The Day I Chose My Voice

Last month, I stepped onto a stage and shared a story from my life that I had never shared publicly before, but was one that had deeply impacted my life.

What I have only told my closest friends is that right before stepping out onto the stage, as I stood behind the curtain, I realized I couldn't remember a single word of my speech. Not one.

And for a brief moment, I wondered... "is it too late to withdraw now? I wonder if anyone has ever done that?"

But I took a deep breath. Did a grounding somatic practice and turned towards the curtain again just as they announced my name. 

That night, I stood in front of over a hundred people at North America’s largest inspirational speaking competition, Speaker Slam, and delivered my story about childhood betrayal, motherhood, and the healing power of saying no.

In the end, the words came flowing out. Turns out, they had always been there. And when it was all over... I won first place.

But the reason I'm sharing this isn't because I won. It's because I learned something that night. That while winning felt great, what felt even better was that I had shared, I had finally used my voice to share something hard that I had never talked about, and I was done hiding.

The voice that has grown louder

Over the past year, I have stepped into what has felt like my purpose and calling, but beneath that, I'm also realizing that it's been a return to myself. The original version of me before the conditioning and stress patterns took hold and helped me survive, but also eventually also started to hold me back.

My work now centers on helping parents navigate difficult life transitions: divorce, job loss, grief. Through somatic coaching, I guide them to connect with their own bodies and help restore their nervous systems… and with it, their confidence, sense of self, and connection to what matters most.

But on that stage, something shifted for me.

For the first time, I shared a story that was difficult for me to share. The bullying taking place in my own home, the hurt I felt not only in being physically hurt, but also not being believed and silenced as a child. And then, years later, being given a choice as a mother:

To repeat the cycle, or to break it.

I still remember my son looking at me with pleading in his eyes. Likely the same pleading that mirrored the look in my own eyes all those years ago with my own parents. And he told me he wasn't feeling well and what he needed. In that moment, I decided I wouldn't brush it off, try to shrink it, or override him to keep the peace. I chose to believe him.

That was the moment, I became the mother I never had.
And something in me healed.

The speech that started it all

The speech was called The Power of Knowing.

In it, I shared what I’ve observed in both my life and my work: that children don’t believe what they’re told because it’s true, but because they don’t know that it’s not true.

They need to be mirrored and believed to learn how to trust their own knowing. And the greatest thing we can teach our children is how to trust themselves.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that speech became a launchpad.

Since that night, I’ve been invited to speak on new stages. I’ve appeared on CTV Your Morning, CP24, and Breakfast Television and others, sharing this message of presence, parenting, and self-trust.

But what stays with me most are the quiet moments after when a parent messages me to say, That part… I’ve felt that too. When they realize they’ve been waiting their whole lives to be believed and now want to offer something different to their children.

None of it would’ve happened if I hadn’t taken the stage.
If I hadn’t followed the whisper that said: It’s time.

What stepping into your voice can do

That’s what I want to leave you with, because this story isn’t just about me. It’s about what’s possible for you.

There is someone out there waiting for your story and your voice. Not the polished, perfect version, but the one that's raw, authentic, and true for you.

When I stepped out on to that stage, for a moment, I didn't know if the words would come or if my voice would shake, pitch, or if I'd embarrass myself. I also didn’t know how it would be received. But I also knew I was done self-abandoning and hiding. I knew I was ready to speak to the child I had once been, and the children we’re raising now.

Winning was the last thing from my mind back then. Instead, it was because there was something in me that had to be said.

And maybe… there’s something in you, too.

The legacy work

I want to be clear: I don’t blame the people who didn’t know how to support me when I was young. They were doing the best they could with what they had. But I also know that silence kept me small for too long.

So now, I choose to speak. Not to shame the past, but to change the future.

Because every time we trust our knowing, every time we choose presence over performance, every time we look a child in the eyes and say, “I believe you,” we are writing a new legacy.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to speak, to share, to step forward... maybe this is it.

Your voice has power.
Your story matters.
And you never know who will find themselves in your words.

Sending you love and encouragement... maybe for you too, it's time.

Vivian 💜