Welcome to SayItForward.org
Where every woman & girl is encouraged to share her remarkably unique story of overcoming the fears, personal beliefs, or circumstances that have held her back in any way. We are grateful to the women & girls who have already shared their stories and invite you to read them.
We hope you will be willing to share one of your stories that highlights a breakthrough you have had in your journey to realizing how truly amazing you are.
Latest Stories
The Cost Of Justice
"Mficha Uchi Hazai." My mother has repeated these words to me for as long as I can remember. In English,...
The Friendship That Ended in Silence
Lately, I have been feeling bittersweet about a friendship that ended about four years ago. I met this friend on...
About me
My Special Needs Awareness Journey By Abigail Louise Francis Garvey My name is Abigail Louise Francis Garvey this is my...
holidays and death
not sure where to start but my grief kicked in when I watch my mother take her last breaths on...
How a desire became Embrace Her
I grew up in Vietnam with loving parents and a family that always supported me. I had access to education,...
The Silent Scream of Herat: Shrouded in Black, Stripped of Light
I am amazing because I am still breathing, still fighting, and still holding on to my identity in a city...
Sharing God’s love one letter at a time
Hello I am Allison I live in a small town called Lincoln Arkansas I run a ministry called KTLM PROJECT...
Desidolia
The quiet collapse of admiration for someone once revered - Grief started as confusion and misunderstanding, It became betrayal and...
Being me
Hey meet me, I'm a girl born and raised in Sweden and I struggled throughout most of my life. I...
My father ruined my life.
Back in 2021, I had reached out to my father. He never reached out to me at all I had...
Girl in Chicago, Il
Trigger warning: Before reading this post, please be aware that it contains references to childhood sexual abuse and assault. 2008...
Afiya Shafiq (25) born and raised in the Netherlands, life as an Afghan and Russian girl
Dear person reading this, let me introduce myself! My name is Afiya Shafiq, 25 years old, born and raised in...
More Stories
Claiming Your Power
Experiencing epilepsy is my strength
I became epileptic 2004. I was ashamed of my Epilepsy for years. l often compare myself to my sisters. Why am I epileptic yet they are normal? It's unfair. Only...
This is to move on in my life
Trigger warning: Before reading this post, please be aware that it contains descriptions of childhood rape, other forms of violence and abuse, and self-harm. It has been almost 13 years...
Be Afraid
Fear, a hollow feeling that swallows you from within, there are so many forms of it - Fear of being seen, fear of being unseen, fear of being at the...
Afiya Shafiq (25) born and raised in the Netherlands, life as an Afghan and Russian girl
Dear person reading this, let me introduce myself! My name is Afiya Shafiq, 25 years old, born and raised in the eldest (and most beautiful) city of the Netherlands, Nijmegen....
I am a whole!
For many years I had the mentality that I was not intelligent or smart enough for anything. I did not even know what course I wanted to do after high...
You are enough.
Stand up for yourself Learn to love yourself enough to recognise that no one can cherish you better. In the past couple of days, I have engaged in some insightful...
Speaking your Truth
God spoke to me
I would like to tell my story how God spoke to me to anyone who will listen. A little bit of background on me, I grew up Catholic. I was...
Super-gluing my ears for 14 years. The ????????
Hello dear beautiful children of this planet, Today, I wish to share my story with everyone and anyone that wants to listen. This was not an easy task for so...
Fighting for Change
The past few weeks have been unsettling. First, Covid-19 forced us to stay at home, and we became masked-people. Then we witnessed on national TV the senseless murder of George...
The dark shadow under my bed
Trigger warning: Before reading this post, please be aware that it contains descriptions of childhood sexual assault and abuse. I am a strong and independent women today. What makes most...
Experiencing epilepsy is my strength
I became epileptic 2004. I was ashamed of my Epilepsy for years. l often compare myself to my sisters. Why am I epileptic yet they are normal? It's unfair. Only...
Finding My Inner Superwoman Despite Battling a Rare Disease
Devic’s disease is a neurological disease of the brain and spinal cord dominated by inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis) and inflammation of the spinal cord (myelitis). It’s often...
Love
Power of the Scar
I am amazing because I’m a survivor! My story begins at a time when I was a young girl. I was raised by a single mother, and had a drug...
“I was going to finish that sentence.”
Well into my career, I was in a meeting with a great group of intelligent, successful and confident business leaders. I respected every one of them. They were all men....
You are NOT alone????Scars to your Beautiful
When I was little I grew up in a bad neighborhood. The people who were in my house were not trustworthy or safe to be around. My biological parents were...
I love GOTR
Does your school have girls on the run? Mine does and I am a part of it! This is such a fun program. One reason I loved the program so...
Be brave
Be brave and let your true colors shine 🙂 Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone 🙂 ~ Photo credit: Image courtesy of Girls on The Run International.
Wish you loved me like i did
Hi i am a 23 year old female. A little bit background information i grew up in a conservative family. Oh i am a Muslim so my parents were really...
Self-Empowerment
My Past My Strength
My ordeal all began in 1994 when I lost my Dad at the age of seven. I was then single handedly catered for by my mother who had no specific...
I’m glad I experienced Epilepsy
My name is Sydney and I am almost 25. I have four sisters who are free from allergies and disabilities. I was born in the Philippines and named Sydney because...
I’m only stronger
Wednesday night of November 1, 2017 I was beaten half to death by my ex boyfriend. He kicked me, punched me, pistol whipped me and took the battery out of...
Our Turn
'It's a wonderful life after all' such a refreshing saying to hear no? If only it were true... At each point of our lives, right from the Palaeolithic Age till...
Chicago Marathon
I have many GOTR stories but this one is my first! In 2016 I discovered and enthusiastically agreed to run as a SoleMate for Girls on the Run of NWI...
From Mouse to Lioness ~ Listening to my inner voice.
Always a rather timid, shy woman, I was raised at a time when young women were seen and not heard. I'd sit in the company of those older than myself...
Trauma
My Past My Strength
My ordeal all began in 1994 when I lost my Dad at the age of seven. I was then single handedly catered for by my mother who had no specific...
Stop Coping, start feeling.
Trigger warning: Before reading this post, please be aware that it contains references to childhood sexual assault. What happens when you try to cope and not feel? You break down...
SUNSHINE after PAIN and STRUGGLE
One thing I have come to realize is that there is only one me and I am awesome and wonderful even if I don't see it. Life can be painful...
im not dead.
It is a story that can only be told in its entirety, I have tried other methods and there is always something missing. This is my first attempt at documenting...
Life on Brentmoor Ct (pt. 4/4)
FREEDOM That summer, Ivy's mother decided it was okay for them to go and visit their father in prison. At the time, he was located in a minimum-security prison, about...
Survivor
Trigger warning: Before reading this post, please be aware that it includes references to childhood rape and sexual assault. I am a survivor of multiple sexual assaults and rapes. I...
Other Topics
Behind Closed Doors
Note: This is a true story written by a 32-year-old from the perspective of her 5-year-old self– I turned out ok, despite everything. I share this story as a reminder...
Why I Am A Warrior
I believe that I am a warrior. I have tackled every challenge in my life. Although being a female with special needs in this world is a challenge, I have...
Oh Shame – a true tale of ableism
Yesterday as I began my scathing rebuke of the lady at the beach who undeservedly pitied me My dad to me in a hushed tone: “Don’t say anything.” Me to...
“Bringing Life to These Issues”
VIDEO: Jama Jack, of Think Young Women in the Gambia, talks with Elisa Gambino, One Production Place, about the power of survivors’ stories in efforts to end female genital mutilation...
Good deeds and God speed
My life is crazy. There are so many ups and downs, ripples, and waves in my timeline, to the extent motion sickness is unavoidable. When I find myself reflecting, I...
Arriba de las nubes grises siempre habrá un cielo azul
Después de disfrutar de una adolescencia privilegiada dentro de los estándares de mi país, incluyendo mudarme a vivir a una ciudad a 4 horas de distancia de mi casa para...