Madame Speaker Says
Madame Speaker Says is the podcast for women of colour ready to own the mic, drop that book and get paid like a legend.
Join Magogodi oaMphela Makhene - author, speaker and coach - for real talk, shortcuts and receipts to help you lead with confidence — on stage, on the page and way beyond the 9–5. No caucacity, no crusty old school leadership.
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Madame Speaker Says
How to Find Your Voice Again After Life Knocks You Down
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Learn how to Speak up for Your Excellence: https://lovekindcure.kit.com/b80a66aa37
You don’t need to bounce back — you need your voice back. That’s not a discipline problem and it’s not unique to whatever
knocked you flat. This is the story of the year that took my identity, my title, and my ability to talk about either one and the
two years it actually took to rebuild all three.
🌿YOU'LL GET
— Why “bouncing back” is the wrong goal after a year that wrecks you — What actually rebuilds your voice (it's not what you think)
— The real difference between grieving who you used to be and building who you’re becoming (most people mix them up)
— What I started doing differently once grit and hustle stopped working
— The one shift that actually rebuilt me
Picture 2023: my debut book, Innards, just came out, I had a newborn, and I was breastfeeding backstage before walking onstage to deliver a keynote in Hong Kong. Girl, I was in my power. Trumpets-announcing, Netflix-special energy. Then 2024 hit — and I mean hit. I was on the bathroom floor, completely forgot that woman I’d just been, and spent all of 2025 trying to “bounce back” to her. It doesn’t work like that. There’s nothing to bounce back to — that version of you is gone and grinding harder just keeps you standing in the same wrecked conditions.
So, I did something different -- my family and I didn’t just move zip codes — we moved countries. We traded more hustle for different ground.
If losing your identity (or your title, or both) in a year that flatlines you —and then feeling pressure to “get back to normal”— is something you’re carrying, you’re not alone and this video was made specifically for you. Buckle up.
YOUR TURN
👇🏽What’s the year that completely flatlined you?
Lmk the 4 digits.Mine: 2024.
Drop yours in the comments.
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Comeback That Never Comes
0:55 Why ‘Bouncing Back’ Is The Wrong Goal
1:50 The Comeback Myth, Explained
2:10 My 2023: The Book, The Baby, The Keynote
4:21 2024: On My Knees In The Bathroom
6:39 Why We Moved Countries
7:08 Change The Conditions, Not Yourself
8:07 Bouncing Back Is A Myth
9:17 Rebuilding Starts With Your Voice
10:43 The Client Who Got Gagged
13:22 The Two-Sentence Exercise
15:25 The Call To Action — Drop Your Year
15:54 Close
16:05 Learn More: The Whole Damn Talk
RESOURCES
📚Innards — My debut, a short story collection and among Guardian Best Fiction Books of 2023.
👩🏽💻Work with me. Learn more about The Whole Damn Talk: https://madamespeakersays.com
LET'S CONNECT
DM me on Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/madamespeakersays/
Storytelling website: http://www.magogodi.com
Madame Speaker Says site: http://www.madamespeakersays.com
#ComebackMyth #RebuildingYourself #IdentityAfterBurnout #StartingOver
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