All those shiny quotes telling you to rise and grind, stay strong, and smile through the pain? They’re not always helpful — especially for women healing from trauma. Here’s why forced positivity can be toxic, and what real empowerment looks like instead.

You were told to be kind, to keep the peace, to let things go — even when they shattered you.
We called it grace. We called it love.
But sometimes the most sacred thing you can do is burn the bridge they told you to protect.