Empowerment… What Is It?

Sheroes Empowerment

Empowerment… what is it?  It is defined as: “Authority or power given to someone to do something.”

I believe each of us have our own unique definition of this meaning based on our own life experiences.  I know I pride myself on supporting - holding a space for other women to discover their own “empowered state of being”.  I enjoy doing this in different ways.  I hold women’s “empowerment” retreats that is designed to help women take their power back when they believe they have lost or misplaced it.

Over the last several years this word has gotten so much attention from the media and rightfully so.  We as women have stood up in so many ways in our society to express from the depths of our souls that WE ARE EMPOWERED…. Empowered to Speak up for the less fortunate or for ourselves.

Currently we have women’s empowerment movements over sexual assault…the me too revolution and over our human rights being taken away.  I’m talking about the recent Roe vs Wade changes in TX and other states considering reversing these laws set in place so many years ago to protect women’s rights.  I do not want to get political here I am just expressing that all these topics revolve around one sentiment…EMPOWERMENT…. Taking it upon ourselves to be called to something higher… to stand up for the causes we believe in and to FREELY express those sentiments.

At Sheroes United we believe this is the core as to who we are as an organization.  Over the years we have supported many victims of domestic abuse or human trafficking who as we like to say, “Have become Victors of their own story”.  We believe that every human on this planet can heal from their pain and their experiences that have gotten them to a place of despair.  One of the words we here over and over on the other side of their pain, when they have truly healed and become transformed in their lives is “I feel so empowered now!” … Whether that be empowered to leave an unhealthy situation or to tell their story so that someone else may have the courage to tell theirs or to start a new career or move to a new city… that word, “EMPOWERED” keeps coming to the forefront of the feedback we receive.  If only when the word was created, they had spelled it with an “I” wouldn’t that have been perfect!!!  “IM…Powered”!!  OOOOOH the vibration of that just seeing it that way gets me excited!  Think we could hit Websters up to change it… HA HA.  Well, that’s how I envision it any way… I’m Powered, you are powered, We are ALL powered! 

Sheroes

There is nothing more gratifying to hear a student of our Inside Out Program come out of that training saying how the content has “Empowered” them to be better in some way.  It communicates so many great elements like maybe the chains have been broken, they have been set free from something, there is a new hope or dream that has emerged or simply that new boundaries have been created and that person is now free to choose how they will be treated.

This new year brings so many wonderful possibilities for us as a society and I am certainly looking forward to seeing all the ways that we not only can be empowered in our own lives as well as how we can show up and EMPOWER others in our communities and across the globe.

Won’t you join our ongoing and thriving movement of EMPOWERING OTHERS?

Lisa Kelley

Executive Director of Sheroes United