Almost everything is multisided – including the occurrences that give us pain. So, we asked some of the most enlightened folks in the community to share how they have harnessed their pain to help rather than hurt them.
RudeBoyKels
With my music. I feel like to be a great artist you have to be vulnerable because someone can relate to your story and you could help them and let them know they’re not alone. Read more>>
Michelle Berc
I was born with a vision impairment I once tried to hide, but it awakened my deepest gift—an extraordinary sensitivity to sound and vibration. Surgeries, glasses, and years of struggle shaped me, but they also tuned me to hear and feel the world in ways others cannot. Read more>>
Eugeniia Gul
I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power when I began my therapy journey back in 2014. That was the first time I allowed myself to truly look inward, to face what hurt, and to understand that healing could also be a source of strength. Read more>>
Yolanda Redd
I stopped hiding my pain when I realized it started to bleed onto the things I loved. Hiding the pain initially was a way to keep moving, a way to not allow the past or hurt to effect the things I wanted. But overtime the pain would show up in other ways. Read more>>
Tunisia Offray
I stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized it wasn’t just my story — it was a story that could heal and free others. For years, I carried the weight of everything I had been through quietly, pushing forward while keeping the scars hidden. But there came a point when I understood that silence only serves shame, and shame has no place in healing. Read more>>
Naz Meknat
When I stopped hiding my past, the struggles, the battles, and everything I had to overcome to survive, when I decided to write my memoir, ‘7000 Miles to Freedom’. Sharing my story and opening up about my life showed me just how much strength I truly have. I was hesitant to share my life story and past with the world. Read more>>
Julia Calvin
When I discovered my love for songwriting towards the end of high school, I realized I had an outlet for all of my anxieties. I realized any painful event now had a silver lining – I could probably write a good song about it. Read more>>
Emerson Dameron
You know, there was this moment – well, not this one; a different one. I was lying on the bathroom floor of my shoebox apartment in Venice at 3 AM, post-divorce, post-everything, really. I’d been crying so hard I’d given myself a nosebleed, which is ridiculous, even by my standards. Read more>>
Summer Brennan
I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power when I began songwriting. What I find most attractive about songwriting is that I can reflect on the parts of my life that I can not ‘talk through.’ When I write, I sit on my bedroom floor, plug in my keyboard, play a chord progression, and hum melodies; then, I craft lyrics. Read more>>
Matt Gonzaga
I think I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power the moment I realized that vulnerability wasn’t weakness, it was my greatest strength. For a long time, I felt like I had to be the strong one, the achiever, the one who had it all together. But life and love cracked me all open. Read more>>
Lindsay Taylor Dellinger
I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power the day I realized that vulnerability is a gateway to connecting with other human beings. My pain, while specific to my experiences, wasn’t a novelty. Pain is universal. Suffering is experienced by many. Grief is the price of love, as my mother used to say. Read more>>
Therese Curatolo
Anyone who has listened to my music knows I harness my pain and turn it into a musical anthem of sorts. I used to think being vulnerable was a weakness until I realized how many people can relate to even the smallest life pains. Read more>>
