Reverse, Reset, Restore
This is for all of us who have been wounded by our own (and others) judgements and expectations, who have listened to those inner voices and believed the lies we've sold ourselves and for those who truly want to love and honour who you were always meant to be. If you've struggled with self-acceptance, poor body image and a belief system that is no longer serving you (if it ever did!), then this podcast is your reminder that you're not alone and you can choose to make changes - from your health and wellbeing, to your thoughts and the way you move in the world.
Reverse, Reset, Restore
Women Who Defied Gender Expectations - International Women's Month 2025 Part 4
The extraordinary journeys of women who refused to accept society's limitations reveal profound truths about courage, conviction, and the human spirit. Joan of Arc and Bessie Coleman—separated by centuries but united in their determination—demonstrate how unwavering belief can transform not just individual lives but the course of history itself.
Joan's story challenges our modern assumptions about capability and age. At just 17, this peasant girl convinced a king to let her lead troops into battle based on divine visions—an act that ultimately led to her execution for heresy. What compels a teenager to stand so firmly in her beliefs that she would risk everything? In a world where most young people seek acceptance, Joan's unyielding conviction reminds us of the transformative power of absolute purpose.
Paralleling this courage centuries later, Bessie Coleman faced barriers of both race and gender in pursuing her aviation dreams. When American flight schools closed their doors to her, she crossed an ocean to find opportunity in France, becoming the first African-American and Native American woman to earn a pilot's license. Her determination opened the skies for generations of women and people of color who followed.
As we navigate today's complex landscape of social media pressure and cancel culture, these historical trailblazers pose a provocative question: Are we honoring their legacy by playing small? Or will we embrace Joan's powerful philosophy that "to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief is a fate more terrible than dying"? What bold action are you willing to take for what you believe in? Your answer might just change everything.
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Hey there and welcome to Reverse Reset Restore the podcast where we dive into change, healing and the choices that shape our lives. I'm Sally a lifelong work in progress, learning to embrace growth one step at a time. This is episode four of our International Women's Day series. This year's theme Accelerate Action. We're exploring what real action looks like and how we can all be part of it. Change comes from within.
Speaker 1:Throughout history, society has placed limitations on what women can and cannot do, but some women, myself included, refused to be confined by those expectations. In today's episode, we'll explore the lives of Joan of Arc and Bessie Coleman, women who shattered barriers and proved that gender should never determine one's destiny. I want you to picture a teenage girl leading an army into battle. Now, if you're a mum of a teenage girl, you might be thinking no, thank you. You might also be thinking, yeah, right, I can really see that happening. Have you met my daughter? Perhaps? Just picture yourself as a teenager, knowing that you know who you were then, at 17,. Would you have been ready to lead an army into battle? Would you have even told people that you were having visions? In our modern day age, we tend to not talk about visions because people will automatically assume that you've got some sort of mental health disorder, and I'm sure that a lot of people had a problem with Joan as well, and we'll delve into that thought just a little bit in a moment. Teenage girls are fierce and interesting and complicated, but a lot of the time they also get caught up in this need for being accepted, which is very true for most of us, right. I think it's not until you really kind of get into your 30s and 40s or later that you discover that actually other people's opinions of who you are or what you should be doing with your life don't really count for all that much. Not many teenage girls, whether they lived in the time of Joan of Arc, whether they live now or all the spaces in between, would have had the conviction to follow through on their beliefs. So for Joan to do what she did at the age of 17 is really truly remarkable.
Speaker 1:When Joan was 17, she began to claim that she was receiving divine visions from saints instructing her to drive out the English. Such was the conviction of these visions, joan was able to persuade Charles VII to let her command French troops against English forces with success. This was definitely going against the societal norms that dictated a woman's place was far from the battlefield, and no doubt was a reason she was tried for heresy at the age of 19 and executed. Joan must have known the risks she was taking as a peasant and as a young woman, to lead men into battle and to even speak of having visions at a time where the church would not have thought a woman capable of that. Her courage ultimately led to her execution, but her legacy as a fearless leader and martyr remains unparalleled.
Speaker 1:Centuries later, france would once more allow a young woman with a different but no less valuable vision to become a reality. Born in 1892 to a family of sharecroppers in Texas, bessie Coleman wasn't about to let being a poor black woman keep her out of the skies, and in so doing she broke boundaries as the first African-American and Native American woman to earn a pilot's license. Denied entry into flight school in the US due to her race and gender, she traveled to France to achieve her dream. Coleman became a pioneering aviator, inspiring generations of women and people of color to pursue careers in aviation. These two women, in different areas and in difficult circumstances, defied the rigid roles imposed upon them. Circumstances defied the rigid roles imposed upon them, refused to let their visions gather dust and, in so doing, paved the way for future generations.
Speaker 1:What can we learn from these trailblazers? That courage and determination have no gender. In fact, in my experience, especially with the way that I see the world at the moment, it seems to be more and more that women are taking up the cause for things. They are standing, they are ready to commit and fight for the rights of all and fight for the rights of all, and these women defied societal limitations and pursued their callings with unwavering resilience. Their stories remind us to challenge the expectations that are placed upon us and to forge our own paths.
Speaker 1:As we close out this episode, I want to ask you to think about this question what bold action are you willing to take for what you believe in? For Bessie, it was leaving her homeland and going to France to make sure that she could achieve that dream. For Joan, it was giving herself to the king and leading that army, even knowing that she was risking everything because of the gender imbalances at the time. In a world where it is easy to be complacent or keep yourself small because of cancel culture and the constant barrage of social media, it is really easy for us to try to blend into the background rather than potentially paint a target on our back when we speak up. But is this the type of life that we really want to lead? Are we doing ourselves favours, and are we actually even being responsible custodians of the history of women who have gone before us by living lives that are constrained and small?
Speaker 1:I'll leave you with this further thought by Joan of Arc, who truly led her life with total conviction, no matter the cost. She inspires me to take this one life and live it. Inspires me to take this one life and live it truly, live it to the fullest of my beliefs and my capabilities. Just imagine how different this world would be if we could all just heed her words and step boldly out, letting our beliefs inspire action for our lives and for those around us. For our lives and for those around us. As she says, one life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.