Joanne Basilieres Coaching

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How my voice was taken away, I hit a wall and saved myself

On the last day of my office job back in June 2009, on a Friday afternoon, I was invited to the office of the Executive Vice President who happened to be the new 30-year-old son-in-law of the owner.

I had been there for 2 years and did my best to fulfill the role as a marketing manager preparing marketing plans for the board of directors and tools for the sales force.

But when I walked into that office that Friday afternoon I was completely blindsided.

….my voice was taken away from me and I hit a wall…

What he was essentially saying to me was even though he was impressed with what I was able to produce and perform in my role, he was given the directive that I no longer had that place in the company.

As my boss was speaking throughout the meeting, I saw the writing on the wall.

You see, Management preferred that I lower my skill set, my capacity, my ambitions and turn into a puppet so that I could execute their requirements and only focus on that.

I was stunned to say the least.

I left our meeting in a state of confusion, exasperation and disillusionment.

I knew that there was no way I could work in such a toxic environment - that my career could no longer be fulfilling for me if I couldn't be authentic and perform in my role to the best of my abilities.

On the following Monday morning before 9 a.m., I walked into the human resources department and I quit my job cold turkey.

I did not give them 2 weeks’ notice.

I did not get a severance package.

It was a very precarious time for me too. I had just bought a brand-new home, yet we hadn't even passed to sign for the ownership of the house.

But my soul was crying out to stand up for myself…

So…

I quit my job.

I didn't have a backup plan.


When bad things in our lives happen TO US, we can choose to learn from them - because maybe they are happening FOR US.

In this conversation, I lost my voice, my power was taken away from me and I was no longer going to stand for it.

So, what was my lesson?

I used this experience to inspire my mission to help women to break their people-pleasing patterns and break through the cycle of losing their voice and having their power taken away from them.

It was a huge risk that I took walking away from that job.

I lost financial security and stability.

But I regained my voice, and my integrity, my authenticity and my freedom - that’s priceless!

I want you to understand that this was not an easy decision for me.

Change can be scary, but I decided to take a leap of faith and evolve anyway.

You may ask yourself; can I fail at owning my own voice like that!?

How can I overcome my fears of letting go of my sense of security and leaving my comfort zone?

Imagine how it would feel for you to work with me to take back your power of using your voice – standing up on that podium, campaigning for your needs, campaigning for your desire for authenticity, without the fear of being “assaulted”, “manipulated”, “disempowered”, “ridiculed”, “hurt” …

Here’s the thing:
It's about connecting with your innate ability to say what your Truth is because you already know it inside you.

Here’s the proof:
You see this manifests in the discomfort you feel when you are people-pleasing - that inner turmoil of knowing that this is not right for you, but instead of setting healthy boundaries, you follow through with it…anyways.

Here's the Truth:
You are essentially wearing a mask.... a people-pleaser mask.

What you're really trying to do by people-pleasing is to avoid the discomfort that implies that you’re agreeing to the opposite of what you really want.

I decided that day to take a risk and I walked out of my job to stand on the podium and to say:

“I am safe to express myself, to choose wisely for myself, I am going to follow my inner calling, I am going to follow my own path AND I'll be okay.”

As people-pleasers, our subconscious motivation to watch out for imminent danger is extremely strong. The radar is constantly on the lookout for threats - either physical, emotional or mental.

But this can be unlearned…

It's time to step into your power, speak your Truth, and use your voice.

If this resonated with you, it's time to remove the people pleaser mask.

Be in love with yourself, be brave and be courageous to walk into a new beautiful life.