Love Shouldn’t Hurt - Lived Expert Panel by Youth Voices Rising
What does love look like when no one ever showed you? That powerful question sat at the heart of a recent webinar hosted by Fostering Media Connections' Youth Voices Rising program.
A panel of individuals with living experience in foster care, juvenile justice, and homelessness came together to explore how early trauma shapes our beliefs about love, safety, and relationships.
From learning to set boundaries for the first time, to finding healing through therapy, mentorship, and self-love, each panelist reminded us that our past does not have to define our future. As one panelist put it: “You are always more than the hardest things you've been through.”
For those of us who are Lived Experts, this is personal.
Whether you're still navigating the system, recently exited, or years removed, healing is possible. Growth is possible. And love, real, safe, healthy love, is something every single one of us deserves.
Soundbites & Takeaways We Loved
Trust your intuition. That quiet, calm inner voice is your greatest guide. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
You are allowed to set boundaries. Boundaries aren't walls, they're a guide for how you deserve to be treated. And they are for you, not the other person.
Healing is not linear. Just because you think you've healed doesn't mean something won't trigger you. That's okay. Growth is in how you respond.
You don't have to earn love. Healthy love is not conditional on your behavior, your productivity, or your perfection.
Seek your village. A mentor, a therapist, a trusted friend, you don't have to figure this out alone. Community matters at every age.
What you don't address will show up in your relationships. Do the inner work, in whatever way feels right and safe for you.
You have the right to choose who has access to you. Not everyone deserves a seat at your table.
You are more than your coping mechanisms. The tools you needed to survive the system served a purpose — but you are allowed to put them down when you're ready.
Love yourself first. It sets the standard for everything and everyone else that follows.
You are free. Remind yourself of that, often.