Author Martha Hunt Handler: “What we all need to understand is that one small, seeming inconsequential sentence has the power to change a person’s life and squash their dreams”

My main empowering lesson is to encourage young people to believe in their knowing, as Glennon Doyle so eloquently says in Untamed, and to remind adults to be careful not to use negative language around susceptible young people. I think we are all born with an innate sense of what our calling in this lifetime is. But often a parent or another respected adult will make a flippant remark like, “Looks like numbers aren’t really your thing,” or “You’re getting a bit of a belly. You’ll probably have to watch your weight your whole life,” or “You’re sure not very artistic, are you?” What we all need to understand is that one small, seeming inconsequential sentence has the power to change a person’s life and squash their…