A Truth We Don’t Often Talk About

There's a truth that we don't often talk about…

…it's the hidden places within us — the ones we've locked up tight, thinking it's safer that way.

Maybe you’ve felt it too. Those parts of yourself that you’ve tucked away in little boxes, the ones labeled “Too Painful,” “Not Worth Sharing,” or “No One Needs to Know.”

I understand. I can remember my days as a television news journalist, when people would say, “You’re always smiling. How do you stay so happy?” I’d offer a quick shrug and reply, “I guess I was born that way.” But behind that smile was a different story. Before stepping onto the set to welcome viewers to a new day, I’d stand in the shower, tears streaming down my face, wondering how I’d get through another broadcast while hiding the pain and confusion of my autoimmune disease.

I lived in constant fear of being found out, afraid that revealing my struggle would cost me my job. And when I finally summoned the courage to share my health battle with my bosses, that fear became reality. The cheerful morning news anchor they had known no longer seemed as “shiny” to them. My sparkle had dimmed in their eyes, and they decided to let me go.

I remember walking out of that newsroom, clutching an open box filled with my belongings. I was devastated. I had dared to share my truth — a glimpse behind the smile — and it had cost me my job. Yet, as I sat in my car, that box heavy on my lap and my face wet with tears, I felt something unexpected: a strange sense of freedom. It was a pivotal moment, a turning point that sparked a surge of energy I’d never felt before. An energy that would guide me toward deeper healing and the boldness to become the person I’m truly meant to be.

Here’s what I’ve learned: It’s tempting to keep our struggles tucked away, hidden in neat little boxes. We’ve been taught to smile through the pain, to prioritize others' comfort over our own truth, to swallow our hurt so we don’t make waves. But that silence? It doesn’t protect us. It will never set us free. It only keeps us small, trapped in a relentless cycle of pretending that everything is fine.

Today, I want to invite you to do something different: to start unlocking those boxes within. Because the real power doesn’t come from hiding our stories — it comes from letting them breathe.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. What part of my story have I kept locked away, afraid to share even with myself?
   Maybe it’s a painful memory, a moment you were told to “get over,” or a time when you felt deeply hurt but never allowed yourself to fully feel it.

2. What emotion keeps resurfacing, reminding me that there’s a box I haven’t yet opened?
   Is it anger that bubbles up unexpectedly? Sadness that lingers longer than it should? Anxiety that you can’t quite trace back to its source? These feelings are often clues to what we’ve kept hidden away.

3. What would it feel like to speak aloud what I’ve been holding in silence?
   Imagine saying the words, “I’m not okay right now,” or “This hurt me more than I admitted.” What kind of freedom could come from finally letting those truths escape the box?

Here’s the truth: The things we lock away don’t disappear. They stay with us, whispering quietly from their dark corners, holding us back from the fullness of who we could be. But when you begin to unlock those boxes — when you speak what’s been hidden — you create space for healing, growth, and a sense of freedom you might not have known was possible.

Take this as your permission: You don’t have to keep everything locked up inside. You don’t have to keep smiling through the pain or carry the weight of unspoken truths. Your story, in all its messy, beautiful honesty, deserves to be told. It deserves to breathe.

So, let’s take that first step together. Open one box, even if just a crack. Let a little light in. Let your voice rise. Because you are worth every word, every feeling, and every truth you’ve been holding back.