Scripture: Luke 8:47

Summary: The only way to begin writing a new chapter is to own the one you're in. In this episode, we explore the powerful moment in Luke 8:47 when a bleeding woman does something radical: she declares her story publicly, even though she could have slipped away quietly after being healed.

When we don't own our stories, we replay them endlessly, placing blame on ourselves and others for events that happened long ago. We can't make meaning of our stories as long as we continue to be oppressed by them. But when we claim authorship of our stories, we transform from victim to author.

I share my journey of recovering after two difficult vocational traumas - experiences that were somewhat public and that people suggested would make it hard for me to get another job. I talk about the constant remembering, the replaying of hard stories, and the moment I realized this wasn't pushing me forward. I had to own my story, so I could focus on what was in front of me, not what was behind me.

Drawing from Susan L. Taylor's wisdom that "our stories are our gifts to the world," we explore how owning your story is critical to accessing your personal power.

Exercise: The episode concludes with the Story Audit exercise - a powerful practice for writing one challenging experience from three perspectives (victim, survivor, and author) to help you move from being defined by what happened to you to being empowered by how you grew through it.

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