Finding. My. Voice.
- contact00255
- Jan 9
- 2 min read
Through all that I am building "praise to the Most High" I find myself in a reflective moment.
My faith has been tested in ways that don’t always show on the surface. Tested quietly. Repeatedly. In moments where endurance mattered more than explanation.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it truly means to have a voice.
A voice that has cried through pain.A voice that has laughed through pain.A voice that has been muted — not because it had nothing to say, but because pain is often misunderstood, uncomfortable, and difficult for others to witness.
Pain wears many disguises.Mine has been physical.
I live with Sickle Cell Disorder, a rare condition that shaped my life from childhood. Long hospital stays meant I missed large parts of my education. I learned the alphabet at around ten years old. Speaking never came easily — but singing did.
Music became my refuge. It gave me a language before I had words. Through melody, I found expression, connection, and a sense of belonging when traditional communication felt out of reach.
I didn’t have many friends — just a few — and even those connections were fragile. Illness creates distance, not always because of lack of care, but because people don’t know how to help. Especially in the 1980s, when understanding of chronic illness was limited.
The hardest part wasn’t the illness itself.It was learning how to pretend I was okay.
That pretending slowly created space between me and others. Silence became the default — not out of cruelty, but uncertainty.
This condition is lifelong.I was once told my life expectancy would not extend beyond 48.
This year, I turn 53.
And I am not only here — I am healthier than I have ever been.
This is not a story of struggle.It’s a moment of recognition.Of gratitude.Of quiet pride.
Because my voice — the very thing that once struggled to form — has carried me through pain, faith, and purpose. And over time, that lived experience became the foundation of the work I now do.
TheVocalPod Learning Series was not created as a product — it was born from a journey. A belief that voice is more than sound. It is identity, confidence, clarity, and the right to be heard — especially for those who have been silenced by circumstance.
At its core, TVPLS is about reclaiming voice — whether in communication, expression, or presence — and understanding that our voices are shaped by our experiences, not defined by our limitations.
I am still here.And I have something to say.
TheVocalPod Learning Series exists because voice changed my life — and I believe it can do the same for others.
Comments