Silence = Permission (Stop Giving It)

Unpacking “Speak Up” from your Personal Power Playbook

Hey there BΛDΛZZ,

Remember when I promised to share both victories and face-plants in this journey? Well, pull up a chair because today's confession time.

Doom-Scrolling Hangover: When the News Cycle Kicks Your Ass

Last week we unpacked “Know the Landscape” with all those tactics to help you navigate the information tsunami without drowning. Good stuff, right? But here's what happened to me just the other day: despite all my own advice, I found myself tumbling down a particularly dark rabbit hole of news.

It was already raining, gloomy, and the kind of day where the universe seems to be saying, “Maybe just go back to bed?” Instead, I mainlined chaos until my brain felt like an overinflated balloon ready to pop. By evening, when I sat down to do a gratitude exercise, I just... couldn't. The blank screen stared back at me, and all I could muster was being thoroughly pissed at the world.

After ten minutes of that standoff, I just accepted that was where I was. Tomorrow would be another day.

The point? Part of being your personal cheerleader is acknowledging that this is HARD. Some days you're too exhausted, and that's okay because this isn't a sprint – it's a marathon with hurdles and occasionally rabid squirrels chasing you just to keep things interesting.

Getting Off the Sidelines (My Return to the Conversation)

Since we're being real here, let me tell you how I ended up creating CITIZEN BΛDΛZZ in the first place. For years, I had faded into the comfortable background of just living my life. Sure, I stayed informed enough to vote responsibly, but I had gone nearly silent on social media and avoided political discussions with most friends and family like they were unexpected calls from unknown numbers.

I wrestled constantly with the implications of taking a stand. Would it affect my work? Would colleagues look at me differently? Was this whole “framework for personal power” idea just cheesy as hell? Would anyone even care about another voice in the cacophony?

My crisis of confidence had me paralyzed. Then one morning, scrolling through yet another headline about rights being eroded, I had that stomach-drop moment when you realize the frog (that's us) has been in slowly heating water for so long that we're practically garnished with parsley.

Ultimately, I decided the stakes were too high to remain silent. The blatant corruption, shameless power grabs, and deliberate infliction of harm had crossed too many lines, and I couldn't watch from the sidelines anymore. But I still have a crisis of confidence regularly. Like, at least once a week I stare at my computer and think, “Who do you think you are, anyway?”

But then I remember: I'm a citizen. And so are you. And that's actually enough.

Speaking Up Looks Different for Everyone (And We Need Every Voice)

Let's address something important: the way we get our information has drastically changed in the past few decades. So when someone tells you “you're not doing enough if you're not in the streets protesting,” they're ignoring a crucial reality – part of the reason we're in this mess is because we've let others control the messaging.

Speaking up takes many forms:

• The shy introvert who shares thoughtful articles online

• The parent who corrects misinformation at the PTA meeting

• The neighbor who speaks up when HOA policies unfairly impact certain residents

• The voter who asks pointed questions at candidate forums

• And yes, sometimes the person with the hand-painted sign in the streets

They're all valid. They're all necessary. They're all “doing something.”

The “Speak Up” Strategy: Your Voice, Your Way

Ready to find your voice again? Here are some approaches that might resonate, depending on your comfort level, skills, and situation:

1. Start in Friendly Territory (The Warm-Up Zone)

Tactic: Practice your voice where the stakes feel lower

Before you tackle that difficult conversation with opposing viewpoints, build confidence by:

• Joining online communities focused on your priority issues

• Having one-on-one conversations with trusted friends

• Writing out your thoughts (even if just for yourself)

• Practicing your key talking points in the shower (where all the best speeches happen)

Example: Miguel felt strongly about a local development project that would eliminate green space in his neighborhood. Before speaking at the city council meeting, he tested his arguments with friends, refined his key points, and practiced dealing with potential pushback. When the meeting came, his prepared 2-minute comment was clear, compelling, and much less terrifying than it would have been cold.

2. Own Your Superpower (We All Have One)

Tactic: Choose communication channels that leverage your natural abilities

Not everyone is built for bullhorn rallies. Match your approach to your skills:

• Writers: Craft letters to editors, representatives, or online platforms

• Relationship-builders: Have one-on-one conversations that change hearts and minds

• Visual thinkers: Create shareable graphics that communicate complex ideas simply

• Researchers: Compile fact sheets for others to use in their advocacy

• Performers: Use humor, music, or art to deliver messages that might otherwise be tuned out

Example: Lin was terrified of public speaking but loved photography. During budget cuts to her children's school, she created a powerful photo essay showing overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating facilities. Her images became the centerpiece of the parent advocacy campaign, changing minds far more effectively than she could have with speeches.

3. The Side Door Approach (When the Front Door's Guarded)

Tactic: Lead with common ground before introducing challenging ideas

Some environments require more strategic approaches:

• Begin with shared values before introducing more divisive topics

• Use storytelling to bypass automatic defenses

• Ask curious questions rather than making declarative statements

• Connect issues to things people already care about, even if they don't realize the connection

Example: Maya worked at a tech company resistant to flexible work policies. Rather than arguing for work-life balance (often seen as lacking ambition), she built a business case showing how schedule flexibility reduced turnover costs and increased productivity. By speaking the language of metrics and efficiency first, she successfully introduced policies that ultimately supported working parents and caregivers.

4. Cultivate Your “Come At Me” Energy (The Art of Standing Your Ground)

Tactic: Develop techniques to sustain your voice through opposition

Speaking up often invites pushback. Prepare for it:

• Recognize when pushback comes from genuine concern versus entrenched positions

• Build a support network you can vent to after difficult conversations

• Know when to engage and when to preserve your energy

• Recognize when someone is arguing in bad faith and adjust accordingly

• Celebrate small wins to maintain momentum

Example: When Jordan began questioning his state's voter roll purge practices, he became a target for coordinated attacks from both partisan officials and political commentators. Rather than getting drawn into exhausting online debates, he created strict boundaries – checking platforms only at scheduled times with a trusted colleague who helped filter out the noise and character attacks. He maintained focus on the specific statutory violations and statistical discrepancies and found unexpected allies who appreciated his emphasis on government overreach despite different political orientations. The sustained pressure eventually triggered a federal judicial review that confirmed his core concerns and led to revised procedures that protected thousands of eligible voters' rights.

Putting It Into Practice: Your “Speak Up” Action Plan

Talk is cheap (ironically, when discussing speaking up), so let's get specific about action steps. Here's your escalating plan to reclaim your voice, starting today:

1. TODAY: Choose ONE issue you care deeply about and write down three short talking points about it. Not a dissertation – just three clear sentences that express your position. Keep this in your phone notes. The next time that topic comes up, you'll be ready with concise, thoughtful points rather than flustered silence or word salad.

2. THIS WEEK: Create a “speaking up journal” where you document moments when you wanted to speak up but didn't. For each instance, write what you wish you had said and what stopped you. This pattern recognition helps identify your specific barriers (fear of conflict? lack of confidence in facts? concern about relationships?) so you can address them directly.

3. NEXT WEEK: Take one concrete “speaking up” action that pushes your comfort zone just a bit. Email a representative, post a thoughtful comment online, raise a point in a meeting, or counter misinformation in a social setting. Document how it felt afterward - what worked, what you'd change, and what you learned about your own voice.

Remember: speaking up is a muscle that strengthens with use. Even small exercises count toward building that strength.

Democracy Doesn't Defend Itself (That's Literally Your Job)

Let's end with the uncomfortable truth: the stakes have never been higher. Rights once considered settled are now being questioned. Democratic guardrails are being tested. And silence? Silence is being read as consent by those who would reshape our republic in their image.

If we don't speak up now for our rights, we may simply not have them in the future. That's not alarmism – it's a pattern witnessed repeatedly throughout history. Staying quiet doesn't keep you safe – it just ensures you'll have no say in what happens next.

But here's the empowering flip side: your voice – yes, YOURS – has more power than you realize. So clear your throat, BΛDΛZZ. We need to hear what you have to say.

What speaking up tactic resonates most with you? Have you found your voice again after a period of silence? Share your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation in our subscriber thread.

Here’s the Personal Power Playbook overview if you missed it.