I Reclaim My Voice is a powerful, deeply personal lyrical song about breaking the silence, reclaiming personal power, and refusing to allow trauma, betrayal, or the expectations of others to define who you are.
 
Through emotionally honest lyrics and music, Julie Jewels Smoot explores the journey of finding her voice after surviving sexual violence, Military Sexual Trauma, and years of living with Complex PTSD.
 
As a United States Navy veteran, author, poet, and longtime survivor advocate, Julie understands what it means to have her experiences questioned, dismissed, minimized, or silenced.
This song reflects her determination to speak her truth without apology and to reclaim ownership of her story, her body, and her life.
 
My voice belongs to me. My story belongs to me. My truth does not require anyone else's permission.
 
I Reclaim My Voice is not about forgetting what happened or pretending that trauma no longer exists. It is about recognizing that the people who caused harm do not get to determine the rest of your life.
 
It is about learning that boundaries are not cruelty, anger is not weakness, and speaking your truth does not make you difficult.
 
It is also about recognizing that reclaiming your voice does not mean you must tell everyone your story.
 
You can speak when you choose.
You can remain silent when you choose.
You can decide which experiences become poetry, music, or advocacy and which remain private.
 
Reclaiming your voice means reclaiming the right to choose how, when, and whether you speak.
 
This song honors survivors who have been told to remain quiet, move on, forgive, minimize their experiences, or make their truth more comfortable for others.
 
You do not have to apologize for surviving.
You do not have to make your pain acceptable to someone else.
You do not have to explain every boundary.
 
And you do not need permission to take up space in your own life.
 
Part of Julie's Listening First. Nothing Is Required. philosophy, I Reclaim My Voice celebrates bodily autonomy, self-respect, courage, and the freedom to live on your own terms.
 
I am not what was done to me. I am not the silence others demanded of me. I am the woman who survived, who continues to create, and who decides what comes next.
 
My Voice. My Work. My Truth.
 
Listening First. Nothing Is Required.
 
© Julie Jewels Smoot. All rights reserved.