Motivational speaker, author, producer and talk show host, Kirsty Spraggon reached out to me to share a video about her “deepest work around stigma, shame and secrets.”

I was deeply moved by her story.  Shame had blocked her, creating a sense of unworthiness and her secret was “running the show” much of her life.  It created a deep divide between her outward persona and authentic self.  She shared how the first step was to be honest about her fears and how they were driving her.

Trauma, depression, addiction, abuse, anxiety are just a few of the conditions notoriously steeped in stigma, shame and secrets. Her journey towards confronting her own secret in an extremely public forum was beautiful to observe.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

“You need to become fear’s BFF.”

– Kirsty Spraggon

And because life has a way of reinforcing the lessons it really wants you to soak in, literally the day after the introduction to Kirsty’s journey, I came across Garrett Grab.  He also struggled with a secret for years.  He also had a desire to break free from the grips of his story.

Take a minute to watch his story as well, story shared via index cards.

“Speaking about what happened gave me a 2nd chance and a life I was destined to live.”

– Garrett Grab

Don’t underestimate the power of shame.  But remember that shame loses traction when light is shined on it.  Are there secrets in your life that have kept you from being your authentic self or block you from the peace and happiness you deserve?

Perhaps it’s time to break out.

If there are no trusted friends or family available to help you begin this journey, perhaps a therapist can.  Like Garrett states in his video, having support is a must.  Find someone to help you.