Her Story: Not an Event but a Movement

On September 25, 2025, eight women took the spotlight and shared their truth: many of them for the first time. The audience listened, cheered, and cried along with each performer. This entire night was an experience I will never forget. It will be a reminder that we all have a story to tell and no matter what, we are not alone. By the end of the night, eight strangers connected through their truth and vulnerability, hoping to share the stage again with each other.

This post is a testimony to each woman who took a chance, showed bravery, and showed their scars. I am beyond grateful to be the “host” of this magical experience.

When I first came up with the idea, I couldn’t foresee how much this event would impact an entire audience, including those who were not able to make it. My mission for the event was to help women find their voice, know their worth, and pursue their purpose, as I had done back in February when I shared my poetry and story about an emotionally abusive relationship.

On February 7, I stood in front of a room of friends and families and shared my truth. This was a defining moment in my healing journey. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest, and I could finally breathe. I knew I wanted to do something like this again, but the next time I’d have other women up there with me. I didn’t know how yet.

As the months approached my 5th anniversary of reclaiming my freedom and my 1st anniversary of publishing Her Story: Lessons Learned from an Emotionally Abusive Relationship, I decided the best way to celebrate was to help women find their voice and share their stories. I wanted them to realize the power in their voice, but also the importance of women coming together. We need to lean into each other more because we are not alone.

By the time I committed to making this event happen, I had two months to turn the idea into a reality. I quickly put on my event planning hat and got to work. From reserving a venue and recruiting performers to promoting the event, and most importantly, believing I could do it, I took on the challenge. As women began to sign up, my heart filled with joy, motivating me to keep going, even when the event came to a standstill.

We almost lost our venue, but I couldn’t turn back. I worked closely with the venue to reinforce the importance of this night. With that hurdle crossed, it was time to gather sound equipment, create promotional materials, and prepare my performance.

With the help of community partners, “Her Story” was able to happen officially. We had a venue, a sound system, and performers. Now we only needed an audience.

I walked into the venue on September 25 at 5 pm, ready for whatever was going to happen. I planned for hiccups and prepared how I would handle each of them. But to my surprise, the night went off without a hitch. As the woman walked in, they instantly gravitated to each other and discussed their nerves. They connected because of their fear, but empowered each other.

I opened the show with a poem titled “Poetic Justice,” a summary of why I created the event. Poetry is who I am, and the man I once loved tried to silence me. I let the women know that when they took the stage, this was their moment to tell whatever was in their hearts. We were listening.

Each performer poured their soul and made us feel their pain, but also their triumph. The audience members connected with familiar themes of insecurity, resilience, belonging, self-love, and forgiveness. I cried so much as I resonated with so many of these women. I understood their struggle to overcome obstacles and learn to love themselves, flaws and all. I am beyond grateful to Kaitlyn, Kelsey, Heather, Liz, Shaniqua, Carrie, and Ariel for trusting us with their stories.

I closed the night with a story about how we cannot be all be the girls in the girl group. Sometimes we need to take a step back, ask for help, and most importantly, support one another. (You can check out the blog post: All the Girls in the Girl Group to learn more.)

My favorite part of the entire event was watching how the performers and audience members embraced each other, cried with one another, and felt connected. Anyone could witness the magic in that room. Every performer said they’d do it again. Many asked when we can make it happen.

Now, that was the definition of a successful event. But to my surprise, as the audience members and performers reflected on social media, people who were not in attendance felt a sense of sadness for missing the event. Some said if I hosted again, they’d like to perform, but even more said they wanted to attend.

So, Her Story is not a one-time event but a movement. I am planning the next event for mid-March. I plan to collaborate with more community partners to ensure more women can share their stories.

Women are stronger and more powerful together, and no matter what, we will not be silenced!