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
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...
711 Heal My Hurts
Life’s storms ⛈️ may be unpredictable, but one ☝🏽 thing is for certain - the rainbow 🌈 will follow. Keep...
Accepted. Funded. Rejected.
I was born as one of six daughters in a South Sudanese polygamous family—where, from the very beginning, my worth...
The rest is still unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield was onto something when she released Unwritten. Staring at the blank page before you. Oof. It’s like a...
Born Too Close to the End
By B. A. ⸻ Chapter 1: The Womb of Death I came into the world fragile, almost nothing. My tiny...
Warriors Without Swords: The Unstoppable Power of Women
A woman is the full circle. Within her lies the power to create, nurture, and transform.” – Diane Mariechild A...
A letter to able-bodied people
Dear able-bodied people, Can we please agree that praying for a disabled person to be healed after they’ve said no...
To my late mother, Latika
My mother who passed away in 2013 in Nashik city(India) used to tell me her story of going to school...
Broken To Brilliant
I Wrote On Here Multiple Times On Here. My Recently One Was About My Baby Sister “Mariah Symone Sanders” On...
We live to continue his legacy
I had promised myself that i would document every step of grief , but i wasnt very ready of the...
Stuck
There's a lot I wanna say to you but cant. I can't explain why you just changed my whole life...
Losing It All While Finding Myself
I am a child of trauma who grew into an adult shaped by it. The earliest pieces of my story...
More Stories
Claiming Your Power
after my darkest moments
Growing up, I’ve noticed that many people, especially men, think they are entitled to a lot from a woman. They think they have the right to look, to gaze with...
A Global Force of Voices
VIDEO: Julia Wiklander, founder of Girls’ Globe, leads a global network of young women working to raise the voices of women and girls around the world.
House of Secrets
I grew up in a house full of secrets. On the exterior of our home we looked like a picture-perfect family, but on the interior we all found ways to...
Being A Young Lesbian
Being a lesbian is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I wish I could have imagined this possibility when I was younger, because when I was 11...
Nisha Varghese: Unbreakable Spirit
You see the girl in the wheelchair, and you think, “Oh, poor thing. She’s disabled. Life must be so hard for her.” You walk right up to her, and then...
My Rocky Road to Heaven
A struggle to enlightenment When a child is violated by other humans, healing may take several lifetimes. Foreword Spirituality is our very individual and personal development. Most people will have...
Speaking your Truth
Being A Young Lesbian
Being a lesbian is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I wish I could have imagined this possibility when I was younger, because when I was 11...
Building Intergenerational Bridges
I started my work as a volunteer and I still volunteer. Late at night, in the weekends, travelling in and out of my city alone for 10 hours for both...
The strongest person I know
When they asked me, who is the strongest person I know? I replied, it's me...i am the strongest person I know, I have been through things no one knows and...
Just One Decision
I had an amazing breakthrough a few months ago, and it completely changed my life, but let me start with some backstory, explaining why this decision became so instrumental in...
You Never Know What the Future Holds
I have a mental illness, bipolar, and I am not ashamed. I started having symptoms when I was 14. I would have intense periods of mania and other times depression....
Every Woman is Powerful
I believe that every woman is powerful, and just needs to explore her inner strengths. This is a story of an ordinary woman who opened her eyes in the very...
Love
“Never give up”
VIDEO: Ava Vosu & Charlotte Toogood, mother and daughter midwives, share their perspective on perseverance, moving forward, and appreciating the inspiring people in our lives.
graphic
Trigger warning: Before reading this post, please be aware that it contains descriptions of childhood rape and sexual assault. I was 5 when I lost my childhood. I had to...
Are You Holding Back?
My daughter has been applying for summer camp counsellor jobs. She’s been a camp counsellor the last three summers, in addition to being a lifeguard and swim instructor during the...
This is my story
I grew up knowing i would be dead before 18. I grew up in a house full of hatred. I grew up in an adoptive home where I felt worthless...
Some Girls Don’t Fit In
Some girls are not meant to fit in. This has always been the story of my life. As a child, I never dreamed of weddings. I didn't give in to...
A letter to #GirlsinSTEM and youth activists
Growing up as a child raised by a single, immigrant mom, I have faced her my share of struggles navigating the resources and STEM curriculum. Every day in my home...
Self-Empowerment
An Angel During Change
Job titles and salaries will never determine my qualities as a person, this is what I used to think and what I used to share with people around me. However,...
My story
Growing up was not always easy. From an early age (4) I had to fight battles never intended for a child. I never knew my father,my mother was married 14...
What Running Taught Me
I started running the fall after my daughter was born to lose a few pounds, get back in shape, and sneak in a few miles of "me" time after being...
Mantras About Me
I am me. With all my quirks, inadequacies, faults, and mistakes. You don’t know the half of them. But I was timid, and intimidated. For a number of years. But...
The girl with the most cake
This is pretty long but this all needs to be said: I'm a black sheep. And I really mean that, too. I'm a black sheep. I was born in April...
Our defining moments
We live our lifes from moment to moment, from breath to breath. Somethings we hold our breath to make the moment last but at times we hold it, close our...
Trauma
Mental Health Matters
My name is Emily. I am a 16-year-old, junior in high school, and approximately 14 days ago was the anniversary of my third suicide attempt. On September 16th, 2020, I...
H.O.P.E- Hold On Pain Ends
I was just 13 years old and in the seventh grade when I had my first panic attack. It was crippling and terrifying. I could barely breath, I was hyperventilating,...
The Guilt of Staying Home after Baby
Have you all noticed the shift in what the average American household consists of? If you are unsure of what I am exactly implying, I mean… have you ever looked...
after my darkest moments
Growing up, I’ve noticed that many people, especially men, think they are entitled to a lot from a woman. They think they have the right to look, to gaze with...
My survival story
September 18th, 2015 is a date I will never forget, but a day I'll never be able to remember. I can tell you what I've been told happened... I drove...
We are not lost causes our stories can change!
My childhood was overwhelmed with sexual, emotional and physical abuse as well as being exposed to violence and criminal activity by my parent. I fell pregnant at 14 in care...
Other Topics
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...
Anxiety Feels Like a Bully
In my mind anxiety feels like a massive bully. It holds me back from taking up new opportunities and to speak up. It makes me constantly put myself down. Anxiety...
Sabiendo Que Mi Voz Debería ser Escuchada
Alrededor de hace algo así como un mes, estuve extremadamente sorprendida por una orden de la Corte presentada en contra mía por parte de mi ex-esposo. Sin yo tener conocimiento,...
So proud of you
I'm so proud of you, you're always going to be enough for me... you choose what to do with that. ~ Photo credit: Image provided by the storyteller.
Stronger than I thought I was
I am STRONG AND BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT, AND SO ARE YOU!! As I grow older day by day, I find out more about my gender. The choices that we...
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...