his own body was something [...]
HEALING JOURNEY
Survivor Affirmations: The Beauty of Sharing Joy
https://www.tiktok.com/@showdemmovement/video/7583544318443523383?
is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=74812796269856210 [...]
Even in Silence. Even in Fear. I Was Resisting.
You may not have screamed.You may not have fought back the way they say you “should have.”You may not have run, or yelled, or told anyone.
But please [...]
CONFIDENCE/POWER/RESILIENCE
🌧️ Affirmation: The Rain Brings Clarity
I’ve learned to be more grateful for clarity.
I don’t love the storms that bring it — but I honor what they wash away.
I hate hard times.
I hate [...]
You’re Not Behind—You’re Rebuilding
Let’s go ahead and cancel a lie today:“I should be further along by now.”Where? According to whom? On whose timeline?
If you’ve survived harm, betray [...]

🔥 10 Survivor Affirmations to Heal from Gaslighting
I trust my voice, my memory, and my experience. What I lived through is real, and no one can erase that truth.
I am not "too much." I am [...]

Survivor Affirmations: I Tend My Own Light (w video)
We might not be able to be friends and that's okay.
• Part of my healing is recognizing that not every person deserves access to my spiri [...]
HEALTHING JOURNEY
Strategies for Dealing with Stress
elink.io | See Original
[...]
🌹 Even Their Hatred Confirms Your Impact
When the whispers start,
when the eyes roll,when they twist your name into something smaller—pause.
Remember: people do not waste hatred on what i [...]
Survivor Must-Read Reading List: Black Widow by Leslie Gray Streeter
I've been familiar with the power of Leslie's pen for years. But when a storm of loss and change came around just when her beautiful memoir was [...]
🌿 Meghan Markle: Affirmations for Those Still Standing
I am still here, and that alone is a victory.
What tried to break me did not get the final word.
My spirit bends, but it does not [...]
Mama I Love You: Women Are Amazing, Unique, and Special!
Tyron Woodley’s mother congratulates Kamaru Usman at UFC 235
Â
"It's all good, baby. It's all good. It's your turn. It [...]
She Is AMAZING
Võ Thị Sáu: 🌿She Was Young. And Still… She Stood.
“I was never too young to see clearly—and I honor the strength that rose in me anyway.”
Võ Thị Sáu was a girl.
Not grown.Not protected.Not given tim [...]
🌿 Halimah Yacob: She Was Not Handed Ease. She Built Something Anyway.
Halimah Yacob did not begin life surrounded by comfort.
She lost her father young.Her family struggled.There were real limitations. Not imagined ones [...]
Untold Inventions Of Black Women Inventors That Schools Don’t Teach in Black History
Surviving isn’t luck—it’s innovation and strategy. “I create what has never been seen, because innovation runs in my bloodline.” [...]
9 Quotes from Maya Angelou to Nourish the Survivor’s Soul (Part 2)
Updated for 2025
🌟 Resilience & Strength
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced [...]
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen [...]
ART HEALS
What Song Has Brought Comfort and Healing to You?
In this life, there will be pain, trials, and tribulations. Â I am truly thankful for the gift of music. High-quality music can sooth [...]
Survivor Affirmations: History Remembers What is Rooted in Truth, Love, and Dignity.
American fashion icon Dapper Dan shares the history of the Adinkra symbol 'Sankofa' in Harlem, New York (& other places around the United St [...]
The Bold Choice to Live AND Thrive
Tyka said I could, so I did. -Prince (Tyka Nelson was Prince's sister who recently passed away)
Notice how people speak about sacrifices made for art [...]
🌿 You Were Never Meant to Live for Their Applause (w/playlist)
Survivor, I see you.Maybe you’ve been praised for being strong. Maybe you’ve been ignored for being too real.Either way, too many of us were taught th [...]












