The Women Whose Stories Change How You See Yourself Kerry Chaput #22

What if the women erased from history were the very ones who could help you finally stop shrinking yourself? In this episode, award-winning historical fiction author Kerry Chaput (Daughter of the King, Chasing Eleanor, The Secret Courtesan) shares how discovering forgotten women in history helped her reclaim her voice, her creativity, and her life. She opens up about growing up in a patriarchal environment, learning that women were meant to support men, not be the heroes, and how that belief fed years of anxiety and self-silencing. At 40, Kerry reached a breaking point and decided: “This is my time.” From secretly writing in the margins of her life to publishing award-winning historical fiction, she shows how truth, “useful rage,” and storytelling can become tools for women who are tired of being invisible. If you’ve ever felt “too quiet,” “too sensitive,” or “not enough,” this conversation is for you. In this episode, we explore: Growing up being taught that women are not remembered and not meant to be heroesHow silencing your voice feeds anxiety, and what changes when you finally start using itTurning anger into “useful rage” that fuels courage instead of shameThe impact of Eleanor Roosevelt and the quote that changed everything for KerryLetting go of external approval and redefining success from the inside outThe story behind The Secret Courtesan, a novel about a hidden woman sculptor whose genius was buried under a man’s name