Michelle Padgett on Being Shattered, Then Called

When Your Brokenness Becomes Someone’s Breakthrough

Have you ever been told or believed the lie that you were broken beyond repair? That phrase wasn’t just a thought, it became a quiet whisper of the conclusion that was buried and locked away as a secret for years. Life had chipped away at my soul, piece by piece.To the point that  I was blinded and could not see any  beauty in the brokenness.

Lookin in the mirror became too painful because all that was seen was  failure, shame, disappointments and so many questions that were left unanswered. Emotional Trauma  and abuse had woven itself into my story early, and the aftermath left scars and deep wounds I tried to hide under smiles, prayers and success.

But this is not a story of staying broken. It’s a story of resilience and transformation, how your deepest pain can be the catalyst to someone else’s freedom.

The Lie of Being Too Broken

When you’ve been deeply wounded or or your heart has been shattered from the very  people you trusted, it’s easy to internalize and live in the lie that you’re damaged beyond repair. You tell yourself that your story is too messy, healing is for others, and that your voice doesn’t even matter.

I personally lived in the confines of that lie for far too long.

I believed that if I stayed quiet, stayed hidden, and stayed small, I’d be safe and I could live. The reality was, the more I stayed silent, the more I stayed stuck. Being bound ,as a  prisoner in my soul,  I found myself just surviving and not really living. 

Pain Was My Prison, Until Pain Became My Platform

Change did not happen in one second, one moment or one day. It took years, decades through a series of awakening events. Over time, I began to notice that the same areas of my life where I felt shame, the ones we want to keep buried, these were the ones that became my reason to speak. These were the ones that others could resonate with the most. 

Over the years, I have discovered, when I speak, there is never a dry eye in the house. Why, is the question I used to ask myself and question of God. The answer, because parts of the pain in my story, are the reality of their own hidden core pain. 

Session after session and stage after stage, People would say, “I feel like you understand,” or I have a confession to make that I have never told anyone before…”, then one day it clicked: maybe al the pain and trauma I experienced wasn’t to put me six feet under, but it is for me to use my voice to heal the world. 

So I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I stopped pretending I was fine and I became more and more transparent and open about Me, to not only heal myself, but to help heal the wounds of others. 

This is when I began to confront the pain and let God into the chambers of my soul that I had locked away in silence and threw away the key.

I decided to study psychology and human behaviors of how trauma, abuse and  trauma bonding had shaped my behaviors, my beliefs, and my patterns from a very young age. Then slowly after decades of suffering in silence, I allowed the real healing to begin. 

The process did not happen over night, it took years. It definitely was not pretty, or easy. In all actuality, It was quite ugly and real messy. Being honest with yourself is not always easy, but it’s worth it!

And along my life journey, here’s what I discovered, Broken people make the best leaders, not because we are perfect, but because we don’t give up, but stay in the fight, life may have broke us, but the best is yet to come, because we are resilient.

From Wounds to Wisdom

Some of the most powerful voices I know are not the ones who have never fallen and never got back up. However, It’s the chosen ones who have fallen, gotten up, and use their pain, not as a place of pity, but a springboard for purpose, not for selfish gain, but to encourage others along the way and pull others into their destiny call. 

Once I got free,I wanted to make a difference in the world. I realized that I could no longer stay silent so I started writing, speaking, coaching and teaching.  What I found is every time I drew up the courage to share a piece of my broken life story, changes were happening in me. My walls of reservation came down, because truth was spoken, and people began to find hope to see that if God could heal me, maybe healing was possible for them. 

This didn’t come from a place of arrival and having it all together. but a place of honesty, vulnerabiity and authenticity.  The truth is,  I still have scars and I always will, But those scars are no longer gaping wounds or banners of shame. 

The tangible scars left from many years of abuse,  are not only evidence of just surviving, but this became the reason for thriving.  

It is a guide and roadmap for others that are still trying to find their way out of the dark.

You Were Never Meant to Stay Stuck

Here is what I want you to know, God has a purpose for all your pain. 

Healing is possible, and you are not too broken to be fixed or used to be the change or  to make a difference in this world. 

What once felt like a life sentence of pain can become your testimony of purpose. Don’t stay silent as the enemy of your soul wants you to do.  You are a living testimony and your voice of healing is a major threat to darkness. Every step that you take toward healing yourself, is a step that clears the path for someone else. Your journey is another’s pathway to victory. 

There’s someone who needs to see that it’s possible too. So many times, they’re not looking for someone with all the answers, but for someone relatable and for someone who understands.

That someone just might be you.

Leading Others to Freedom

Leadership is not about sharing on a stage or being in the spotlight. Sometimes, Being a leader is having  a 1:1 counseling or coaching session, writing in a book, teaching a class, a workshop, or simply being present when someone is falling apart.

When you’ve walked through the fire and come out the other side, you carry something unshakable. Not perfection—but power. Not a flawless past—but a redeemed future.

The pain that once disqualified you becomes the very reason others trust you.

I never thought I’d lead. But now, I guide others through the same valleys I once thought would destroy me. And that’s the beautiful full-circle miracle of grace: you don’t just heal for yourself. You heal so others can too.

Your Story Isn’t Over

If you’re still in that space where you feel beyond repair, I want to tell you something I wish someone had told me:

You are not your trauma. You are not your past. You are not too much or too far gone.

You are still becoming.

And no matter how messy or painful was the beginning, there is a new chapter waiting. One where you are not only free, but now helping others break free too.

It starts with one step. One choice. One truth whispered in the dark.

You are not broken beyond repair.

You are being rebuilt for a greater purpose.

And maybe, just maybe—that purpose is to lead others to the freedom you once thought was impossible.

Let all the cracks and crumbling moments of your destiny story become the places and spaces where you can now let your light shine for all the world to see.