BEYOND SCARCITY PROJECT
WEEK 1: When a Woman’s Heart Roars Like a Lion
Theme: Poverty Trauma & the Courage to Lead
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” – Nelson Mandela
WHAT IS POVERTY TRAUMA?
Poverty trauma is what happens to a person — and often an entire community — when lack becomes normal. When food, water, safety, shelter, or love are scarce for long enough, the body starts to anticipate suffering. The mind learns to brace for disappointment. It teaches us to shrink, to settle, and to survive.
But survival is not the same as living.
Poverty trauma is emotional. It sits in the nervous system and teaches the brain to expect “not enough.” It’s mental — shaping thoughts like “I can’t ask for more,” “I’ll always be struggling,” or “Who am I to lead?” And it’s generational — passed down through family stories, through silence, or through the learned fear of stepping out of line.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO LEAD?
Leadership requires presence. It calls for voice, vision, and visibility. But poverty trauma teaches us to hide, to doubt ourselves, and to give others the power to decide our worth. It makes us mistrust our instincts, question our ideas, and apologise for taking up space.
And still… something inside us fights back.
That something is courage.
WHY COURAGE MATTERS FOR WOMEN
There’s a lion in every woman. But for many of us, our roar was tamed before it could rise.
Patriarchal cultures often tie a woman’s worth to service, sacrifice, or silence.
Poverty trauma then doubles the message: “Don’t want too much. Don’t shine too bright. Don’t speak too loud.”
But a woman who has faced hunger, loss, exclusion, or invisibility — and still chooses to rise?
That is a woman whose heart roars.
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
This week we observe International Assistance Dog Week and World Lion Day. We honour animals who lead with loyalty, instinct, and courage. A dog who guides its handler through chaos. A lioness who protects her pride with silent strength and unshakable grace.
You, too, are allowed to lead.
You, too, have instincts that are wise and worth trusting.
You, too, can move beyond survival — into self-leadership, into voice, into choice.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
What messages did I learn about wanting too much?
Where did I start believing that leadership wasn’t for me?
If I stopped apologising for being too much, what would I become?
This is the first post in the Beyond Scarcity Project — a blog series for Women’s Month exploring how poverty trauma shapes identity, voice, relationships and hope.
Next week’s topic will connect with new international observances and uncover another layer of the story.
Until then, remember: the lioness does not ask permission to roar.