It's Time To Find Our Voices, & South Island Speaking Tour in April
It's now or never... the time to speak and take action is here. Stages of grief and despair - to empowered, And check out my upcoming South Island speaking tour
In May 2023 I spoke at my son’s school board. People said I was brave. People said they could never do such a thing. That was almost a year ago. A few weeks later I was invited to speak at the Whangamata ‘Stand By Your Women’ meeting (above).
Have more people found their voices in the past year? Have more people dug deep to find courage they never knew they had? I hope so. Because things will continue to decline unless more people find courage.
I was ‘lucky’… by the time I spoke in a school boardroom, I had already found my voice, within my new community of freedom-seekers. I’d been speaking at community meetings since late 2021. I simply got to the point I couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
“There comes a point at which we need to stop simply pulling people out of the river, and we need to head upstream and figure out why they fell in.” - Bishop Desmond Tutu
This quote from Bishop Tutu profoundly changed my life. It gave me courage I never knew I had. A light turned on. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few words, set your life on a different course.
It’s time to learn HOW to say what we are compelled to say - so those currently making decisions on our behalf will hear us.
Ask questions, go digging for the truth
We all have the same right to ask questions, present our facts and research, hold people to account who make decisions and put policies and laws in place that affect our lives. And we can offer to work alongside them to assist in doing what is morally right.
Where ethics and morals seem non-existent, we need to find our voices now.
- Penny Marie
Stages of awakening (and grief)
Let’s face it, we have all had a rough few years. There are stages of awareness and grief that typically follows a pattern after such a season. Hard as the stages are, moving through them IS the healing process.
What stage are you at, in general, with understanding what is going on in the world today?
‘Normal’ functioning - not yet questioning, thinking everything is ok, feeling comfortable.
Shock - disbelief, grasping onto what is comfortable and not wanting to know the truth.
Anger - frustration, anxiety, irritation, embarrassment, shame, loneliness.
Denial - awareness of disturbing realisations, avoidance, confusion, fear, numbness, blame.
Depression/detachment - overwhelm, melancholy, low energy, helplessness.
Dialogue/bargaining - reaching out to others, desire to tell our story, struggle to find meaning of what’s happening.
Acknowledgement/acceptance - explore options, put new plans in place, take personal power back, take responsibility for own actions and behaviour, no longer a victim.
Empowerment - Meaning, direction, self-esteem, security, knowing who I am and why I am here, taking positive action, making changes, finding joy in positive solutions.
There was a time when we all accepted that those in positions of power had our best interests at heart. But now, many of us are realising that we were too trusting, too distracted, and we were led astray, slowly, over many years. So now we have a choice.
Either we allow ourselves to be nudged into increasingly uncomfortable lives, or we step bravely into the stages of awareness and grief, ultimately, finding our voices and reclaim our right to a whole, healthy, happy, abundant, delicious life.
If you choose this path less-traveled… you’re not alone.
Join the revolution and become part of the growing conversation about the change we can all make. A little at a time. If you’re not there yet, I look forward to seeing you there soon.
The power of vulnerability
Brené Brown studies human connection. Her first Ted Talk in 2011 played a big part in my self empowerment journey. If you haven’t watched it… I highly recommend you do.
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of courage”. - Brené Brown
Let Kids Be Kids South Island Roadshow in April
I’ll be in the South Island for the next few weeks, holding meetings in many locations to speak about what’s happening in the world of our kids and families. If you’re in the south, or you know people who are… please share with them. Massive thanks to all the amazing people who helped get this show on the road! Check out the Let Kids Be Kids Substack below.
Please stay in touch!
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