“Trauma creates one of four types of people: victims, rescuers, or perps – and if you’re really lucky and really strong and very willing and brave, survivors.” – Allison Anders

For many, trauma is an invisible force, an emotional weight that shapes our every waking thoughts, relationships, and even our sense of self without us realizing it. It lingers in the dark corners of our choices, influences how we navigate the world or don’t, and passes silently from generation to generation. For Black and Brown women especially, unaddressed trauma has been normalized for so long that it often feels like an unavoidable part of life.

But what if trauma wasn’t just something to survive? What if it could be transformed into an opportunity for growth, healing, empowerment, and self-love?

This Women’s History Month, transformational thought leader Cleous “GloWry” Young, founder of Project 5B, is helping women reimagine their healing journeys through his groundbreaking concept, “Trauma Re-Defined.” Using an innovative framework inspired by aviation, Young challenges us to unpack our emotional baggage, reclaim our true power, and set a new course for our lives.

“It is time to take an alternate route to find joy,” Young boldly declares.

A Personal Journey of Healing

Growing up in St. Thomas, Jamaica, Young witnessed firsthand how trauma, when left unspoken and unresolved, can ripple through generations. He saw families burdened by the past, individuals trapped in cycles of pain, and communities longing for change but uncertain of how to break free. Determined to rewrite his own story, Young developed a powerful new framework that transforms trauma from a barrier into a launchpad for personal freedom.

But his journey wasn’t just about self-empowerment, it was about re-powerment.

“Empowerment is giving someone tools, but re-powerment is restoring someone’s brilliance,” Young explains.

Through his work, Young helps women break free from generational cycles of pain, not by ignoring the past, but by reclaiming the power that trauma once stole from them.

Unpacking Trauma: The Carry-On Suitcase Model

Much like passengers bringing a carry-on suitcase onto an airplane, we unknowingly carry the weight of our past experiences everywhere we go and into every relationship. We pack away pain, fears, doubts, and limiting beliefs, things that have been handed down to us or picked up along our journeys.

But what if we could unpack, repack, and reclaim control over our lives?

Young’s “Carry-On Suitcase Model” provides five essential steps to unpack emotional baggage and take back control.

1. Practice Self-Handling: Take Control of Your Luggage

Just as travelers steer their suitcases with a handle, we must take hold of our emotions and guide them in the direction we want to go. Fear, stress, and trauma may have shaped us, but they don’t have to define us for the rest of our lives. Learning to “self-handle” our emotions puts us back in the pilot’s seat.

2. Recognize Your Zippers: Unpack What’s Been Locked Away

Trauma often gets “zipped up” inside of us through defining moments, heartbreak, loss, rejection, or even words like “Never again” or “That’s just the way I am.” These experiences close us off, making healing impossible. To move forward, we must unzip our emotional baggage, confront what’s inside, and release what no longer serves us.

3. Repack with Intention: What’s in Your Suitcase?

Not everything we’ve been carrying is worth keeping. If we want to move forward, we need to pack light. Instead of holding onto pain, resentment, or self-doubt, we can choose to fill our “suitcases” with love, compassion, forgiveness, and purpose. The lighter the baggage, the smoother the journey.

4. Oil Your Wheels: Speak Life into Your Journey

A suitcase with stuck wheels is hard to move, just like a life weighed down by negative self-talk. The words we speak about ourselves determine the paths we take. If we keep telling ourselves we are broken, unworthy, or stuck, we will stay exactly where we are. Instead, we must oil our wheels with affirmations, gratitude, and positive action.

5. Choose a New Carry-On: Let Go of the Hard Shell

Not all suitcases are hard-shelled, and not all strength comes from toughness. Many of us have been conditioned to build walls and pretend we are unbreakable, but true power lies in authenticity, vulnerability, and self-acceptance. We must learn to carry ourselves with grace, not armor.

Your Flight to Healing Begins Now

The journey to healing is not linear, and it is not easy. But it is possible.

Cleous “GloWry” Young invites women everywhere to step into their re-powerment, let go of what has weighed them down, and embrace the freedom of a new path.

This Women’s History Month, take the first step toward reclaiming your story and redefining your future.

Your past does not have to dictate your destination. You are cleared for takeoff.

For more insights, resources, and upcoming workshops, visit cleousyoung.com and follow Project 5B’s mission to bring transformation to communities worldwide.