From Survivor to Storyteller: The Power of Speaking Up

There’s a strange kind of strength in silence. Survivors know it well—the instinct to keep it buried, the pressure to pretend everything’s fine, the well-worn habit of answering “I’m okay” even when your insides are anything but.

I lived in that silence for decades.

Not because I wanted to. But because I didn’t believe I had a choice.

When you’re bullied, assaulted, and broken down by the very people meant to protect you, it rewires your sense of self. It teaches you to minimise, to deflect, to joke. It tells you: This doesn’t matter. You don’t matter.

But then something shifts. A word, a moment, a person reminds you that truth has power. That speaking up isn’t weakness—it’s a reclaiming.

Writing The Hate Game wasn’t just cathartic—it was transformational. Each chapter felt like pulling a thorn I didn’t know was still embedded. It hurt. And it healed. And by the time I reached the final page, I wasn’t just surviving anymore.

I was telling the story on my terms.

There is immense power in that. Not just for me—but for anyone who has ever stayed quiet because they feared being doubted, dismissed, or judged.

If you’re still holding your story inside, I see you. And when you're ready—whether it’s writing, speaking, whispering, or shouting—I hope you feel the freedom that comes from turning pain into narrative.

Because the moment you tell your story, you become its author. Not its victim.

And trust me—there’s nothing more powerful than that.

Look at how I have progressed. From a scared little boy who needed protection to someone who has thrived, turning the tables as an adult to help vulnerable children (like I once was) and becoming a storyteller. What a journey!