parents – Shajen Joy Aziz

Accountability. Healing. Hope.I cannot stay silent.I have not stayed silent.As a mother, licensed Special Educator, and therapist.My cries for help were ignored.The adults knew.My bones were broken and ignored.Nothing happened.I am forever changed.When powerful men harm children and women, and are not held accountable, the damage does not end with the abuse. It imprints on the nervous system. It alters brain development. It shifts immune functioning. It changes the trajectory of a life.This is not emotional exaggeration.It is neuroscience.It is longitudinal public health research.The Adverse Childhood Experiences research shows that early abuse is strongly associated with increased depression, addiction, autoimmune disease, heart disease, and shortened lifespan. Four or more adverse experiences significantly raise the risk of chronic illness in adulthood.CDC ACEs Research:https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.htmlNeuroscience confirms that prolonged childhood trauma heightens the amygdala’s threat response, disrupts hippocampal processing, and can impair prefrontal regulation. Chronic exposure to stress hormones like cortisol increases inflammation and keeps the body in survival mode.National Child Traumatic Stress Network:https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-traumaThis is why accountability is not optional.It is not political theater.It is nervous system justice.It is public health protection.When systems protect power instead of children, they retraumatize survivors. When men who commit horrific crimes are shielded by influence or wealth, the message to every survivor is clear: your pain does not matter.That must end.Accountability is not revenge.It is restoration of safety.It is protection for the next child.It is a cultural line in the sand.I am forever changed.And I am not powerless.Neither are We.Healing is real. The brain has neuroplasticity. The nervous system can regulate. Trauma can be integrated. Survivors can thrive. I see it in my clinical work. I live it in my own life.But healing does not replace justice.We can hold both:Compassion for survivors.Consequences for perpetrators.We can build trauma-informed systems in our schools, courts, and communities.We can demand transparency.We can believe survivors.We can stop protecting abusers because they are powerful, connected, or convenient.Collective ActionIf you feel called to act:• Contact your state and federal representatives and demand stronger enforcement of child protection laws and transparency in cases involving abuse.• Support survivor advocacy organizations such as RAINN or local sexual assault crisis centers.• Advocate for trauma-informed training in schools, law enforcement, and judicial systems.• Vote with children’s safety in mind.• Refuse to normalize silence when harm is exposed.Change happens when citizens refuse complicity.Intergenerational HealingWhen we hold perpetrators accountable, we are not only protecting today’s children. We are interrupting cycles of trauma that echo across generations.Unaddressed abuse does not disappear. It transmits through nervous systems, parenting patterns, attachment styles, and health outcomes. When we choose truth, accountability, and trauma-informed systems, we change the trajectory for children we may never meet.That is generational healing.I cannot stay silent.I have not stayed silent.And I will continue to stand for every woman and child whose body was violated and whose voice was dismissed.Accountability.Healing.Hope.All three are possible.Shajen Joy Aziz, M.Ed., M.A.Licensed Special Educator and Therapist

We can hold both:Compassion for survivors.Consequences for perpetrators.

Ode to Fonda Joy – My Mom

An Ode to My Mother, Fonda Joy 🤍You left me with a love for this Earth.A knowing of how to live simply and with grace.An understanding that everything is connected.You taught me about health and wellness.About food, how it can be medicine or poison.About tending the body the way one tends the land,with care, intention,Continue reading “Ode to Fonda Joy – My Mom”

Today is a good day.

The Chasm of Pause

The chasm of pause before one takes back their power can feel deep, broad, and never-ending. Yet – the moment it happens, peace prevails, and that who you unquestionably are shines through your being. Honor yourself and others with compassionate communication. We are all a work in progress, and the more we practice, the moreContinue reading “The Chasm of Pause”

Worthiness

As you learn to listen to and follow your positive inner wisdom more fully, your self-worth blossoms in new ways and clear boundaries become essential in your self-care rhythm. Your journey is about fully understanding your worthiness, your inner source, and connecting that source with your inner knowing and new ways of thinking and being. Continue reading “Worthiness”

Focus on Your Gifts

Our society spends too much time focusing on negativity and training it into the minds of our children. It is time to shift our educational practices and perspectives. We must begin to educate our youth about what’s right and wonderful about themselves, their interests, and their gifts, and how to generate a healthy life fromContinue reading “Focus on Your Gifts”

Trust the Goodness of Your Inner Landscape.

Trust in the goodness of your inner landscape. Your natural ways will bring you to the discovery of your gifts. Honor your passions as you grow and enjoy the fruits of your focused intention by actively engaging in what you love. You will notice the things you loved as a child are aspects of whoContinue reading “Trust the Goodness of Your Inner Landscape. “

Believe in Your Highest Self – Take a Leap

Take a leap of faith and trust in your highest self to guide you safely on the journey. When you make choices from a space of honest contemplation, and compassionate communication, you allow your pathway to flow with more grace and ease. Many people today are fraught with negative feelings of themselves and others. ItContinue reading “Believe in Your Highest Self – Take a Leap”

This Simple Process Will Help You Become More Intentional With Your Thoughts

Much of your life and its outcomes are based on what you choose to focus on in any given circumstance. Through my two decades of work with individuals, families, schools, and businesses I have come to learn is that many people are having a hard time focusing on the positives in themselves and their lives.Continue reading “This Simple Process Will Help You Become More Intentional With Your Thoughts”