Lara (pseudonym) spoke just a few sentences, but her words landed like a stone in still water.
We were gathered in the yurt—twelve midlife women, each carrying invisible stories, joys, and sorrows. Lara shared a tender belief about her lifelong feeling of unworthiness. No one interrupted. No one tried to fix, reframe, or challenge her belief. We simply listened with open hearts. In that silence, she softened with relief. We all did. (Especially those that shared Lara’s sense of unworthiness.)
Lara wasn’t asking for advice. She was simply speaking her truth. And in doing so, she reminded us of the freedom that comes with unburdening that which we keep buried.
This is far from a new concept. It’s as ancient as storytelling itself, central to therapy, the essence of deep friendship, and captured in the words, “The truth will set you free.” And yet, so many of us keep our stories buried—out of fear of judgment, vulnerability, or the belief that saying it aloud will somehow make a challenge worse.
There is something profoundly healing about putting our truth into words and having them witnessed. It doesn’t have to be a dark secret—it might be a feeling, a dream, or a small win.
In my years as a psychologist and meditation teacher, I’ve seen again and again: when we speak what’s real, even in its raw or unfinished form, we begin to release its grip. Shame loosens. Confusion clears. Healing begins—not because someone solves it for us, but because we’re no longer holding it alone. And, our courage and authenticity can spark others to do the same.
Midlife is a time when we long to be more real, more connected, more alive. With our roles and identities shifting, speaking our truth becomes an act of reclamation. We’ve spent decades holding it all together—for families, careers, communities. But maybe what we need now is for our experience, our beliefs, our stories to be front and center; to share and be received in our most authentic selves.
This month, I invite you to practice the healing art of sharing and listening.
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Let yourself be heard. Call a friend and share what’s on your heart—not the polished version, but the real one.
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Or, offer the gift of deep listening. Resist the urge to fix. Just be with her, hear her and see her.
And notice what happens—to both of you.
With love and presence,
~Shayna