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
Survivor Affirmations: Getting in Touch with My Emotions (audio)
Survivor Affirmations: Getting in Touch with My Emotions (audio) [...]
HEALING JOURNEY
How to Protect Your Energy Around People
The social brain shows how deeply human connection shapes resilience. Supportive relationships regulate stress, strengthen emotional balance, and prot [...]
Not Defined by Them, Defined by Survival
✨ Affirmation ✨
I release the weight of their opinions, their names, their judgments.
I am not defined by what they said, thought, or tried to mak [...]
They Went to a Jamaica Retreat Before a Hurricane and Found Belonging
I am a fan of how people from the African diaspora give love and how we embrace others.Â
There are seasons when life feels like a storm that just won [...]
Compassion at the Table: Nothing New, This How We Do
Where I am from, when we say DEI, we’re saying:
“You belong here. I see you. I will work so that you can be safe, heard, and fully present.”
I [...]
I Can’t Educate the Willfully Ignorant While Healing Myself
SurvivorAffirmations.com | Inspired by WeSurviveAbuse.com
Some people don’t misunderstand you by accident.They misunderstand you on purpose.
They do [...]
CONFIDENCE/POWER/RESILIENCE
đź’” When They Still Protect the Person Who Hurt You
There’s a heartbreak that goes beyond the original harm.
It’s the silence.The excuses.The polite smiles at family gatherings.The messages from mutual [...]
Prioritize YOU: Self Care
elink.io | See Original
[...]

Survivor Affirmation: I Was Not Raised with Silver Spoons, But with Iron Will
🌟 Affirmation 🌟
I was not raised with silver spoons, but with iron will.The hood taught me rhythm, resilience, and how to breathe through storms.I ho [...]
HEALTHING JOURNEY
Reclaim Your Confidence: 7 Quick Tips (audio)
Sometimes we lose our confidence in ourselves and others. This podcast episode will give you 7 tips to help you recover quickly. R [...]
đź’Ś Dear Woman with PTSD
You are not broken.
I know that sometimes it feels like you are.When your heart races for no reason.When you're exhausted from hypervigilance.When yo [...]
🕊 You Are the Reason They Built the Walls — Because You Could Walk Through Them
They told the story wrong.They said the walls were built to protect something holy.But the truth is — they were built to keep you out.
Because you co [...]
She Is AMAZING
🌿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… s [...]
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen [...]
🌺 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 w [...]
Sound, Spirit, and Survival: How Alice Coltrane Held Sacred Space
✍🏽 For SurvivorAffirmations.com
Some Survivors find their way through words.Some through silence.And some—like Alice Coltrane—find their way through [...]
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.” [...]
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 Cong [...]
ART HEALS
When the Leaves Turn Black: Affirmations for Renewal and Release (video by Kirby)
I love the trips that Kirby's music takes us on.....
Affirmations that she inspires......
I transform what once felt like “black leaves” [...]
12 Free Books to Support Your Trauma Healing Journey
Whether you’re healing from personal trauma, systemic injustice, or generational pain, you deserve tools and support that honor the fullness of your s [...]
Surivor Affirmations: Musical Empowerment for Women
elink.io | See Original
[...]
The Power of Music: Candi Staton’s Anthem
This is one of my favorite songs from girlhood. I LOVE the tone in her voice and listen to her song catalog regularly. She is soulful.&nbs [...]



















