Hiatus 2016

It was a good year to withdraw. No – I’m not talking about Afghanistan, though it probably would have been a good time for that too. I’m talking about pressing pause and taking a hiatus from my SpeakStrong platform.

I could have written an entire book of Poison Phrases from a few minutes of his speeches. He made a mockery of principles I hold dear and teach. He exalted principles I deplore. He ridiculed values I treasured. He venerated ambitions I refute. He trashed people struggling from want and abuse. He retraumatized survivors and emboldened perpetrators nationally. He was (and remains) a bully – and in 2016, he won.

His tone trickled down to some of my readers and supporters. Some regarded him as a SpeakStrong role model. Some took license from him to mock and belittle and ridicule. Some I had interacted with for years became impertinent and pushy.

When they went low, we went high… and they took us out at the knees. For a while.

That, and so many other reasons (like the passing of my father) made 2016 a good year to hit pause and withdraw. It was a good year to invest my energies closer to home. It was a good year to regroup and transform.

Now it looks like 2021 will be a good year to reengage in a new way. Is SpeakStrong relevant after Sixty (eight)? Are PowerPhrases pertinent after the Pause? I believe so – and I trust the phrases will be more sacred and soulful than ever.

I don’t know how my platform will unfold. I am not a communication speaker and author now. I simply live my life and do my best to say what I mean and mean what I say… without being mean when I say it. Everything SpeakStrong is fresh and new and waiting to unfold. So come unfold your voice here with me.