Finding Your Voice in Writing and Life

Do you write to know yourself? Do you scribble to connect with your purpose, mission, and dharma? Do you aspire to write about your life but feel daunted and wish you knew more about how to do it? In addition to my writing, my life’s work is helping others tell their stories in memoir form. I’m passionate about this work. It’s an honor to help writers learn tools and mindsets and find the courage to tell their stories. I love my work.

Finding your voice isn’t just a skill; it’s a journey that transforms your writing

and life. It’s about more than putting words on a page; it’s about expressing your true self, unique perspective, and authentic story.

In writing, your voice is the distinct flavor that reveals your innermost YOU and makes your words and ideas resonate with readers. Your voice is born from your experiences, struggles, joys, and growth. It’s your fingerprint on the page, a unique blend of your personality and truth.

However, finding your voice takes courage. You must peel back the layers of doubt and fear. You must confront your inner critic and stand firm in your truth. This isn’t just about writing; it’s about personal growth–and freedom. A strong voice frees you from conforming to the tedious mediocrity of the cultural pack and lets you step into your true self.

Teaching memoir writing has shown me the impact this journey can have on my students’ lives. Each student starts with uncertainty; their voices are tentative and cautious. But as they dig deeper, they uncover their stories’ raw, unfiltered core.

As amazing as it is to watch my memoir student’s find their authentic author voice, this journey is about more than words on a page. Finding your voice will

lead you to live your life more deeply and more authentically, as you learn to express your true self through actions and choices. It’s about being unapologetically you, embracing your flaws and strengths, and standing up for what you believe in. It’s about shedding the masks we wear to fit in and letting our true selves shine.

When you find your voice, you find your power. You become grounded in your truth and unafraid to speak it. You connect with others deeper, creating genuine and lasting bonds. Your voice becomes a torch, guiding you through the chaos of life and lighting the way for others.

So, I invite you to embark on this journey. Write with abandon, live passionately, and let your voice be heard. The world needs your unique story, your perspective, your truth. Own it, and watch as it transforms your writing and your entire life.

If you’re ready to discover and own your voice, join me for my next five-week memoir writing course, “Soul of Your Story,” from September 4 to October 2. We meet on Zoom on Wednesdays at 2 PM Eastern Time. It’s an honor to witness the emergence of each student’s unique writing voice. This course will guide you in unearthing your authentic self on the page and in life. Let’s embark on this journey together.

Tell me about it in the comments.

If you haven’t bought my memoir, Into the Soul of the World: My Journey to Healing, yet, I hope you will.

Here’s what author Hampton Sides wrote about it:

“Brad Wetzler has led the very definition of an adventurous life, but in Into the Soul of the World, he gives an unflinching account of his interior adventures. Wetzler’s soulful quest, by turns anguished and transcendent, will resonate with readers around the world who struggle to find purpose and a sense of the holy in the ambient jitter of the digital age.”

This is Enlightened-ish with Brad Wetzler, my dispatch about how we can brave the wilderness of these tough, post-modern, hyper-capitalist times…together. It’s about storytelling, healing, adventure, the human heart, and the pursuit of the sacred and the holy, too.

Who am I? I’m the author of the new memoir, Into the Soul of the World: My Journey to Healing, and a longtime journalist with bylines in the New York Times, Newsweek, Wired, GQ, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and Outside where I was a senior editor and a longtime contributing editor. I spent fifteen years working as an adventure writer, journalist, and magazine columnist. After a long period of depression and overmedication with prescription drugs, I launched a round-the-world quest to heal body, mind, and spirit—to recover my very soul. You can read all about this journey in Into the Soul of the World. I live in Boulder, Colorado, where I write books and articles, edit books, coach aspiring memoirists, and teach yoga and meditation.