Have You Lost Your Voice? | Throat Chakra Healing for Authentic Expression & Healthy Boundaries

Have you ever walked away from a conversation wishing you had said what was really on your heart?

Maybe you’ve stayed quiet to keep the peace. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that your needs could wait, or that asking for help would somehow make you a burden. If you’ve ever felt unheard, misunderstood, or afraid to speak your truth, this gentle conversation is for you.

In this episode of Healing Our Kindred Spirits Podcast, we’re continuing our Sacred Journey Through the Chakras series with a heartfelt exploration of the Throat Chakra—not as something to fix, but as a gentle invitation to reconnect with your authentic voice.

Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to express ourselves with honesty, compassion, and kindness. We’ll explore why so many empaths, caregivers, sensitive souls, and seekers find it difficult to set boundaries, ask for what they need, or trust that their voice truly matters.

Rather than offering quick answers or a list of steps, this episode is simply a conversation—one that invites you to slow down, breathe, and gently wonder alongside me.

If you’ve been carrying around words you’ve never spoken… if you’ve been making yourself smaller to make others more comfortable… or if you’re simply longing to reconnect with yourself, I hope this episode reminds you that your voice has always mattered.

In this episode, we’ll gently explore:

• The deeper meaning of the Throat Chakra and authentic self-expression
 • Why so many of us struggle to speak our truth and discuss imposter syndrome
 • The connection between compassion, boundaries, and healthy communication
 • Gentle practices to help you reconnect with your own voice
 • A quiet invitation to carry with you throughout the week

Be sure to listen to the companion guided meditation, A Quiet Place to Hear Your Own Voice, for a peaceful journey inspired by the wisdom of the Throat Chakra.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you on your journey.

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Please reach out via email at healingourkindredspirits@gmail.com

Transcript

The Words We Carry Home

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hello, my friend. I'm really glad you're here today. Before I sat down to record this episode, I found myself thinking about something that's led me through different seasons of my life. Maybe you've experienced it too. Have you ever left a conversation and then spent the rest of the day replaying it in your mind? Not because of what you said, but because of what you didn't say. And now I have. There have been moments when I wanted to speak up, when I wanted to tell someone they'd hurt my feelings, or admit that I was overwhelmed, or simply say, I can't do this today. Instead, I smiled, I said everything was fine, and I carried those words home with me. As I've been preparing for today's conversation, I realized something. But the more I've reflected on it, the more I think this conversation isn't really about chakras at all. It's about us. It's about those moments when we slowly begin giving ourselves permission to have a voice again. Not a louder voice, not a more confident voice, just our own. Welcome back to Healing Our Kindred Spirits. I'm Donna Gaudet, and I'm so grateful you've chosen to spend a little time with me today. Whether you listen to this episode all at once or in bits and pieces, I'm just glad that you're listening. And as I was preparing for today's episode and our sacred journey through the chakra series, I realized that the throat chakra isn't really about learning how to communicate. In some sense it is, but in the context of today it isn't. It's about something much more human. It's about finding the courage to let our hearts have a voice. Maybe that's something you've been thinking about too. And if you've been listening to this series from the beginning, you already know that I don't see the chakras as something we need to fix. I see them as gentle invitations. Little places where we can pause long enough to ask ourselves, how am I really doing? So today's invitation feels especially personal because our voice is so much more than the words we speak. It's how we express our needs, it's how we ask for help. It's how we say, I love you. It's how we say, I'm hurting, it's how we say no. And sometimes it's how we finally say yes. For those of us who are empaths, caregivers-sensitive souls, or simply people who have spent much of our lives caring for everyone else, finding our voice, isn't always easy. Sometimes we've become so accustomed to listening to everyone else's needs that we have forgotten to listen to our own. And while writing and researching this for this episode, I've wondered lately if that's why so many of us feel emotionally exhausted. Not because we have nothing to say, but because we've spent years carrying words we never allowed ourselves to speak. And I've also been thinking about how interesting it is that the throat chakra comes immediately after the heart chakra. In our last episode, we talked about compassion, love, forgiveness, connection. But eventually, whatever lives in our heart does ask us to be expressed. Because love wants words, kindness wants action, compassion wants conversation. And maybe that's what this chakra has been teaching me and maybe many of you that healing isn't simply opening our heart, it's finding the courage to let our heart have a voice. And I'd love for you to think about something as we spend this time together. When was the last time you felt completely heard, not interrupted, definitely not fixed, not judged, just heard. I don't know about you, but I've realized that sometimes the person who listens to me the least is myself. Sacred Journey through the chakra series is an ongoing series. We have two more chakras after this one. And as I mentioned, we're talking about the throat chakra today. And lately I've been thinking about how many times in my life I walked away from a conversation wishing I had said what was really on my heart. We have done that too. It could be a conversation on the phone. And sometimes after you've done the conversation, you wish there were things that you would have added to it. And it's funny because today's episode is supposed to be about the throat chakra, and it is. But the more I reflected on it this week, the more I realized this isn't really a conversation about chakras at all. It's a conversation about finding our voice. And I had a challenging time getting past certain things as I was writing it because it brought up a lot of things for me. And that may happen while you're listening to this episode as well. And if it does, I really hope that you can work through it or find someone to help you work through it. Because once you reclaim or find your voice, you will be better for it. If you've been listening from the beginning, we've already explored the root chakra where we talked about safety and grounding, the sacral chakra, where we explored joy, creativity, emotional flow, and then the solar plaques where we reflected on confidence, personal power, and self-worth. And most recently the heart chakra,

What The Throat Chakra Means

SPEAKER_00 5:43

where we opened ourselves to compassion, love, forgiveness, and even connection. So today we continue our journey upward to the fifth chakra, which is the throat chakra. And before we dive in, I'd like to take just a moment to remind you that the chakra system isn't something you have to believe in for these conversations to be meaningful. Whether you see the chakras as ancient spiritual wisdom, a symbolic map for emotional growth, or simply another way of reflecting on your life. I hope these conversations encourage you to become a little more curious, a little more compassionate, and a little more connected to yourself. Because you know, at the end of the day, I don't believe that we're broken in a way that we can't be fixed. We're all beautifully broken. I don't believe we're projects waiting to be fixed. I believe we're human beings who are constantly and continually learning. We're healing, we're growing, we're finding our way home to ourselves, especially, especially today. For me, the chakras are simply gentle guideposts along that journey. The throat chakra is known in Sanskrit as Vishuddha, which is often translated as especially pure or purification. It's located, as you might imagine, in the area of the throat and neck. And the color associated with this chakra is a calming blue, like a clear summer sky or peaceful water stretching out toward the horizon. And I think that's fitting because water and the voice have something in common, because both are meant to flow. And the throat chakra is often associated with communication, honesty, authenticity, creative expression, deep listening, healthy boundaries, and living in alignment with your truth. So when we think about communication, it's easy to assume that means talking, right? That's the first thing most of us would go to with communication is talking. But communication is so much more than words. It's the way we express love, ask for help, the way we comfort someone who's grieving, the courage to apologize, the willingness to forgive, and even the confidence to say no, or even the confidence to say yes. Because communication is also how we speak to ourselves. Because if we're honest, sometimes we're much kinder to strangers than we are to the person looking back at us in the mirror. And as I've reflected on this chakra, I've started noticing places in my own life where my voice became smaller. And maybe you've recognized some of those in your own life too. One of the things I love about the order of the chakras is how beautifully they build upon one another. So last time when we explored the heart chakra, again, it was love, compassion, forgiveness, connection, but our hearts can't stay locked away forever. Eventually, what lives in our heart wants to be expressed. And the throat chakra becomes that bridge. It's where our feelings find words, it's where compassion becomes conversation. It's where love becomes action, where truth finally, finally has a voice. I don't know about you, but I think many

Why Empaths Learn To Stay Quiet

SPEAKER_00 9:04

of us have experienced moments when we knew exactly what our heart wanted to say. But yet fear, little word that means so much, convinced us to stay silent. So why does this chakra matter for empaths? If you're an empath, a caregiver, a sensitive soul, or someone who spent years taking care of everyone else, this conversation may feel especially familiar. Because many of us learned very early in life that keeping the peace felt safer than speaking up. And I can see many of you nodding out there. We became the listeners, the helpers, the peacemakers, the dependable ones, the ones everyone came to, the other one, the ones everyone dumped on. And while those are beautiful qualities to have of being there for everyone else, they sometimes came at a cost, didn't it? We apologized for things that weren't our fault. We avoided conflict, like the plague. We worried about disappointing people. We swallowed our failings. We smiled when we were hurting. We said, I'm fine when we weren't. Not because we were dishonest, but because we didn't want to become someone else's burden. But over time, we can become so practiced at taking care of everyone else's emotional needs that we stop recognizing our own. And if you see yourself in this, you're not alone. Sometimes we don't lose our voice all at once. Sometimes we slowly stop using it. I'd like to ask you something. When was the last time you truly felt heard? Not interrupted, not fixed, not judged, just heard. And when was the last time you listened to yourself with that same compassion? Sometimes the hardest person to be honest with is ourselves. When I started researching and writing this episode, and by research I mean looking back at hundreds of pages I had accumulated digitally of my own notes when I started to learn about the chakras over 20 years ago. I didn't quite fully know or understand what a chakra was until I had my first level, level one Reiki class, and I heard the term. Before that, I had never heard the word chakra. After that, I was hooked and I needed to learn more about the spinning wheels of life within us. So over the last year, I noticed my own voice becoming more hoarse over time. I heard it in the episodes I was recording and when talking on the phone with friends and family. I didn't have a sore throat, but I had this ever-present lump in my throat. And I know energetically and spiritually that it usually meant I wasn't saying what I needed to say. But as I reflected on that nugget of wisdom during meditation and journaling, I couldn't find one particular area of my life where I felt I was holding back to speak. Most of the time it's just my husband to talk to or the cats. And I don't hold back talking to them, talking to friends, family. I never hold, I never held back, not in a while. I know as my own worst critic, I am hard on myself. And maybe you are too. And there will never be anyone that will judge me any harsher than myself. And yes, I am working on that. I love to journal and I write and have done that all my life. It was my way of expression because I was a very quiet, insignificant person to have around. I just like to blend into the background. I didn't want to be front and center. I preferred to be in the background. And I realized when I looked at my journal and reread some of the entries that I was indeed struggling with being heard. It wasn't so much what I wanted to say or didn't say, it was about being heard. I reflected on what that meant. And I remember as a kid, I was the oldest child and had five younger brothers, and I was the only girl. And I often struggled to be heard over the ruckus often made when we're all together. Think of five, five boys, and you can imagine how loud it was. I remember not being heard when I told my mom that my brothers didn't listen to me when I babysat them, or not feeling heard when I was sad about losing my grandmother at 11 years old, who was my world. I saw patterns of being a new wife and my husband at the time, not hearing when I was sad or upset or scared about something. I remember finally finding my voice when I left the marriage and had to start over with no skills, no money, no job, and two young children. I took a job just out of paycheck, and again, I was talked over, dismissed, not heard. My ideas claimed as their own and even bullied and bullied physically and emotionally when I did try to speak up. So after a while, you learn just to not say anything. I saw patterns when I was trying to find answers to what was going on with me medically and being told everything was normal. I have learned to dislike that word so very much, by the way. I was dismissed by doctors over the years. I was talked over and my own feelings dismissed. I wasn't being heard, I wasn't feeling validated. And recently I watched an episode of A Soap that I that I do watch, have since I was 13. And in this episode, one of the characters was going to be going through treatment for breast cancer. And the doctor that she was meeting with wasn't listening to her concerns or hearing her. And she went into this speech of just not feeling heard or validated or having her ants her questions answered. And I literally cried when I watched that part of the episode because I saw myself in that. I saw myself in that character. And I know millions of people who feel that way could relate. When I had a teaching job that I loved, and being made to feel most often that every little thing that went wrong within the school or the program, students was my fault, that I needed to fix everything, that my job was always on the line. Every day, every day there was one drama after another. And even though I knew nothing that I was doing was contributing to their failing system, I have no doubt in my mind that that job was the cause of the beginning of my health issues that I have today. It was a very toxic work environment. And believe me, I have had more than my fair share of those. And I'm sure you have too. The employer didn't hear me when I spoke the truth, when I stood up for myself. They didn't hear me speak my truth. They didn't hear me. I was told to look the other way. I was told to do things that went against the values and beliefs that I had, my moral compass. I have always had jobs that in one way or another made me feel small, diminished, whether it was at a retirement community, teaching in an adult education training program, or working in a corporate job. I was always silenced. My truths never to see the light of day because it didn't matter. I didn't matter. Being told to be quiet, to calm down, to be made to feel insignificant, like I didn't matter. It wasn't about not speaking my truth. It was about my voice not being heard or acknowledged. And maybe you've gone through that too. And if you did, I'd like to hear from you. Today I have healthier relationships and through therapy, I raise my own voice, especially when someone is making me feel dismissed. I will raise my voice louder than theirs to be heard, not yelling, just more assertive in a positive way. I no longer beg for a seat at the table. I decide who sits at that table because I no longer will allow myself to be silenced. So why the lump in my throat and the hoarseness? I feel there is something medically related going on, and I'll address that with my doctor. I have several conditions where my body creates bone spurs, and it could be a bone spur pushing

Imposter Syndrome And Taking Up Space

SPEAKER_00 17:48

into my esophagus. That could be one of the reasons. But there was something else. And this hit me like a ton of bricks during journaling and meditation. I have always prided myself on being authentic, and that was the underlying mission for this podcast, and it always will be. And after some reflection, I realized that I still hold on to the belief that I have not earned the right for my voice to be heard. I am 62 years old, and creating and hosting this podcast was my salvation. I don't have a lot to look forward to these last few years, but this podcast is the bright spot in my life. I'm not sure if you've ever heard of imposter syndrome, but that's what I was feeling. And imposter syndrome, if you don't know what it is, it's the feeling that you don't really belong in the role that you're in. You may have all the confidence that you want or that you think you have. Even when you've worked hard, you show up consistently and you've earned your place there. It's that inner voice that whispers, Who am I to do this? Or what if people find out I don't really know enough? It can make you question your gifts, your wisdom, your experience, and even the value of your own voice. And for someone who's podcasting, imposter syndrome can show up in very personal ways. You may sit in front of the microphone and wonder if your story matters, just like I'm doing now. You may compare your voice, your equipment, your audience size, or your confidence to someone else's and feel like you're falling short. You may worry that you're not polished enough, educated enough, spiritual enough, professional enough, or my worst one, interesting enough to be heard. That one gets me. But podcasting is actually one of the bravest, gravest places imposter syndrome can appear. Because a podcast asks you to be visible through your voice. It asks you to share your thoughts, your truth, your stories, and your perspectives with people you may never see. And when your life has included lessons of being dismissed, talked over silenced, or made to feel small, using your voice publicly can stir up old wounds. So imposter syndrome isn't always proof that you're unqualified. Sometimes it's simply the echo of old experiences that taught you to doubt yourself. It can be the part of you that still wonders if you have permission to take up space, to speak honestly, and even to be heard. And maybe that's why podcasting can also become part of the healing. Each time you sit down, you press record, and you speak from the heart, you're reminding yourself, as I am to me, that my voice matters.

Boundaries And Honest Self Listening

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My story has value. I don't have to be perfect to be worthy of being heard. And I imagine many of you have your own version of that story. So as we continue our conversation today, I'd like to gently shift our focus from understanding the throat chakra to nurturing it. And before we talk about different practices or ideas, I'd like to offer you something that I think is important. Healing our voice isn't about becoming louder. It isn't about winning arguments. It isn't about always having the last word. Sometimes healing begins with something much quieter. It's finally admitting to ourselves, this hurts. I'm tired. I need help. That crossed a boundary. I deserve kindness too. Because those are incredibly brave words. I also want to acknowledge something that doesn't get talked about very often. For many people, silence wasn't weakness, it was survival. Perhaps you grew up in a home where expressing emotions wasn't safe. Maybe your opinions were dismissed. Maybe you were told you were too emotional, too sensitive, too dramatic, or that you should simply quote get over it, unquote. As a kid, I was always very sensitive. I still am as an adult. I'm battery equipped. For it as an adult than I was a child, but I was very sensitive. I was told to smile more, be more social, be front and center. My mom was her this force of nature. She loved being going to family parties and visiting family and being in conversations where I just preferred to sit in a corner and read my book or write. And if that was your experience, it makes perfect sense that your voice became quieter. Because children learn very quickly what feels safe, don't they? Because many of us learn that staying quiet protected us. And so if you struggle to express yourself as an adult, please don't judge yourself. And I'm taking some of that wisdom to my own heart as well. Offer yourself compassion. You're learning something that maybe you were never taught. And the beautiful thing is that finding your voice doesn't happen all at once, it happens one honest sentence at a time. One healthy boundary, one courageous conversation, maybe a request for help, or one moment of saying, I need to think about that, instead of automatically saying yes. And sometimes finding your voice simply means allowing yourself to say, no, no, let's practice that together. No, no, no. And doing it without guilt, without a long explanation, without apologizing for taking care of yourself. And as empaths, that can feel incredibly uncomfortable. But boundaries out walls, we've talked about this before, they're bridges. They help us care for others without losing ourselves in the process. I'd like to invite you to think about a few questions. You don't need to answer them right now. And you can go back and look in the transcript for this podcast if you didn't have a chance to write down the questions. Simply let them settle gently in your heart. I'd like to ask you what conversations have you been avoiding? What truth have you been afraid to speak? Where in your life are you saying yes when your heart is quietly whispering no? Are you speaking to yourself with the same kindness that you offer everyone else? And if you truly believed your voice mattered, what would you say? And sometimes the answers don't come immediately, and that's okay. Simply asking the question is often where healing begins. There are many traditions that offer practices for supporting the throat chakra. None of these are requirements, they're simply gentle invitations. Perhaps one or two will resonate with you. And one of my favorite ones, and I've talked about this many times, is journaling. Sometimes it's easier to write the truth before we can speak it. For me, that has been definitely true. And you might begin a page with the words, what I really want to say is dot dot. And simply keep writing because you don't know what's going to come out. No editing, no judging, no worry about whether anyone else will ever read it. And journaling doesn't have to be pen to paper, it can be digital as well. Do it on a tablet, your phone, your computer. It doesn't matter where you do it, it's important that you do it. Another beautiful practice is humming. It sounds wonderfully simple because it is. The gentle, gentle, gentle vibration created by humming or singing can feel calming and grounding because humming activates the vagus nerve. And you would think about we hold a baby, a crying baby, or holding a baby, we're rocking, or we're walking around with them and they're fussy, and we stop humming and they settle down because they feel that vibration through our chest. They feel that vibration through our throat. They feel it and they calms them, it comforts them. So humming can be very healing and calming for us as well. It isn't about sounding good, it's about allowing your own voice to exist without criticism. Maybe reading a favorite poem out loud, praying, speaking affirmations, or even reading a chapter from a book out loud can also help you become more comfortable hearing your own voice. I did this and recorded my voice so I could see where I needed to work on. And maybe spending time in nature can be another beautiful practice. Sometimes I imagine walking beside the ocean, but when I was able to be more mobile, the waves never, the waves never apologize for making their sound, do they? And the birds don't ask permission before they sing, especially at 4 30 in the morning. And the wind doesn't worry whether it's too loud. Because nature reminds us that authentic expression is part of life itself. And some people also enjoy incorporating blue into the day because blue is the associated color with the throat. Maybe perhaps wearing something blue uh can be helpful. When I knew that I was going to be speaking in front of people, I always wore blue, whether it was a blue sweater, a blue top, a blue scarf around my neck, something blue. And I always carried my blue calcite or my blue cayanite stone. And I have a beautiful cainite pendant that was my first gemstone jewelry purchase ever. And I was drawn to it. I was just drawn to the color blue. I was drawn to the energy of it. And I wore it faithfully to work every day. I surround myself with my crystals when I record and even when I write. And I have a blue thumbstone that helps me when I'm recording if I feel like I need a little bit more encouragement. You could try eating blueberries, drinking herbal tea from your blue mug, your favorite blue mug, or simply taking a few moments to look up at the sky. If crystals are meaningful in your spiritual practice, many people enjoy working with blue lace agate, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, kayanite larama, soda light, angel light, because sometimes these are tangible physical reminders, gentle reminders of honest communication. If you enjoy aromatherapy, there's oils like chamomile, lavender, frankincense, or peppermint may help create a peaceful environment for reflection. And again, I've said this many times, and I will repeat it again. Always use essential oils responsibly, especially if you have pets, children, or people with health issues. But these practices aren't magical solutions. They're simply gentle ways of reminding ourselves to slow down, to listen inward, and honor our voice. I'd like to share something that has become increasingly meaningful to me because not every truth needs to be spoken immediately. Sometimes wisdom asks us to take a pause, to breathe, and even to choose our words carefully. But healing the throat chakra isn't about saying everything we think, it's about learning to communicate with honesty, with kindness, with compassion. And there is tremendous strength in speaking truth

One Brave Act And Closing Affirmations

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gently. And there is tremendous wisdom in listening deeply. Sometimes the greatest gift we give another person isn't our advice, it's simply our presence. So as we close today, I'd like to offer you a simple invitation. This week, practice one act of authentic expression. It doesn't have to be something life-changing. Maybe it's asking for help. Maybe it's saying no. Maybe it's telling someone how much they mean to you. Maybe it's finally giving yourself permission to rest. Or perhaps maybe simply looking in the mirror, smiling gently, and saying, My voice matters. Because it does. Let's close with a few affirmations. Take a slow breath, and if they resonate with you, quietly repeat them in your heart or out loud, whatever works for you. There's no right or wrong way. My voice deserves to be heard. I express myself with honesty and kindness. I honor my needs without guilt. I release the fear of judgment. I communicate with compassion. I trust my inner wisdom. I listen with an open heart. I speak with courage. I am worthy of being heard. And my favorite, I am enough. If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to invite you to listen to the original companion guided mindfulness meditation for this episode. And together we'll gently relax the body, quiet the mind. Imagine ourselves standing beside a peaceful lake at sunrise, surrounded by soft light, a place where it's safe to release the words that you've carried far too long and help you reconnect with your authentic voice. You can listen whenever you need a few quiet moments to reconnect with yourself, and you can find it wherever you found this episode. So before we say goodbye today, I'd like to leave you with one final thought. Your voice is one of the greatest gifts you'll ever be given. Not because it's perfect, not because everyone will always agree with you, but because it carries something that no one else in this world can offer. Your truth. But please don't mistake silence for peace if it comes at the expense of your own well-being. You deserve relationships where your thoughts are welcome, where your feelings are respected, where your kindness is returned. And perhaps more importantly, you deserve to become someone who listens to yourself with the same compassion you so freely offer everyone else. And as we continue our sacred journey through the chakras, I hope you'll remember that healing isn't about becoming someone new. It's about gently returning to the person you've always been beneath the fear, the self-doubt, and the silence. Thank you for allowing me to spend this time with you today. And if this episode touched your heart, I'd love to hear from you. You can always reach me through the podcast website, on social media pages, or at healing our kindred spirits at gmail.com. Your stories, reflections, and experiences remind me that none of us walk this path alone. So until next time, be gentle with yourself, be kind to yourself, trust your voice because your story matters. Your heart matters, and you are never too much. And you are always, always enough. Thank you.