Today, we’re honored to share these words from Julena, a woman who turned her journey into art and her courage into words. Her voice shines here. Julena spoke at our recent graduation celebration, and we couldn’t be more proud of her!
“I am incredibly proud to be a graduate of both Leap to Confidence© and Transformation Leadership—two experiences that have helped me grow and step more fully into who I am becoming.
I wasn’t always confident.
There was a time when I was too ashamed to speak my own given name (Julena).
I attributed it “as a bad child.” And I became Julie.
Slowly, I began to understand something important:
I did not have to remain in that version of myself.
Little by little, I began to reclaim my name, not as something new but as something I was finally ready to embrace.
And I am proud to say:
I matter.
That realization was a turning point for me, the beginning of understanding that identity is not something we lose forever.
Sometimes, it is something we return to.
In January 2025, a few months after I began the Transformation Leadership Program, I suffered a concussion.
But I did not quit.
I showed up to class with a cane, Tylenol, and sunglasses.
And I don’t regret a single moment of it.
I still experience challenges from time to time. Sometimes, I lose a word in the middle of a sentence. Sometimes, I lose track of a conversation.
But I am learning something profound:
I don’t always have to explain myself.
Sometimes, forgetting a word or losing my place is simply being human.
My brain injury is part of my story, but it is not the measure of my worth.
I don’t need to apologize for every imperfect moment.
I can simply pause, breathe, and say, “I lost my thought,” and continue.
That, too, is confidence.
And perhaps one of the greatest gifts I am taking from this journey is learning to offer myself the same grace, patience, and compassion that I so freely give to others.
When I reflect on these chapters of my life, I think of a kaleidoscope.
At first glance, it may look like broken pieces of glass, scattered fragments that seem to make no sense together.
Shame.
Pain.
Confusion.
The versions of ourselves we once tried to forget.
But then you turn it.
And everything shifts.
The same pieces remain, but they form something entirely new.
Something unexpected.
Something beautiful.
That is what healing has felt like for me.
Not a straight path.
Not a single transformation.
But constant movement. Constant unfolding. Constant change.
Each turn reveals a different pattern of the same life.
There were moments when I thought I was moving backward, moments when I believed I had lost all my progress.
But I have come to understand that even those moments belong to the design.
Nothing is wasted in a kaleidoscope.
Everything becomes part of the pattern.
And that is what I want to leave with you today.
We all carry fragments of who we have been …
Some we are proud of.
Some we are still learning to understand.
And some we wish we could leave behind.
But all of them belong to us.
And all of them can become meaningful when we allow ourselves to see them differently.
So …
If you find yourself in a moment of uncertainty, incompleteness, or quiet becoming, I want you to remember:
You are not behind.
You are not broken.
You are simply in motion.
And perhaps this is just another turn of your kaleidoscope.
When you look through it, you may see fragments, but turn it and the pattern transforms.
So, when life feels scattered, remember:
You do not have to discard the pieces.
Sometimes, you only need to turn the kaleidoscope.
Keep turning.
Keep becoming.
Keep discovering what is possible.
Because you may be far closer to something more beautiful than you realize.
Thank you.
I am Julena.”
