Encouraging Young Voices

Why Listening, Imagination and Courage Matter More Than Ever

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting in conversation with Dr. Siobhán Keenan Fitzgerald - educator, author, and passionate advocate for young people finding and using their voices. Our discussion explored something deeply important for the world we are shaping together: when children and young people are encouraged to speak, to imagine, and to be heard, they don’t just grow in confidence, they grow into changemakers.

At the heart of Siobhán’s work is a simple yet powerful belief: every young person has something valuable to say, and when we truly listen, we help them discover who they are becoming.

The Power of Being Heard

Many young people move through life feeling that their ideas are too small, their thoughts not fully formed, or their voices not important enough. Yet the opposite is true. A young person’s voice carries creativity, honesty, curiosity, and possibility. It carries fresh perspectives that the world needs.

Through her LET’s Stand Public Speaking Programme for children and teenagers aged 5–18, Siobhán creates spaces where young people can discover their voice, develop confidence, and share their stories. Her vision is to empower students from all backgrounds to become changemakers and the best version of themselves.

When children learn to express themselves clearly and courageously, they do more than communicate. They begin to trust themselves. They learn that their thoughts matter. They develop agency - the belief that they can shape their own lives and contribute to the world around them.

Listening: The Foundation of Empathy and Compassion

Encouraging young people to speak is only one part of the equation. The other, equally essential part, is learning how to listen.

Listening is not passive. It is an active, relational skill that helps young people develop empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence. When children experience being deeply heard, they begin to offer that same presence to others.

Listening practices that nurture empathy include:

• Listening without interrupting or correcting

• Reflecting back what is heard so young people feel understood

• Asking open, curious questions that invite deeper sharing

• Noticing emotions behind the words

• Creating safe, judgment-free spaces for expression

When young people learn to listen well, they recognise that every story matters, not just their own. They develop perspective, understanding, and kindness in communication.

Storytelling and Imagination: Where Possibility Begins

Before anything is created in the world, it is imagined in the mind. Imagination is the birthplace of innovation, resilience, and growth.

Storytelling helps young people:

• make sense of their experiences

• express emotions safely

• explore identity and belonging

• envision new futures

• strengthen creative problem-solving

• develop empathy by seeing through another’s eyes

Imaginative exploration is not simply play, it is preparation for life. When children imagine freely, they practise courage, creativity, and adaptability.

Siobhán’s upcoming children’s book series, Adventures in Coill Calm, beautifully reflects this understanding. Through empowering woodland adventures and wellbeing-focused storytelling, young readers are invited into a world where imagination and emotional growth walk hand in hand.

The Creativity Decline: What Research Is Showing

In recent decades, researchers have observed a concerning decline in creativity among young people. Long-term analysis of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking - widely used to measure creative potential - indicates that creativity scores began declining around the 1990s, with sharper drops after 2000.

Across many technologically advanced societies, similar concerns are emerging.

While technology offers enormous advantages, research suggests it may also be reshaping how children think and create:

• Unstructured play time has significantly decreased

• Rapid digital stimulation can shorten attention spans

• Highly structured digital environments reduce open-ended exploration

• Ready-made visual content replaces internal image creation

• Young people consume more content than they create

Imagination is like a muscle, it strengthens with use. When it is underused, our ability to visualise possibilities - first in the mind, then in life can weaken.

Creativity is not optional. It is essential for innovation, adaptability, emotional resilience, and problem-solving in an ever-changing world.

The Role of Educators — And Every Caring Adult

Siobhán believes we are all educators in some way. Parents, teachers, mentors, relatives, and community members all play a role in shaping a young person’s sense of self and possibility.

Research consistently shows that one supportive adult can profoundly influence a young person’s confidence, resilience, and life trajectory.

Sometimes what changes a life is not a grand intervention, but a simple moment of belief:

• Someone who listens

• Someone who notices

• Someone who encourages

• Someone who says, “Your voice matters”

When young people feel seen and supported, they develop the courage to share their stories with the world.

A Journey of Finding One’s Own Voice

What makes Siobhán’s work especially meaningful is that her passion is deeply personal. As a quiet and shy child who experienced the loss of her mother at a young age, she could scarcely have imagined the path her life would take.

Her mother instilled in her a sense of purpose - a belief that she had something meaningful to contribute to the world. Today, through her teaching, writing, and speaking, Siobhán lives that purpose every day.

Her journey reminds us that voices often emerge through lived experience. Sometimes we find our voice early. Sometimes later. But when we do, it carries depth, wisdom, and a desire to support others.

I relate deeply to this. Finding my own voice later in life revealed to me that sharing our stories can help others feel less alone, more seen, and more hopeful. Every child and young person has value in the world. Their unique voice adds colour and texture to life, and their dreams and ideas may shape a better future for us all.

Nurturing the Changemakers of Tomorrow

Encouraging young people to speak, listen, and imagine is not just about personal development - it is about the future of humanity.

When children learn to express themselves, listen with empathy, and dream creatively, they develop the inner tools needed to lead, innovate, and care for others.

And sometimes, all it takes is one adult who truly listens… and one safe space where a young voice is invited to be heard.

Because when young people find their voice, they don’t just change their own lives.

They help change the world.

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast Conversation

If this topic resonates with you, I warmly invite you to listen to my full podcast conversation with Dr. Siobhán Keenan Fitzgerald, where we explore the power of young voices, the importance of listening, and how each of us can support the next generation of changemakers.

A thousand ways to begin again

There are people we meet who remind us of what is possible. Jillian Godsil is one of those people. Her life has been a tapestry of adventure and upheaval - divorce, financial loss, her home being taken, eighteen novels published, multiple awards earned, a radio show, a business lost, and most recently, a breast cancer diagnosis. And still, when she speaks about her life, there is light in her eyes. There is curiosity. There is a sense of wonder about what tomorrow might bring.

During our recent conversation, she shared a moment that has stayed with me. She told me there was a time when she had given up on life, She truly believed there was nothing more for her. The adventure felt over. The meaning had drained away. The story had reached what she thought was its final chapter. And then, as life so often does, it placed a sign in her path. A quiet message from the universe, just loud enough to hear, reminding her that there was still more to come.

And she began again.

We don’t often speak out loud about those moments, the silent surrender, the internal giving up, the belief that we are too tired, too worn out, too late to rebuild. Yet so many of us have felt it. Some of us are feeling it now. Jillian reminded me that beginning again is rarely dramatic. It is not always loud or heroic. Sometimes it looks like curiosity. Sometimes it looks like a small moment of joy in a heavy day. Sometimes it’s simply the question: What if there is more for me?

We cannot choose the circumstances life delivers to our doorstep, but we can choose how we meet them. We can soften around our pain. We can stay open to possibility. We can hold joy and difficulty side by side without asking them to cancel each other out. And we can begin again - not once, but as many times as needed.

Jillian reminded me today that life does not run out of chapters. We never get just one chance at purpose, or creativity, or love. The story continues for as long as we are willing to turn the page.

There is hope in that. There is tenderness in that. And there is always—always—a way to begin again.

Listen to the Conversation

If this message speaks to you, I invite you to listen to my podcast conversation with Jillian Godsil on The Re-Purposed Life. Her courage, honesty, and humour are powerful reminders that curiosity is a lifeline and reinvention is always available.

🎧 Listen here: The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast

Author Bio

Sharon Fitzmaurice is a Holistic Wellness Coach, Reiki Master Teacher & Practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host, and Advocate for Mental Health Awareness and survivors of childhood abuse. Founder of the Soulful Journeys Online Community, Sharon supports others to reconnect with purpose, awaken their wellbeing, and live with compassion and curiosity.

Finding our Creative Path

This week on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Leslie A. Rasmussen, a woman who truly understands what it means to start over and to keep rediscovering herself through the seasons of life.

Leslie’s journey is one of courage, creativity, and reinvention. From writing beloved sitcoms like Roseanne and The Wild Thornberrys in Hollywood, to running her own nutrition business, to becoming a novelist and speaker, Leslie has lived many creative lives - each chapter guided by a deeper sense of curiosity and authenticity.

Leslie’s honesty about how life’s transitions can be both daunting and defining. She began her career wanting to be an actress, but when the industry’s treatment of women dimmed her spark, she chose to pivot rather than lose herself. That decision led her to writing comedy - a space where her voice could flourish without compromise. Later, as a mother, she made another heartfelt shift, training as a nutritionist so she could nurture both her family and her own interests.

And then, as life gently nudged her once more, she returned to her first love - writing. With humility and determination, she began again: reading, learning, researching, and taking baby steps toward a dream that had never truly left her. Today, Leslie is the author of three novels, including her latest, When People Leave (May 2025), a moving exploration of family, forgiveness, and the quiet resilience of women navigating loss.

What I find so inspiring about Leslie’s story is that it reminds us creativity isn’t a straight path - it’s a living, breathing journey that evolves as we do. Every turn, every pause, every new beginning is part of finding the rhythm that feels most true to who we are.

Sometimes we think we’re moving away from our purpose, only to find that we were actually circling closer to it all along. The careers we choose, the roles we play, and the shifts we make are not detours - they are pathways toward self-discovery.

Leslie’s story is a beautiful reflection of how we learn who we are through the choices we make, and how we shine brightest when we align our lives with what we love.

We don’t have to have it all figured out. We just need to listen to the gentle callings of our soul, to the quiet excitement that comes when we do something that feels right, to the creative spark that asks us to begin again, no matter how many times we’ve already started over.

Because, in truth, starting over is not about beginning again from nothing. It’s about beginning again from wisdom.

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Holistic Wellness Coach, Author & Podcast Host

Why Connection May Be the Antidote to Rising Anxiety

Anxiety is something many of us are feeling more of these days - not just adults, but children too. And while it’s natural to want to “fix” the anxious feelings, more control isn’t always the answer. In fact, as Dr. Mary O’Kane beautifully explores in our latest podcast conversation, the medicine for anxiety may lie in something much simpler, though often harder to access in the moment: Connection

In this episode, Dr. Mary and I explore the delicate dance between anxiety and connection -and how safe, attuned relationships help soothe our nervous systems in ways nothing else can.

Here are some of the key themes we touched on:

The roots of anxiety in children (and how adults can unintentionally add to it).
Sometimes, in our efforts to protect, guide, or control, we unknowingly fuel the very fears we want to ease.

Connection as true medicine.
Whether it’s with a parent, teacher, or peer, the feeling of being seen, understood, and held is what allows anxiety to soften.

What co-regulation looks like in real life.
When we’re able to ground ourselves, even a little, we give children permission to do the same. This isn’t about being perfect, but about being present.

Becoming a safe space, even when you’re struggling too.
It starts with self-compassion. The calmer and kinder we are with ourselves, the more room we create for others to feel safe with us.

But as we talked, another truth emerged: the very systems our children are growing up in often make connection harder.

When Education Becomes Pressure

Our schools, though full of dedicated and compassionate teachers, are largely results-driven. Success is measured in grades, exams, and test scores. For some children this works, but for many, it creates an atmosphere where anxiety thrives. Teachers, too, feel the weight of expectations, caught between nurturing young minds and meeting performance targets.

The truth is, academia is not the only pathway to a meaningful life. Creativity, empathy, imagination, and resilience are just as vital - and yet they’re often undervalued in a system that prizes results over relationships. When children feel they must perform rather than be themselves, their sense of safety and connection suffers.

Imagine instead an education system that celebrates diverse gifts, one that gives space for curiosity, creativity, and connection to flourish. What might it look like if schools placed as much value on emotional well-being and creative expression as they do on exam results? These are the questions worth asking as we consider the future of education.

A Call Back to Connection

This conversation with Dr. Mary O’Kane reminds us that anxiety doesn’t need more control. What it needs - in our families, classrooms, and communities - is more connection.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or someone simply trying to navigate your own nervous system, may this episode be a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and remember: you don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to show up, as you are, and offer presence.

Tune in to the conversation on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast with Dr. Mary O’Kane and discover why the path forward isn’t more control, but more connection.

Reflective Questions

Here are a few prompts to sit with after listening:

• As a parent, teacher, or caregiver, when do I notice myself reaching for control instead of offering connection?

• What helps me feel calm and grounded, so I can co-regulate with the children in my care?

• How do I see the current education system affecting the children (or adults) around me? What alternative ways of learning might allow more creativity and well-being to flourish?

• In my own life, where could I allow more space for imagination, play, and curiosity - instead of focusing solely on results?

  Sharon Fitzmaurice

  Holistic Wellness Coach, Author and Podcast Host