Finding My Inner Lion: Claiming Courage and Speaking the Truth I’ve Lived

The Lion Memory: A Lesson in Deep, Powerful Voice

Lions roar-deep and powerful

As a child, I loved visiting the zoo. One of my favorite places was the lion house. This was an indoor area where the lions were fed. Even from across the park, you could hear them roar at feeding time. Their voices were raw, deep, and powerful. No one tried to quiet them. No one asked them to make themselves smaller. They were admired for being exactly what they were, for letting the world hear them fully.

I’ve been thinking a lot about those lions lately. I’m not a lion, of course. But I do have a voice. I don’t want to roar. I want to find words so honest, real, and powerful that even when spoken quietly, they resonate like a roar, deep, undeniable, and impossible to ignore. Not diluted to fit someone else’s expectation.

Growing Up Small in a World That Expected Me to Stay Small

Growing up small, I learned quickly that people expected me to stay “small”, in presence, in thought, and feeling, no matter how big my ideas or emotions were.

As a child, I was often called “cute.” But the inside was far from cute or simple. Life wasn’t easy. Survival demands perceptiveness, adaptability, strategy, quick thinking, self-sacrifice, and resilience. Far from small and cute, I carried a depth and strength that few expected or saw.

I’ve come to realize that some of the discomfort others have felt around me is a kind of dissonance. They expect me to fit into a neat box quiet, easily understood, and easy to categorize. But who I am and what I see doesn’t fit those categories. That gap between expectation and reality unsettles people, and I’ve often softened myself to make it easier for them. But I’m learning that dissonance isn’t a flaw. It is a sign that something deeper is breaking through.

Yet inside me were big, unexpected thoughts, insights, and deep feelings. They didn’t always fit what made others comfortable. I wasn’t rude. If anything, I held back, softened my words, and watered them down to avoid shock. This restraint often came at the cost of my own needs, a quiet form of self-sacrifice, leaving me feeling invisible or misunderstood.

Being small in a world that expects you to be small taught me something important: courage isn’t about size, but it is about voice, presence, and integrity.

Lessons from Advocacy: Caring for Jonny and Myself

Me and Jonny inviting people to ask their questions around disability

Caring for Jonny has taught me what it truly means to advocate boldly. His wellbeing depends on me being vigilant, clear, and fearless in speaking up for what he needs. Over time, I realized that the same courage I summon for him applies to myself: advocating for my voice, my perspective, and the truths I’ve experienced.

The skills I’ve applied to caregiving; resilience, clarity, and uncompromising honesty have become the foundation for finding and amplifying my own inner lion. The way I stand up for Jonny and protect him has shown me how to do the same for myslef.

The Challenge of Speaking Hard Truths

I’ve spent much of my life gathering the courage to speak words that carry depth, truths many of us shy away from because as John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Speaking truths allows me to live with integrity, authenticity, and freedom.

Life is full of difficult experiences, overlooked insights, and realities that don’t fit the fluffy narratives people offer to make the world “safe” or simple. I seek hard truths, the words for what people often can’t or won’t articulate and I believe that naming them is the first step to freedom and meaningful connection.

Adventure Isn’t Just Outside: It’s Within

Adventure isn’t only about travel or landscapes, it’s about exploration in all forms. Some of the hardest terrain is internal: navigating societal expectations, assumptions, and the struggle to find your own voice in a world that tells you to stay small.

Just like the lions, who were never asked to shrink for comfort, there is freedom in allowing ourselves to be seen, to speak, to resonate in our own way even if that resonance creates dissonance for some. A lion’s roar can carry for miles. It isn’t just loud, it resonates. It shakes the air, it settles deep in your chest, and it can’t be ignored. That’s what I long for in words: not noise, not volume, but words that even when spoken quietly still reach far, stirring something undeniable in those who hear them.

Exploring your inner voice is a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and personal growth and it’s as real as any adventure outside.

Finding Courage to Roar: Reflections and Next Steps

on the road to another adventure

I am working on the courage to speak the words that matter, to give voice to insights others might not yet have words for, and to explore the truths that are too often left unspoken.

And maybe that’s a big part of being fully alive: discovering the strength to be yourself, unapologetically, even when it feels too much for some. Like the lions, it’s not for everyone but, it is who we are when we embrace our full strength and voice.

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