Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Karen MARCIONI your host for the Hope Show,
Speaker 1: inspired by my book Hope How Other People Endure, which
Speaker 1: is everyday people overcoming life's challenges. Today, we are joined
Speaker 1: by a returning guest, a Leebiaz, whose story continues to
Speaker 1: move and inspire so many. At just twenty eight years old,
Speaker 1: she is a gifted singer, songwriter, poet, and curator, a
Speaker 1: young woman who has turned her pain into purpose. Her
Speaker 1: life has been shaped by loss, abuse, and generational trauma,
Speaker 1: yet she's found a way to transform that pain through
Speaker 1: art and faith. Writing and music became her refuge, a
Speaker 1: space where she could begin to heal, to rediscover herself,
Speaker 1: and to bloom. Her focus. Blooming and healing is more
Speaker 1: than a theme. It's a living testimony to creativity. How
Speaker 1: creativity can restore hope. Through her poetry and her music,
Speaker 1: she invites others to feel seen, heard, and reminded that
Speaker 1: healing is not only possible, it's beautiful. I'm so honored
Speaker 1: to welcome Aliah Bias back to the Hope Show.
Speaker 2: Hi, it's good to be back.
Speaker 1: Yay, Aliah, welcome back to the Hope Show. Now, last
Speaker 1: time we spoke, we had some Internet challenges, So even
Speaker 1: through that, your light and authenticity came through. How have
Speaker 1: you been since we last talked?
Speaker 2: So a lot has happened because our last like our
Speaker 2: last time I was on here was like February of
Speaker 2: this year, right, So I have been blooming through the
Speaker 2: poetry scene. I had a lot of features in it,
Speaker 2: and I have became a curator. So I host my
Speaker 2: own open mic. Now. I did it twice this year,
Speaker 2: one in June and one in September. And it's called
Speaker 2: Blooming and Healing, right, So I just wanted to create
Speaker 2: a platform for others to find a space to heal,
Speaker 2: to perform. There ares they can come on stage singing,
Speaker 2: they can read poetry, they can dance, they can like
Speaker 2: just express themselves on stage, and I want them to
Speaker 2: have a safe space. So I have my open mic,
Speaker 2: and so it's seasonal, so I'm only doing it in
Speaker 2: the fall and the springtime. So I'm happy I got
Speaker 2: to achieve that goal is to keep pushing my advocacy
Speaker 2: of healing and mental health and everything through my platform.
Speaker 1: Now, oh that's great, and maybe we'll have a summer
Speaker 1: and winter in the future.
Speaker 2: In the future. Right now, so you've just.
Speaker 1: Grabbed your theme blooming and healing, and what does that
Speaker 1: phrase mean to you compared to when you first began
Speaker 1: your healing journey.
Speaker 2: So yeah, so blooming and healing, I felt like that
Speaker 2: just became like my motto in healing on my journey.
Speaker 2: So I feel like because healing is not it's not
Speaker 2: like beautiful like in the beginning, it's rough. It's like
Speaker 2: it's raw, it's scary, right, and it's dark. You know,
Speaker 2: you feel lone, you feel lost, confused. So during my
Speaker 2: healing journey, I look back where I started and from
Speaker 2: where I am now, and I was like, wow, I
Speaker 2: was blooming. Because in plants, they're in the dark until
Speaker 2: like they are guided up into the light. So I'm
Speaker 2: planting seeds in my healing journey and I'm sprouting and
Speaker 2: I'm blooming along the way. So in the end, for
Speaker 2: those who are listening in or just you know, like
Speaker 2: you are blooming in your healing journey. It may not
Speaker 2: feel like it, but when you look back, you do
Speaker 2: see it and it's beautiful in the end.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's wonderfully put. So you kind of answered my
Speaker 1: next question about you know, the earliest steps of what
Speaker 1: healing looks like, so it's not easy. So it seems
Speaker 1: that it comes in layers. Was there a particular moment
Speaker 1: or realization when you noticed your life beginning to change,
Speaker 1: when the healing started to take root?
Speaker 2: Good question. I feel like that's really hard because I'm
Speaker 2: trying to like when I'm looking past, I think like
Speaker 2: when I first started my healing was when I found
Speaker 2: my church, when I found great church. And then throughout
Speaker 2: that time of kind of stepping out of that like
Speaker 2: toxic relationship that I was in that ended, I feel
Speaker 2: like I was trying to find myself again because I
Speaker 2: was hiding in the shadows. So I think when I
Speaker 2: was searching for myself again and then putting myself into
Speaker 2: a space of people who cared about me and finding friends,
Speaker 2: and also putting myself into hobbies that I put in
Speaker 2: the past, like I kind of put it on hold.
Speaker 2: Like my poetry and writing has always been my outlet.
Speaker 2: So with me tapping into that again, it just opened
Speaker 2: up like the big picture of healing and I'm like, Okay,
Speaker 2: I'm writing, I'm writing my feelings down. Now I'm performing it.
Speaker 2: Now I'm connecting with more people, and it's like I
Speaker 2: guess maybe there's like there's like little scenes like I said,
Speaker 2: like planting, like there was there's so many uh like aspects. Yes,
Speaker 2: like so many parts of the journey that started it.
Speaker 2: There wasn't like no main points, but it all comes
Speaker 2: together like it's all pieces in one picture.
Speaker 1: Wow. Yeah, that's great. So sometimes the hardest part of
Speaker 1: healing is forgiving ourselves. Has self forgiveness played a role
Speaker 1: in your growth?
Speaker 2: Yes, good question, Yes, forgiving myself and loving myself like
Speaker 2: self love has been something that I haven't done much of,
Speaker 2: and it's very important to love yourself before, like you
Speaker 2: love others and I have a big loving heart, and
Speaker 2: I give so much love to others, and I'm like
Speaker 2: I need to give that also to myself. Absolutely, self
Speaker 2: care is so important, like finding those hobbies, finding those
Speaker 2: things that you enjoy that calms you down, that brings
Speaker 2: you joy and happiness and peace right and just knowing
Speaker 2: like doing affirmations and you know, buying that dress that
Speaker 2: makes you feel good or like don't care what anyone
Speaker 2: else thinks. The only like you know of finding your
Speaker 2: true self and feeling that that inner like goddess, you know.
Speaker 2: So it took a while for me to forgive myself
Speaker 2: of taking and allowing things that were that I shouldn't like,
Speaker 2: the treatment that I was being treated, like past relationships,
Speaker 2: and you know, I had to forgive myself the mistakes
Speaker 2: that I made and everything, and also forgive others who
Speaker 2: have hurt me because that's also part of my healing
Speaker 2: journey and my closure. So there's still more things I
Speaker 2: need to forgive, but it is part of the journey,
Speaker 2: and it's so important, especially to getting that inner self
Speaker 2: love to them, you feel confident and you can keep
Speaker 2: driving right right.
Speaker 1: I think that's hard for all of us, and there
Speaker 1: are times where we reflect on our past and we really,
Speaker 1: you know, have to learn to forgive ourselves from that
Speaker 1: as God has forgiven us. And you know, recently in
Speaker 1: a service I pastor Ben had mentioned, you know what,
Speaker 1: certain times in our lives we're worried about what other
Speaker 1: people think and we don't really have to worry about
Speaker 1: We shouldn't have to worry about that, worry about what
Speaker 1: you think yourself, and the only person you need to
Speaker 1: impress is God.
Speaker 2: Yes to that.
Speaker 1: So you've turned your pain into poetry, lyrics and songs.
Speaker 1: When you write or sing, are you healing? Yourself or
Speaker 1: are you creating a space for others to heal or
Speaker 1: maybe both?
Speaker 2: Oh, it is definitely both. I like, so when I'm
Speaker 2: writing my poetry, when I'm writing my songs and performing it,
Speaker 2: i am kind of like opening my heart diary and
Speaker 2: I'm performing it in front of a strangers, you know.
Speaker 2: But these places, like these poetry communities, they have a
Speaker 2: platform that is so welcoming and so loving and very
Speaker 2: like safe for me to express myself. So when I'm
Speaker 2: expressing myself and expressing something that I went through, I
Speaker 2: am healing myself. I'm going I'm living through it again,
Speaker 2: but it's in a different way because I'm I'm stronger
Speaker 2: now and then I'm letting it out so then others
Speaker 2: can hear my story so then they can know that
Speaker 2: they're not alone. I had so many people come up
Speaker 2: to me after like a poem or a song and
Speaker 2: they're like, wow, like I went through the same thing,
Speaker 2: Or like when I wrote a poem about my dad,
Speaker 2: They're like I lost my father too, or like about
Speaker 2: healing being in a healthy relationship after like toxic ones,
Speaker 2: and they're like, when did you feel safe in that relationship?
Speaker 2: Like I feel the same way, and they're like they're
Speaker 2: talking to me about it and they're healing through my
Speaker 2: words while I'm healing through my words well also healing
Speaker 2: them at the same time. It's like a full circle.
Speaker 2: But it's definitely both that I'm healing myself and others.
Speaker 1: Wow, that's powerful. And I know that certain songs really
Speaker 1: speak to me or certain poems really can make a
Speaker 1: difference in someone's life. As I mentioned in my book,
Speaker 1: after each story, I tried to put lyrics of a
Speaker 1: song because I think it makes such a difference. So
Speaker 1: how has your faith influenced your writing and your music?
Speaker 2: So I like, again, God heals, and he has through
Speaker 2: my testimony, He has been backstage in my life through
Speaker 2: all the trauma and everything that I've been through and
Speaker 2: leading up to me getting baptized and like find the
Speaker 2: church and everything. I am taking my talent that He
Speaker 2: gave me, the passion and the empathy and just to
Speaker 2: help others heal and just kind of healed himself and
Speaker 2: then to find other purpose in their lives. And I
Speaker 2: feel like that is my purpose on earth, and I'm
Speaker 2: using that of my faith in God and the healing
Speaker 2: process just kind of like it's my armor, and I'm like,
Speaker 2: I'm gonna help fight other people's battles too, Like I'm
Speaker 2: gonna give them my I'm gonna give them my armor too,
Speaker 2: because they're not alone in their battle either. So he
Speaker 2: hasn't influenced me a lot of just keep keep fighting
Speaker 2: my own battles, but help others as well. Wow.
Speaker 1: So while you're doing that, do certain emotions come back,
Speaker 1: like your heartbreak or grief still Do that still inspire
Speaker 1: your art or are you in a new creative season?
Speaker 2: Yes? So I'm known to write about like things that
Speaker 2: I went through through heartbreak or trauma, so that's like
Speaker 2: that's what I'm expressing and letting out. But I'm in
Speaker 2: a new creative season. I'm in a very healthy relationship. Wonderful. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and it's it's such a blessing and but it's also
Speaker 2: it's also hard because I'm still learning un learning like
Speaker 2: behaviors from past relationships, so what I went through and
Speaker 2: what I've been how I've been treated. So but being
Speaker 2: in a healthy relationship, I'm in my what they call
Speaker 2: soft girl era where I'm actually writing love poems now,
Speaker 2: which is like who am I to be writing love poems?
Speaker 2: But I also want to kind of have that balance
Speaker 2: where like I do have my heartbreak poems because I'm
Speaker 2: still healing from that, but I also have my love
Speaker 2: poems because there is beauty after that heartbreak. You're gonna
Speaker 2: find your person. You're gonna find that you deserve the
Speaker 2: love that you're supposed to get, definitely, and I do
Speaker 2: actually have a poem to share about it. Yes, So
Speaker 2: it's also in the topic of after coming through a
Speaker 2: toxic relationship and then getting into a healthy relationship, I'm
Speaker 2: still going through like the triggers and going through like
Speaker 2: the self sabotage of like do I deserve this healthy
Speaker 2: relationship and everything. So it's called even when it's safe,
Speaker 2: and the poem will express it more than when I
Speaker 2: can explain it. So even when it's safe, I keep
Speaker 2: waiting for the moment you turn into someone else. That
Speaker 2: softness really is a setup. That calmness must be a
Speaker 2: pause before the storm. Because what love taught me was
Speaker 2: in love, it was walking on eggshells, every word measured,
Speaker 2: every look interpreted like a secret code I keep failing
Speaker 2: to solve. It was silence used as punishment, affection held hostage,
Speaker 2: It was being blamed for feelings that weren't mine to carry.
Speaker 2: It was gaslight and guilt sugarcoated with I love you,
Speaker 2: so I stayed confused enough to stay. Love taught me
Speaker 2: that apologies come right after emotional whiplash, that being needed
Speaker 2: was the same as being valued, that being chosen meant
Speaker 2: being controlled. I learned that love was something I had
Speaker 2: to earn by being small, agreeable, quiet, invisible. Now I'm
Speaker 2: here with you and it's quiet, safe, but my nervous
Speaker 2: system doesn't know the difference between peace and the silence
Speaker 2: that used to come before the next explosion. You say
Speaker 2: a care about how I feel, and I freeze because
Speaker 2: I learned that words don't always mean what they sound like.
Speaker 2: I learned to before someone asked me to. I learned
Speaker 2: to apologize just for existing. The worst part is how
Speaker 2: my mind betrays me, how I look for signs you'll
Speaker 2: hurt me even when you're doing everything right. It's exhausting
Speaker 2: to think the worst just to protect myself from it again,
Speaker 2: to race for betrayal before it happens, because it always happens,
Speaker 2: and it's terrifying to admit that this time it might not.
Speaker 2: You're doing all the right things and that's what scares
Speaker 2: me the most because I don't know how to trust
Speaker 2: what doesn't feel like survival. So when I seem distant,
Speaker 2: please know I'm not waiting for you to hurt me.
Speaker 2: I'm waiting for the moment I realized I was wrong
Speaker 2: to believe you wouldn't. This is the wreckage I carry,
Speaker 2: and this is what it means to be loved gently
Speaker 2: when you only know love as a weapon. So if
Speaker 2: I seem afraid even when you're kind, it's not you
Speaker 2: that I'm afraid of. It's how deeply I believe that
Speaker 2: I never deserve kindness at all. But I'm learning and
Speaker 2: you're still here, and maybe, just maybe this is what
Speaker 2: love will always supposed to feel like.
Speaker 1: Oh that is beautiful you wow, And I'm sure that
Speaker 1: that will touch many hearts.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: In talking about love, and I've spoken to people who've
Speaker 1: been in toxic relationships, and at the end of my
Speaker 1: so the thread of everyone who endured their overcoming challenges
Speaker 1: was love. Yes, someone to love them, and it can
Speaker 1: be from a stranger or from a family member. So
Speaker 1: I took a verse from the New Testament that's read
Speaker 1: at a lot of weddings. Yes, love is patient. Love
Speaker 1: is kind. It does not envy, It does not boast.
Speaker 1: It is not proud, It does not dishonor others. It
Speaker 1: is not self seeking. It is not easily angered. It
Speaker 1: keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil,
Speaker 1: but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts,
Speaker 1: always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there
Speaker 1: are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they
Speaker 1: will be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Speaker 1: And you said something beautiful the last time we spoke.
Speaker 2: So yeah, so I forgot where I read it from somewhere.
Speaker 2: But if you take love and replace it with your
Speaker 2: partner's name, is like are they kind? Are they? You know? Like,
Speaker 2: and just keep going And then if the statement is true,
Speaker 2: then it feels more like genuine and it feels more real,
Speaker 2: you know. If the statement is true with their name
Speaker 2: is like are they kind? Are they patient? And so
Speaker 2: it's kind of like a little cheechy, but it's more
Speaker 2: of like, so you want to make sure those statements
Speaker 2: are true. If you found your soulme your.
Speaker 1: Person, absolutely and you deserve it, Yes, I deserve it.
Speaker 2: That's a self forgiving too. I have to make sure
Speaker 2: that I forgive myself and I know that I deserve
Speaker 2: and I know my worth, that I deserve the love.
Speaker 1: That I give absolutely the healing. Yes, yes, so healing
Speaker 1: isn't always linear. So how do you handle moments when
Speaker 1: old pain resurfaces or when growth feels slow?
Speaker 2: Yes? So, yes, healing is not linear at all. It's
Speaker 2: it's tough because again, being in a healthy relationship, triggers
Speaker 2: are being brought up. And I told my partner, I
Speaker 2: told him that when I have baggage that I'm unpacking
Speaker 2: and he's not allowed to unpack it, but he is
Speaker 2: my security blanket to comfort me during my healing journey.
Speaker 2: So when a trigger comes up and it's not his
Speaker 2: fault at all, it's just it's just something that I
Speaker 2: dealt with in the past where I have to come
Speaker 2: to realization and I have to understand where the trigger
Speaker 2: is coming from what I'm feeling, and then knowing that
Speaker 2: it's not his fault, it's just something that I need
Speaker 2: to unlearn, and then I talk it out with him
Speaker 2: and he's open heart, open mind with like talking it
Speaker 2: out with me and just helping me through it, which
Speaker 2: is such a blessing and like he doesn't have to,
Speaker 2: but he does because he cares and loves me, you know,
Speaker 2: So that's right, Yes, yes, so it is. It's tough
Speaker 2: and you have to have a lot of patience, but
Speaker 2: also it's like you have to make sure like your
Speaker 2: partner is ready for that. If they know from day
Speaker 2: one that you went through something and they're there to
Speaker 2: help you, then they're the one for you. Because it's
Speaker 2: it's hard to because I was trying my past relationships.
Speaker 2: I was trying to help others heal, but I was
Speaker 2: losing parts of myself along the way and that shouldn't happen.
Speaker 2: So so yeah, so it's it's it's tough when my
Speaker 2: triggers come up, but I feel as still as my
Speaker 2: anxiety has been a little more less coming up, like
Speaker 2: for instincts, Yeah, for instincts like I had to fly
Speaker 2: out for my job and I am afraid of flying,
Speaker 2: and my anxiety links to many other things of like
Speaker 2: of my past, and anxiety is just it's a whole picture.
Speaker 1: Sure.
Speaker 2: So so I was I'm so afraid of flying, but
Speaker 2: I like sitting at the window seat and looking at
Speaker 2: the clouds. But my last recent flying out in September,
Speaker 2: I was not anxious at all. I was relaxed, and
Speaker 2: it surprised me and I was like, wait a minute,
Speaker 2: I'm like, why am I not afraid to fly right now?
Speaker 2: And I feel like when I'm working on my healing
Speaker 2: in other parts of myself, that kind of just kind
Speaker 2: of gave me the boost of I guess confidence or
Speaker 2: just peacing like you're fine, You're okay, this is not
Speaker 2: something you should worry about. It's control. So I was like, whoa, wow, Yes,
Speaker 2: so it's like that's something like, oh yeah, I'll worry
Speaker 2: about like of healing my anxiety with flying. And then
Speaker 2: I'm like, wait, I'm working on this and actually help that,
Speaker 2: so it all comes together in the end. That's great.
Speaker 2: But yeah, back to the point where triggers will come up,
Speaker 2: it is not it's guarantee that they will come up
Speaker 2: no matter what, but just channeling your strength and to
Speaker 2: know what is triggering, talk it through and then just
Speaker 2: get through it.
Speaker 1: Okay. Yeah, So my next question was you've kind of
Speaker 1: answered it's balancing vulnerability and protecting yourself. Yes, you know,
Speaker 1: sharing your story and also taking care of your own
Speaker 1: emotional well being. Can be really difficult and putting yourself
Speaker 1: out there. So is it a difficult balance or for
Speaker 1: vulnerability and protecting your heart so to speak?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so yeah, so one sharing my experiences like things
Speaker 2: I went through, it's more of like it is, it
Speaker 2: is very vulnerable being on a stage in front of
Speaker 2: strangers that you don't know, and you're saying about your
Speaker 2: heartbreak or saying about any any trauma or anything that
Speaker 2: you went through, and it can get very like dark
Speaker 2: and like very deep fast. And you know, there was
Speaker 2: one time where I performed like a song that I
Speaker 2: wrote for my dad, and I started crying, and there
Speaker 2: was there was people in the audience that were just
Speaker 2: very like so kind of like caring, like one game
Speaker 2: came up and gave me a tissue. Oh yeah. So
Speaker 2: it's it's a very heartfelt, vulnerable moment. And then there
Speaker 2: are moments where you should protect your peace and protect
Speaker 2: your yourself and your heart, but you have to kind
Speaker 2: of like read the room and read your environment. If
Speaker 2: you don't feel comfortable, then don't share your story because
Speaker 2: then there's some type of negativity energy that's kind of
Speaker 2: gonna it's not gonna help you. So with yeah, just
Speaker 2: knowing your environment and making sure you feel safe, then
Speaker 2: that's when you can open yourself up and be vulnerable.
Speaker 2: But then if you feel don't feel safe, if you
Speaker 2: feel like you don't feel like expressing your story, then
Speaker 2: protect your energy. So it's a balance and you have
Speaker 2: to be able.
Speaker 1: To do both right right, Yeah, you know sometimes those
Speaker 1: that gut feeling is real and it should be paid
Speaker 1: attention to. Yes, So what message do you hope people
Speaker 1: carry with them after hearing your songs and reading your words?
Speaker 2: My message, I feel like again my whole theme blooming
Speaker 2: and healing, that healing is is is a journey and
Speaker 2: it's not pretty. But you're not alone. There's so many
Speaker 2: positive outlets. Like tap into something that you enjoy that
Speaker 2: you've been putting off. Get out of your comfort zone
Speaker 2: because being in your comfort zone it like I I've
Speaker 2: like branched out completely out of my comfort zone with
Speaker 2: so many things. I made so many changes because my
Speaker 2: body it was screaming and like for change. So getting
Speaker 2: out of your comfort zone and knowing that you're not
Speaker 2: alone and just find your community, find your people you know,
Speaker 2: and also express like true love to yourself and just
Speaker 2: you know, just find that positive outlet. Singing, songwriting, writing,
Speaker 2: poetry is my is my positive outlet. So find that
Speaker 2: positive outlet. Tap into something that you enjoyed in your
Speaker 2: childhood that you're like, oh, I want to go I
Speaker 2: want to roll a skate again, or I want to crochet.
Speaker 2: Find that little hobby because then that's gonna heal part
Speaker 2: of you and then speak up, talk to someone and
Speaker 2: and seek for help if, like, if you really need
Speaker 2: to like let out more than what you are struggling with.
Speaker 1: Right right, that's so true. If healing were a garden,
Speaker 1: what flowers would represent your journey? And why?
Speaker 2: Oh that's such a good question. Oh my goodness, Well
Speaker 2: I love sunflowers. And the reason why I love sunflowers
Speaker 2: because they're always going towards the light and and they're
Speaker 2: just so like just big and bright and tall. And
Speaker 2: that's what I want. I want to be a sunflower
Speaker 2: of you want to always reach for the light, no
Speaker 2: matter what the light is, because I don't want to
Speaker 2: be in the darkness anymore. I don't. We don't want
Speaker 2: to be in the darkness. We don't want to be
Speaker 2: stuck there because it's cold, it's dark, it's cold, and
Speaker 2: I want to keep reaching for the light because it's warm,
Speaker 2: it's it's peaceful, and I just the sunflowers always just
Speaker 2: growing big and tall and reaching for the It just
Speaker 2: it gives me joy. Yes, some flowers always bring me
Speaker 2: joy because they're so sunny and they're so happy and
Speaker 2: just so bright and big and bold. So yeah, I
Speaker 2: would I would say definitely, so far great.
Speaker 1: So what are you most grateful for today that you
Speaker 1: couldn't have imagined feeling thankful for in the middle of
Speaker 1: your pain?
Speaker 2: Ooh, the crazy thing is that I'm thankful for my pain.
Speaker 2: I'm it's it might seem outrageous to say that, but
Speaker 2: I'm thankful for what I went through because it made
Speaker 2: me strong and maybe the woman I am today, all
Speaker 2: the struggles, all the trauma, like I always I can
Speaker 2: go through like a whole, like a spiral of like
Speaker 2: what if I did this, or what if I did that?
Speaker 2: Or what if that didn't happen? Like what if my
Speaker 2: dad didn't pass away when I was eight? So I'm like,
Speaker 2: where all my life would have been? Would I be
Speaker 2: sitting here right now talking to you?
Speaker 1: You know?
Speaker 2: So I feel like I always said, like things happened
Speaker 2: for a reason, and it will always get better. And
Speaker 2: I was always chanting that when I was little, because
Speaker 2: I always questioned, like why did I go through this?
Speaker 2: You know. So it's more of like I'm thankful than
Speaker 2: what I went through. And I wouldn't think that I
Speaker 2: would be thanking that, but that's part of the healing journey.
Speaker 2: I have accepted what I went through and I got
Speaker 2: I'm getting closure from that my past of my family trauma,
Speaker 2: relationship trauma. I'm getting that closure. So that way, I'm
Speaker 2: saying like it's it's gonna get better and I'm proud
Speaker 2: to say who I am today because I look back
Speaker 2: and I'm like, wow, Like when I was at church
Speaker 2: other Sunday, I was like I came here crying, if
Speaker 2: you know, and I'm like, I was such a heartbroken
Speaker 2: little girl, and i was like just so lost and confused,
Speaker 2: and I'm like, but I'm so grateful for the poetry
Speaker 2: community that I've tapped into. I'm so grateful for my church.
Speaker 2: I'm just so grateful for the people that I met,
Speaker 2: and just so grateful for pushing myself and also so
Speaker 2: grateful for God. I'm so thankful for him that he
Speaker 2: has kept pushing me as well, there's just so many
Speaker 2: I could like name a whole people, but it's just
Speaker 2: I'm just thankful for just being here, being alive and
Speaker 2: just kind of keep pushing forward.
Speaker 1: That's incredible. And you know, this morning we had a
Speaker 1: guest minister and he was talking about the pain. At
Speaker 1: six years old, he was shot at by the ku
Speaker 1: Klux Klan. He's from the Deep South, as he mentioned,
Speaker 1: and as he went to school he was told he
Speaker 1: would he couldn't learn.
Speaker 2: He is a.
Speaker 1: PhD in theology in today's world, but he said he
Speaker 1: is thankful for that pain. And I also have to
Speaker 1: say in the two years three years that I've known you,
Speaker 1: how yes it has and how you have blossomed truly.
Speaker 1: I mean you've changed careers and you've started your open mics.
Speaker 1: It's you've really done a lot of work on yourself.
Speaker 2: I can tell it's shocking, but but it feels. It
Speaker 2: feels good to see how much I've come so far
Speaker 2: and how much I'm gonna keep going. There's just so
Speaker 2: much more to achieve, so much more.
Speaker 1: So true. So here's the next question, is if you
Speaker 1: could speak to your younger self, the girl still in
Speaker 1: the middle of pain, what would you want her to
Speaker 1: know today?
Speaker 2: Good question. I actually have a poem to answer that,
Speaker 2: and I wanted to share. Yeah, so this is basically
Speaker 2: a poem talking with me now, talking to my younger self.
Speaker 2: So I'm just gonna read it and speak for itself. Okay.
Speaker 2: It says, I see you standing at the edge of
Speaker 2: everything you think you are and everything you're afraid to be.
Speaker 2: You feel too much, you love too loud, and you
Speaker 2: break in places no one sees. But I promise you
Speaker 2: that those cracks let the light in. You won't always
Speaker 2: feel this heavy. You won't always want if love is
Speaker 2: something you have to earn. One day, you'll stop shrinking
Speaker 2: just to make others feel bigger. You'll bloom in the
Speaker 2: quiet places you once feared, and you'll feel like home.
Speaker 2: You will love again, and it'll be deeper, freer, softer,
Speaker 2: and this time you'll love yourself too, not perfectly, but
Speaker 2: enough to know you're worth the work it takes to heal.
Speaker 2: You'll cry in good ways. You'll laugh until your belly hurts.
Speaker 2: You'll meet people who don't ask to be anything but her,
Speaker 2: the girl who always knew there was more to life
Speaker 2: than surviving. There will be days when you still forget
Speaker 2: your worth. You'll fall back into old patterns, answer calls
Speaker 2: you shouldn't give second chances you outgrown, but don't be
Speaker 2: hard on yourself, because healing isn't linear and growth doesn't
Speaker 2: always look graceful. You'll learn to set boundaries not out
Speaker 2: of anger, but out of love for yourself, for your peace,
Speaker 2: for the future you're still building. You'll find that strength
Speaker 2: isn't always loud. Sometimes it's in the quiet, no, in
Speaker 2: the step back, in the tears you finally let fall.
Speaker 2: You'll stop apologizing for your softness and start protecting it instead,
Speaker 2: And somewhere in the middle of the mess, you'll look
Speaker 2: around and realize you build a life that feels like yours,
Speaker 2: not perfect, but real, and that's more than enough. Everything,
Speaker 2: every twist, every ache, every moment that made you question
Speaker 2: your place, It's all happening for a reason. Even the
Speaker 2: pain has purpose, Even the detours are leading you to
Speaker 2: somewhere good. And just when you thought God had left
Speaker 2: you in the dark, you found him not in the thunder,
Speaker 2: but in the stillness, in the quiet moments you almost
Speaker 2: gave up. He was there, not fixing everything, beholding you
Speaker 2: while you learn to heal, you'll realize he never left you.
Speaker 2: Just stop listening for the voice and remember we always chanted.
Speaker 2: It will get better, so much better than you can imagine.
Speaker 2: Right now. There's a whole world waiting for you, new dreams,
Speaker 2: new love, new versions of yourself you haven't even met yet.
Speaker 2: And the best part, you're not just going to survive,
Speaker 2: You're going to thrive. You're going to become an even
Speaker 2: more beautiful, strong, radiant woman, the kind of woman who
Speaker 2: changes life, who hold space for others, who helps them
Speaker 2: feel seen, who reminds them of their worth just by
Speaker 2: being who she is. You're going to be proud of yourself.
Speaker 2: We already are, so hold on keep going. There's so
Speaker 2: much more to look forward to with infinite love, me
Speaker 2: becoming everything you ever dreamed of.
Speaker 1: That is so beautiful. Wow. So my next question was
Speaker 1: what words of hope would you offer to someone listening today?
Speaker 1: I think those words are something that is wonderful to
Speaker 1: a young person listening. Is there anything else that you
Speaker 1: would add for someone who was still waiting for their
Speaker 1: blooming season to arrive?
Speaker 2: Be patients, It's going to take time, and just trust yourself,
Speaker 2: trust your instincts against self love self care and just
Speaker 2: kind of put yourself out there, like you know, get
Speaker 2: out of the comfort zone and just have faith, have hope,
Speaker 2: take a leap of faith, take that risk, and just
Speaker 2: enjoy life. That there is blooming and healing, there is
Speaker 2: a light at the end of the tunnel. Don't give up.
Speaker 2: You're not alone at all, and just keep thriving. And
Speaker 2: I believe in you. You got this, we all got this.
Speaker 1: That's wonderful. Are there any other upcoming projects or performances
Speaker 1: that you're doing right now?
Speaker 2: I just had a performance. But right now I'm just
Speaker 2: kind of working on my individual projects, just more of
Speaker 2: writing more poems. I'm going to be working on trying
Speaker 2: to get my own poetry book going. That's in the
Speaker 2: new year, and I just keep writing, keep tapping into
Speaker 2: the community, and keep working on my future my future
Speaker 2: events for the springtime in twenty twenty six of blooming
Speaker 2: and healing, open mic and just keep keep healing. I'm
Speaker 2: just going to work on that. Nothing specific upcoming projects yet,
Speaker 2: but I'm just going to keep I guess my healing
Speaker 2: journey is my main project. Yeah that's great.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, I would personally love a book of your poetry,
Speaker 1: So I would. I hope that comes to be Yes,
Speaker 1: hopefully too. All right, any other words of hope for
Speaker 1: our listeners today?
Speaker 2: I think I think my poetry said it all. I
Speaker 2: think we discussed it all. So thank you guys for listening.
Speaker 2: I'm so happy I can keep sharing my journey and
Speaker 2: be able to be here and chat with you. It's
Speaker 2: been such a blessing and honor.
Speaker 1: Oh thank you. It's been an honor to listen to
Speaker 1: your words of wisdom.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: What a gift it has been to sit down with
Speaker 1: Aliyah again and hear how her journey continues to unfold
Speaker 1: through her words, her music, and her faith. Her courage
Speaker 1: to share her story reminds us that even in the
Speaker 1: aftermath of pain, something new can grow. Each of us
Speaker 1: is a work in progress, unfolding like a flower in
Speaker 1: its own time, and sometimes the very soil that feels
Speaker 1: heavy and broken becomes the ground where our greatest growth begins.
Speaker 1: If her words spoke to your heart today, let them
Speaker 1: remind you that healing is not about forgetting, It's about
Speaker 1: becoming whole again. We hope you leave this conversation believing
Speaker 1: that no matter what you've endured, you too can bloom
Speaker 1: in your own time, in your own way, and in
Speaker 1: your own right. Thank you for joining me today on
Speaker 1: the Hope Show. If you have a story of resilience,
Speaker 1: healing or transformation, I'd love to hear from you. Remember
Speaker 1: every story, yours included, has the power to inspire, heal,
Speaker 1: and bring light into the world. And your journey could
Speaker 1: be the light someone needs today. Let's keep Hope Together alive.
Speaker 1: This program is made possible through the support of listeners, friends,
Speaker 1: and sponsors. If you would like to make a donation,
Speaker 1: become an advertiser or a sponsor, please click on my
Speaker 1: profile to connect, contribute, or share your story. Tune in
Speaker 1: to all the uplifting programs on Sosradio dot Live every
Speaker 1: Sunday starting at nine point thirty am Eastern Standard Time
Speaker 1: on Sundays, I'm Karen MARCIONI be well, stay hopeful, and
Speaker 1: until next Sunday at three pm on Sosradio dot Live