Perhaps you have always been a good girl. You have been the girl who follows the rules and doesn’t talk out of turn and makes everyone around you feel nice.

And then one day you are faced with an event that requires you to make a choice. You have the choice to stand up and speak out for yourself or the choice to sit down and be a good rule follower.

Your body – broken and sick – is giving you signs that being a good girl is no longer working. But you are scared to speak out because that means changing the rules.

But you decide – for the first time in your life – you are going to be heard. You can no longer swallow your voice.

So you scream. And you yell till your throat is raw and scratchy. And you shake because speaking out has never been you.

And you make the world stop and look at you.

And for the first time in your life you take a deep breath all the way down into your belly. And you blow that breath out and your heart relaxes. You have found your voice. And it is strong and powerful and beautiful. And you are safe.

You turn around and leave the good girl behind. You are a voice. You have a voice and it will be heard.