Love Note: You Are Not Defined By A Verdict

In this short episode, I’m sending a love letter to you—yes, you—especially if the headlines this week feel like too much to hold. Whether you’ve been reeling from the verdict in the Diddy case or any other moment that reminds us how often survivors like Cassie Ventura are denied justice, I want you to know you are not alone.

This is your reminder: no news story can define your worth. Save this episode for when you need to be reminded you are worthy, you are whole, and you are never alone.
Take a few minutes to breathe with me and hear about a few resources you can lean on when your burden feels too heavy to carry alone.

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Resources & Mentions:
me too. Survivor Sanctuary
me too. Healing Resource Library
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline – Call 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Therapy for Black Girls
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, there, I want to take a moment to just
breathe with you, right here, wherever you are, wherever this
episode is finding you. Maybe you've spent the last day
or just this morning feeling heavy. Maybe you've been refreshing

(00:27):
your newsfeed or seeing headlines about a certain case, or
any number of stories. To be honest, that remind survivors
how often we're dismissed, disbelieved, or stretch to bear ourselves
publicly and just thinking for what I know, these moments

(00:50):
can feel like a slap in the face, like you
did all this work to heal, only to be reminded
how quickly your spirit can get knocked back down. But
I'm here to tell you if you haven't yet internalized
it or heard it from anyone else before. You are
not defined by any verdict. You're not defined by what

(01:11):
a judge or a jury has to say or what
they don't say. You're not defined by a lack of
accountability that may play out on the evening news. You
are defined by who you know yourself to be, by
your capacity to love and care for yourself, and by
your capacity to receive love and support from others who

(01:34):
have it available. When you may not have it available
for yourself. So if you feel raw, angry, upset by
the headlines or news stories, that doesn't mean you're failing
at all in your healing journey. It just simply means
you're human. It means you care about justice and about
the people these headlines represent. So in these moments when

(01:58):
it feels unfair, when it feels wrong, when you're overwhelmed,
I want you to lean into whoever or whatever it
is that brings you comfort. If you have a trusted person,
send a text, make that call, let them know that
you need help, You need somebody to talk to. If
you have a pet, hold them close. Shout out to
my dogs Moxie and Luna. And if you don't have

(02:20):
someone in your life, or you feel like you don't
have a safe space to turn into, I want you
to know that there's still support out there for you.
So I want to drop a couple here for you,
and I'll make sure that they're in the show notes
as well. You can check out the Me Too Survivor Sanctuary,
which is a free and confidential online community that they
design specifically for survivors to find connection and affirmation. They

(02:44):
have a whole list of healing resources. They call it
their Healing Resource Library, and it includes tools and practices
that you can use anytime, anywhere, and they're really created
these to be specific to what we need in our
healing journeys as survivors, those kind of critical elements for
our healing. Other resources that you may found helpful is

(03:08):
rain's National Sexual Assault Hotline that's eight hundred sixty five
six hope or eight zero zero six five six four
six seventy three. There's also the National Queer and Trans
Therapists of Color Network if you're seeking culturally competent care,
and there's Therapy for Black Girls if you're looking for

(03:29):
a therapist who gets it. So just remember community is
not always about proximity. It can be the circle that
you build through podcasts like this one, or it can
be just you reading a book and finding the supports
that you need from that. Whatever spaces you have, whether

(03:49):
it's in person or online, that reminds you that you matter,
lean into those in this moment. You are not alone
in this and you don't have to navigate these feelings
by yourself. Today and every day, I hope you remember
that no verdict, no headline, no statistic. No moment of
injustice can strip you of your worth. You were a whole,

(04:11):
You are needed, and you are loved, and I'm so
grateful that you're here. So take a deep breath, exhale.
You deserve gentleness today. With so much love and care,
Leatra The Unwanted Sorority is hosted and executive produced by

(04:37):
me Leatra Tate. Our executive producer is Joel Mooney, our
producer is Carmen Loren and original cover art is created
by Savannah Muler. I would also like to be of
special thanks to the I Heard Podcast Next Up program
for helping bring the show to life. Also all of
the guests who have taken the step in sharing their
story with you all on these episodes, and finally, to
all the members of this sorority who will never tell

(04:58):
their story, We see you and your story matters