The Courage To Stand In Your Truth

What does it really cost to stand in your truth?

In this solo episode of Life's Deceit Podcast, Jen Simpson explores the often-unspoken reality that living authentically comes with a price. Standing in your truth can cost relationships, opportunities, approval, comfort, and sometimes even the version of yourself you've outgrown.

In a world that often pressures us to conform, compromise, or stay silent, choosing authenticity requires courage. It means accepting that not everyone will understand your journey, agree with your beliefs, or celebrate your growth. It means learning to remain rooted in who you are, even when others attempt to label you, challenge you, or persuade you to abandon your convictions.

This episode dives into:

• Why standing in your truth can feel lonely
• The cost of authenticity and personal growth
• Being misunderstood, judged, or mislabeled
• Why approval is not the same as alignment
• The difference between love and agreement
• Letting go of the need to explain yourself
• Why awards, recognition, and external validation don't define your worth
• Remaining faithful to your values, beliefs, and calling
• Building a legacy based on truth rather than popularity

The truth is, standing in your truth will cost you. But abandoning it may cost you even more.

If you've ever felt pressured to shrink yourself, stay silent, or become someone you're not just to make others comfortable, this conversation is for you.

🎙️ Hosted by Jen Simpson
📍 Life's Deceit Podcast – Season 4
✨ Legacy By Choice™ – Chosen, Not Inherited

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to Lice to see. I'm your host Jen Simpson. I hope you're having a beautiful morning, afternoon, night, wherever you are in the world and whatever time zone you're in. Hello, hello, hello, and welcome. If this is your first time visiting the platform, please do your girl a favor and hit the subscribe button. And before we end this episode, give me a like and please leave a comment. Even if it's just you saying, hey girl, to my already subscribers, I want to thank you guys. Thank you for continuing to rock with your girl. Thank you for engaging. Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Without you, this platform would not be possible. And soon we will be starting our giveaway again. Today, we're continuing our conversation. We're continuing to peel back the layers because last week I had two phenomenal guests. Two, not one, and I'm excited to continue that conversation because we live in a time where we are taught and we are conforming to other people's beliefs. However, last week I had the opportunity to sit with Karen Pepita Samuels, and she dropped some gems.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

What I seen was love and respect that I did not see in my home. And I thought that was to get love and respect, I needed to not be black.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

She was authentic, she was real, she spoke about her life, she spoke about the things that she went through, she spoke about revealing herself, showing herself, being true to who she was so that she could heal, being true to who she was so she could do the work and become the woman that she is today and continues to grow into.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

I can never return you. One time I heard I love you from my mother. And I was hearing from the black community how ugly I was and from my mother, and then I experienced the colorism because I'm dark-skinned with bolder features.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Then we had a very, very, very special guest, Kamal Martin, better known as recording artist Yoksta.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Like never really hide the truth self. I think people can't connect with fakes, you know, because most people come on TV and then pretend to be something that they are not. And then in real life, we get a different version. It means just as real as I get it. We teleport apart.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

He dropped life, he spoke life into us. He stood on what he believed.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

See, Christianity is a is is the next thing, you know. It took the African from Africans by giving them a principality that never aligned to Africans, and that's the reason why we keep confusing ourselves. Because everybody else's God look like them. You understand? And even and and just saying personally, because there's so much history that that was hidden. Because yes, I've read a lot of books, and none of them make sense, but there's a sense that makes sense, and there's an actual sense that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Right. And I find that so interesting and so fantastic because a lot of times we could be in a room with people that disagree on something, and automatically our minds tell us also disagree because we want to avoid arguments, we don't want to be judged. So it's easier to conform and alter ourselves, alter our beliefs, alter the work that we've done just to fit in a box, just to shrink. So today's episode will be peeling back the layers, we'll be dissecting some things together and reflecting. Today's episode, I want to have a conversation. A conversation that may challenge you. This conversation I've had with myself, and it challenged me. I don't want to challenge you because I'm trying to tell you what to believe, and I'm not trying to convince you to think like me or alter your mind to be like mine. And I'm certainly not trying to change your opinions or your morals, but because I want us to think, I want us to reflect, I want us to dissect together, I want us to ask ourselves some difficult questions. But before we begin, I want to first invite you into this conversation with an open mind and with curiosity instead of jumping into defense mode. You don't have to agree with me, you don't have to agree with everything I say. In fact, you may not, and that's okay. Because the goal of this conversation today is not agreement, the goal is reflection, the goal is understanding, the goal is examination, examining our own convictions, our own values and beliefs. And this thought, this thought came into my mind and it was reinforced for me after my recent conversation I had with Yaksta last week. Whether you agreed with every perspective he shared in that episode or not, one thing stood out for me. One thing kept screaming out to me. He wasn't afraid to stand in what he believed. He wasn't trying to become a version of himself that would make everybody comfortable. And it got me really thinking, deep thinking, guys, you know when you go into those deep thinking modes? Have we become so afraid of disagreement that we've stopped thinking for our own selves? Have we become so afraid of criticism that we've stopped speaking honestly from an honest perspective, from an honest point of view? Have we become so desperate for acceptance that we started abandoning our own convictions? Because somewhere along the way, something changed. People stopped wanting understanding and started demanding agreement. Agree with me because I said so, because it sounds right. And those are not the same things. I think one of the most greatest deceptions of our generation now, this generation now, this season now, is that we've been confused. We confused agreement with love, we've confused approval with acceptance, we've confused popularity with purpose, and we've confused visibility with impact, and we've confused recognition with legacy. And because of that confusion, many people are living lives that don't actually belong to them, lives that aren't even what they want to live, lives that's built around other people's expectations, approval, control, opinions, how people feel about them instead of living from conviction, living in their truth. And I want you to understand this we can love people and disagree with them. We can respect people and disagree with them. I can love you and disagree with you. I can care about you and still disagree with your perspective, your opinion. I can support your right to make your own decisions while making different decisions for myself. That's not hate. That's maturity. That's freedom. That's freedom to think, that's freedom to be. But today, if you disagree with someone, many people immediately assume you hate them, you dislike them. If you don't support something, they assume you're against them. If you have a different perspective, they assume you're attacking them, you're attacking their character, you're attacking who they are. And I think we've been lost. I think we've lost the ability to sit in discomfort. We've lost the ability to say, I don't agree with you, I don't agree with that, but I respect your right to believe in that. And I respect you as a person. We've lost sight of the ability to say, I hear your perspective and I respect it and I honor it, but my convictions lead me somewhere different. Now, let me just be a little bit more clear. This episode is not about being rude. This isn't about being disrespectful. This isn't about attacking people or where they stand in life. This isn't about forcing our beliefs onto others. This is about having the courage to own our own beliefs, our own ideology, our own morals, our own values, our own convictions. Not because people agree, not because they're popular, but because they're ours, they're our opinions, because we've done the work to understand why we believe in those things. We've done the groundwork, we've done our research. And here's the truth: standing in your truth sounds beautiful until it costs you something. Everybody loves those pretty quotes, everybody loves the motivational posts, everybody loves the inspirational reels. Stand in your truth, be authentic, be yourself. But nobody talks about the costs, the things that you have to sacrifice, the things you have to go through. Nobody talks about what happens when you when you're standing in your truth, how it creates tension, about what happens when people misunderstand you, what happens when people stop applauding for you, stop celebrating you, stop respecting you. And nobody talks about what happens when people begin to create stories about you because standing in your truth costs something that's so expensive. Sometimes it will cost you relationships, opportunities, invitations to events. It will cost you being accepted, your own comfort, other people's comfort, influence, money, but something bigger, it will cost you your reputation. Because when people cannot move you from your position, they often try to define you. If they cannot control your convictions, they create labels, they create narratives, they create a perspective of you that's not even real. If they cannot convince you, they create narratives, they form opinions. If they can't force you into agreement, they create assumptions about you. And suddenly you're no longer being judged by who you are, you're being judged by who people decide you are because of your opinions and your beliefs. Maybe you've experienced this. Maybe you've been called difficult, you've been called judgmental, bitter, angry, selfish, too loud, you're rebellious, you don't know what you're talking about, your ideas are tampered, and the worst one, you're too much. And maybe those labels didn't align with who you actually are, but they became easier for people to believe than taking the time to understand you, taking the time to understand your perspective, taking the time to see where you're coming from. I'll be the first to say I've experienced that in my own life. Not everyone agrees with my journey, not everyone agrees with my healing and the route that I take to heal, my faith, the choices I've made in life. Nobody agrees. Some people didn't agree with me speaking out publicly about my childhood trauma, the things that I experienced in my life. Not everybody agreed with the work I do on this platform. Licestases, nobody agrees, some people don't agree, they don't like it. And that's okay because I have to stand in my truth and walk in my truth. Because I learned something. Not everyone is supposed to understand your assignments. Not everyone's going to understand your calling, and it wasn't meant for everyone to understand your convictions that you're going through. And if your identity is built on being understood by everyone, you will spend your life shrinking to fit in this box to people please, to make sure everybody accepts who you are and things that you're doing. There was a time in my own life when I wanted everyone to understand me, to accept me, to like me, to love me, to give me approval, to see my heart, to see my intentions. I didn't want people to confuse who I was and the things I was doing. And then I realized something that's impossible. Because people don't always judge your intentions, they judge your position. And when your position makes them uncomfortable, they create conclusions. Not because they're always right, but because it's easier than reflection. And that brought me back to me. And I kept questioning why do people fight so hard to make us agree with them? Why? Why do we have to agree on everything? Why does disagreement create so much tension? And I think it's because conviction forces reflection, self-reflection. When someone stands confidently in their beliefs, it causes us to examine our own selves. And not everybody wants to do that. Some people want confirmation, not reflection. They prefer validation, not dialogue. They want disagreement, not understanding. And when you refuse to provide that agreement, they become uncomfortable. Not because you're wrong, but because your convictions expose something so much deeper. It starts to reveal insecurities, uncertainty, fears, hidden fears, places where they may have abandoned themselves that they should be revealing themselves. And that's why standing in your truth can feel so lonely and dark at times. Because sometimes your convictions become more of a mirror, and it is a mirror. And not everybody likes what they see in their reflection and that reflection in the mirror. Now let's talk about legacy. Because this season is surrounded by legacy by choice, chosen, not inherited. And one of the greatest lessons I've learned this year is that legacy isn't built through popularity. Legacy is built through convictions, your own convictions, your own moment to reflect on yourself and the things that you're building. It's not built through applauses, the claps of everybody else. It's built through consistency, your consistency. Legacy isn't built through recognition, it's built through impact, the impact that you're trying to put out there. And those are not always the same thing. We've become so obsessed with recognition, followers on social media, awards, titles, status, visibility. And while there's nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong with wanting to be recognized for the work that you're doing. Recognition is not proof of impact. An award doesn't automatically mean you're changing lives or somebody's changing lives. A title doesn't automatically mean you're making a difference. Follower counts don't automatically mean you're influencing people positively. Recognition is not measurement. Impact is some of the most impactful people that I know may never receive an award. Some of the greatest legacy builders may never stand on a stage. Some of the strongest people that I know and that I've had the opportunity to connect with have never gone viral. Yet. Some of the most faithful people I know have no public platform, no social media whatsoever. But they changed lives. They showed up, they served, they loved, they sacrificed, they paved the way, they paved the way, they encouraged, they poured into others. And because of them, generations are different. And that's what I call legacy. Legacy isn't about who knows your name. Legacy is about whose life changed because you existed, because you showed up, because you woke up. And I think we've forgotten that. We've become so focused on being seen that we've forgotten about being significant. Now, I want us to take a moment for a rapid fire reflection. There's no right answer and there's no wrong answer. Just honesty with yourself. Take a deep breath. And exhale. And answer these for yourself. Who are you when no one's watching? What truth are you afraid to say out loud? What beliefs are you hiding because you're afraid of criticism? What label have you accepted that never belong to you? Where have you chosen acceptance over authenticity? Who are you trying to convince that you're worthy? Have you confused being liked with being loved? Have you confused visibility with impact? If no one ever applauses for you again, would you still do what you're doing? If no one ever gave you an award, would you still believe your work is valuable and mattered? If social media disappeared tomorrow, who would you be? If standing in your truth cost everything except your integrity, would it still be worth it? And perhaps the most important question today is are you becoming who God created you to be? Or who other people expected you to be? As we close, I want to leave this with you and I want you to remember it. Standing in your truth will cost you. It may cost you relationships, opportunities, acceptance, comfort, reputation, and it may cost being misunderstood. It may cost the version of yourself that desperately wants everyone to approve, everyone to accept, to fit in this box. But if you abandon your truth to keep those things, you've paid so much greater. You've paid such a greater price because the greatest tragedy isn't being misunderstood. The greatest tragedy is abandoning yourself. So choose courage, choose conviction, choose integrity, choose truth. Not because everyone will agree, not because everyone will understand you, but because at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself. You have to live with the things that you choose to do and honor who you are. And there is peace in knowing that you stood not perfectly, not arrogantly, and not self-righteously, but honestly. And sometimes honesty is the greatest act of courage. Thank you for joining me on another episode of Lice to see. If today's conversation resonated with you, I encourage you to go back and listen to one of my recent conversations that I had last week with Karen Samuels and Yax. Although their stories are not the same and their stories are very different, both conversations touched on something powerful. There was an alignment in both conversations. Finding your voice, standing in your truth, and having the courage to live authentically. You may not agree with every perspective that each of them shared. And that's perfectly fine. The goal isn't agreement, the goal is reflection. The goal is to cause is a conversation so we can understand each other. Until next time, choose truth, choose courage, choose legacy, and keep building a life that reflects who you are truly. Choosing a life that reflects the person that you are, the person you're becoming, the life that honors you. No judgment. Until next time, I'm Jen Simpson. What you choose today becomes the legacy you pass on.