You Are Not Broken: Why You Don’t Need to Be “Fixed” to Be Empowered

There is a quiet, dangerous lie that many of us absorb without even realising it:
That to be worthy, successful, or strong—we must first be “fixed”.

That unless we erase the scars, overcome the flaws, change the diagnosis, or eliminate the parts of ourselves that don’t fit society’s version of “normal,” we can’t live fully or lead with power.

Let’s be clear:
You are not broken.
You don’t need to be fixed.
And you are allowed to live a powerful, joyful life as you are.

The Problem With the ‘Fix-It’ Culture

As someone who lives with a disability, I’ve felt the pull of this message more times than I can count. People assume that if you’re disabled, you must want a cure. They assume your life is less, or that your body is wrong, or that you’re constantly striving to become more like them—more “able,” more “normal.”

And here’s what I’ve learned:
There’s nothing wrong with hope.
There’s nothing wrong with treatment, healing, or even wishing for change.
But there is something deeply harmful in the assumption that you are less than until those things happen.

Empowerment doesn’t come from erasing who you are.
It comes from embracing who you are.

Redefining What “Normal” Means

Who decides what’s normal anyway?

Normal is just a story we’ve agreed to believe.
It’s not a truth. It’s a collective habit.
And it shifts across cultures, families, and time.

If your clothes are different, your thinking is nonlinear, your body functions differently, your emotions are big, or your needs are unique—none of this makes you broken. It makes you you.

Empowerment doesn’t come from fitting in.
It comes from standing in your truth, even if it makes others uncomfortable.

In my work, I often talk about Ability Thinking—a framework that helps us focus on what is possible, rather than what is missing.

• It’s not about denying challenges, but about expanding our view of what’s possible.
• It’s not about toxic positivity, but radical acceptance and strength through self-awareness.
• It’s about asking: What can I do with what I have, as I am, right now?

Ability Thinking allows us to stop waiting for permission to live fully. It gives us the tools to lead, love, create, and contribute—not in spite of who we are, but because of it.

Respecting Difference Without Needing to Change It

Difference doesn’t equal damage.
Whether it’s disability, personality, gender, beliefs, trauma, or neurodiversity—difference is not a flaw.

And difference doesn’t need to be fixed. It needs to be respected.

If someone chooses to explore treatment, change, or support—beautiful. But if someone chooses to live in their difference, to adapt and own their story as it is—that is also strength. That is also success.

There’s room for all of us, just as we are.

You Can Be Whole and Still Be Healing

You don’t need to wait until you’ve sorted every issue or resolved every internal critic to be empowered.

You don’t have to have the perfect mindset, the perfect relationship with your body, or the absence of fear or self-doubt.

Healing and growth are lifelong journeys.
But wholeness is something you can claim today.

Right now. As you are.

Not when you lose the weight, or finish the degree, or find the right job, or stop needing help.
Right now.

You were never broken.
You were made human—complex, layered, evolving, and enough.

You do not need to be anyone else’s version of whole.
You only need to stand in your own.

That’s where real empowerment lives—not in becoming someone new, but in allowing yourself to be exactly who you are… and knowing that’s more than enough. And that’s why you don’t need to be ‘fixed’ to be empowered.

If this resonates with you and need are interested in exploring this further, I can help. Check out my coaching options or book a discovery session with me to discuss this further.