Just One Word

What's Yours?

The Empowered Women Event (EWE) 2025 was months in the making, but it finally took place last Thursday at the Metarie Country Club just outside New Orleans.

I prepared. I did a test run. I edited. I refined. I wanted to be ready. Remember, I had just 14 minutes to share my story so every minute counted.

My program title?

Just One Word.

The description?

If you have ever experienced a dark night of the soul, you know that a single word can motivate you to keep moving forward. Anne Gallagher shares her story of being defrauded by her husband and the difficult choices that followed. She will inspire all of us to find our north star in challenging situations.

I opened my talk by asking participants to think of a situation in their lives that was difficult or challenging. I asked them to think of the single word or phrase that served as their northstar in that situation. We all have words of resilience, different and beautiful, that we use in tough times.

Many women wrote their words down and handed them in to me. I promised to share those words broadly, with the hope that they would inspire us all - whether in good times or tough ones.

What’s remarkable to me about these words is their diversity - some helpful, some hopeful and some very authentic (see the last three).

Take a look:

• Perseverence

• Hope

• Truth

• Purpose

• Love

• Authenticity

• Connection

• Self-Reliance

• Trust

• Support

• Peace

• Endurance

• Calm

• Peer Support

• Breathe

• Forgive

• Courage

• Hold

• Go High

• Quiet

• Don’t Give Up

• Persistence

• Patience

• Strength

• Restraint

• Out

• Give Her Time

• Grit

• Honest Communication

• Confidence

• Panic

• Survive

• Avoidance

My word - echoed above - was purpose. I’ll explain more in another post.

But for now, I want to share some of my presentation’s closing words:

What I learned is that pain will change you more profoundly than success or good fortune. Suffering changes your perception of life, your values and priorities, your goals and dreams. Your pain is changing and transforming you. And the word you wrote down, well my wish is it takes you through your pain as mine did for me.

By gathering our words of resilience and sharing them, let’s hope we all have a reservoir of new north stars, if and when we might need them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Postscript #1: After the program, I asked EWE25 founder Susan Freeman for feedback on my presentation. Here is what she said:

The word on your presentation is “phenomenal” as it was very powerful, especially because you had us close our eyes and go on this scary journey with you. Your acting ability was amazing because everything was perfectly timed, emphatic pauses and all, and we were moved. I cried, but that’s no surprise.

Postscript #2: For anyone wondering about the power of sharing our stories, here is the thank-you note that Susan Freeman sent to program presenters:

From the bottom of my heart—thank you.

Thank you for saying yes.
Thank you for standing in your truth.
Thank you for letting us witness your courage.

Each of you brought something uniquely powerful to the Empowered Women stage. You didn’t just tell a story—you cracked open your heart so that others might see themselves more clearly, feel less alone, and find their own voice in the echo of yours.

Your vulnerability was a gift. Your honesty, a beacon. Your presence, unforgettable.

It takes bravery to speak the unspoken. To share not just the polished versions of our lives, but the messy, beautiful, painful, triumphant parts too. And you did that—with grace, grit, and generosity.

Because of you, this event became more than a gathering. It became a movement. A safe haven. A space for healing, for connection, for transformation.

As we close this chapter, know that your words live on in the hearts of those who heard them. You have planted seeds of courage that will continue to grow in places you’ll never see—but they’re there, blooming.

Thank you for trusting me with your stories. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to hold space for you.