Episode 4 | Honoring Women’s Journey to Self-Empowerment with Tererai Trent
The path to achieving success and fulfilling our mission in life is tied to our ancestors. Coming back to our roots involves remembering the place where we were born, the family and community we belong to, and listening to the stories passed on from generation to generation. You may be overwhelmed by doing this work, but it is vital for our journey because true self-empowerment begins when we face our shadows.
In today's episode, Tererai Trent shares the lessons she learned from “standing on women's shoulders,” a metaphor for the indigenous wisdom and guidance she inherited from the women in her family. As a scholar, humanitarian, educator, and author, she also talks about her views on showing vulnerability, climbing the ladder so others may follow, and the difference between culture and custom in a patriarchal society.
If you're looking for inspiration to start your journey to self-empowerment, this episode is for you!
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Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Learn how to confront your fears, especially when building your dreams.
Discover relevant patterns you may be experiencing after reflecting on Tererai's words.
Find out why quality education plays a huge role in advocating for women and self-empowerment.
Resources
The Awakened Woman by Tererai Trent
The power of vulnerability, a TEDx talk by Brené Brown
The Awakened Woman Lessons is a series of online classes based on Tererai’s books about healing from your soul wounds, reclaiming your voice, and unlocking what breaks your heart.
Are you overwhelmingly stressed and wanting to truly connect to yourself? Listen to Radically Loved if you want to learn how to achieve mind/body/spirit connection, create more sustainable relationships, and find your life’s passion. Be sure to share your favorite episodes and leave a review!
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Episode Highlights
Finding Where Women Empowerment Comes From
Women need to reclaim their voices. But there is also a need to reflect on and confront their past because it comes with a lot of wounds.
Epigenetics tells us that marginalized people and female minorities tend to pass their wounds to the next generation.
Tererai believes that we pass down wisdom through generations, but it also comes with different wounds that we need to heal.
Self-empowerment and women empowerment finds its roots in indigenous wisdom.
Overcoming Fear
Tererai encourages women to reflect on the patterns they are experiencing that they have also seen in their ancestors.
Failing to confront your fears and self-judgment will hinder you from recognizing that your dreams are waiting in front of you.
Women need to reclaim their voices, reflect on their past, and know how they want to be defined instead of letting society do it on their behalf.
Journey to Awakening
The biggest lesson that Tererai has learned is despite the poverty and ugly circumstances, we are all born with wisdom.
Surround yourself with “wisdom carriers” or “wisdom whisperers,” as Tererai calls them. They are mentors who allow you to fulfill your dreams and awaken in your journey.
The world where we live is full of uncertainty. Thus, we need to come home to ourselves to realize the life we want and not what society expects.
Women Supporting Each Other
When women support other women, the collective feminine energy allows us to thrive better and achieve self-empowerment.
We are all climbing an invisible ladder where women on top have a moral obligation to look down and lift others up.
Dreaming for a better life becomes more meaningful when you tie it to a larger purpose of serving your community. Listen to the full episode to hear Tererai’s story about chasing her dreams!
You can achieve success when you connect your personal goals and dreams to the greater good.
Finding Redemption in Healing Your Wounds
Tererai shares the story of the two Hungers: Little Hunger and Great Hunger.
Little Hunger comes from our soul wounds and demands us to never be satisfied with what we have. On the other hand, Great Hunger, is our hunger to seek meaning in our lives.
Tapping into your Great Hunger and asking the question, “What breaks my heart?” can lead to an awakening where healing can occur.
Finding your purpose starts when you acknowledge where your brokenness comes from, come home to yourself, and seek redemption from the hurt.
The Desire to Educate Yourself
It’s not easy for us to ask the difficult questions because we are exposing our vulnerability.
Some women think that asking questions will only put them in trouble, even expose their vulnerability to things they do not know. But our vulnerabilities show our strength.
Once you confront your wounded past, the truth gives you freedom.
Tererai witnessed the beauty of confronting your pain in the stories of her grandmother and mother.
In a patriarchal society, customs are merely practices that benefit men, but culture is our foundation. Culture is embracing and loving people.
On Success
As women, our journey to success doesn’t have a period.
We should aim to thrive and leave a comma at the end of our personal journey so that others can pick it up.
On Building a Thriving Environment
Visualization, looking for mentors, and welcoming opportunities all help create a healthy environment for your dreams to thrive.
Believe that you are meant to live a better life than you have now. Surround yourselves with the right positive energy and run away from toxic people and their dramas.
The journey to self-empowerment starts when women come home to themselves.
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
“We live in a world that demands so much of us. But when we come home to ourselves, then we begin to realize the life that we want for ourselves, not the life that the society is expecting out of us.”
“It's not only about our personal dreams in this life, neither is it about the education and the diplomas that we post on our walls, or is it about the success, the financial success that we have. But it is all about how we connect our education, how we connect our personal dreams to the greater good.”
“I always ask, ‘Can you be the fertile ground for others to thrive?’ Because I stand on the shoulders of many women who looked right into my face and saw something that I wasn't seeing.”
“We are on a journey to make life better for us, but also to make life better for others.”
“Our very survival is connected to the survival of others. That's what we call ‘ubuntu.’ I am because we are. Since we are, therefore I am.”
About Tererai
Dr. Tererai Trent is an internationally-recognized motivational speaker who advocates for quality education and women empowerment. She is currently an adjunct professor in Monitoring & Evaluation in Global Health at the School of Public Health at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She founded Tererai Trent International Foundation to give back to her community with the belief that education is a way out of poverty.
Tererai is an award-winning author. She is also Oprah Winfrey's “All-Time Favorite Guest,” as she demonstrates in her new book, The Awakened Woman – Remembering & Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams, which included a foreword by Oprah. Gifted with a natural charisma that inspires people from all around the world, Tererai's compelling story encourages people to build their dreams and the dreams of others.
If you want to connect with Tererai, visit her website, or message her on Twitter. You can also follow and support Tererai Trent International on Facebook.
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To inspiring success and empowerment,
Rosie