The Courage, the Beauty to Let our Vulnerability Be Seen.
by Juliet Grayson
Vulnerability is often misunderstood. It’s seen as weakness, as exposure, as something to be managed or hidden. But in truth, vulnerability is one of the greatest acts of courage a human being can offer.
To be vulnerable is to let yourself be seen—not just the polished parts, but the trembling ones. It means risking rejection, disappointment, misunderstanding. It means lowering the armour we’ve carried for decades, often built in childhood, designed to protect us from shame, blame, or abandonment.
And yet, paradoxically, it’s in this softening that true strength resides.
I’m so impressed watching people take steps into vulnerability and intimacy. I witness this daily—in therapy rooms, in my Pesso Boyden workshops, in quiet conversations. There’s a breath held, a pause, a glance downward before someone says something raw and true. And in that moment, the whole room shifts. Something sacred enters. A door opens.
Vulnerability is not dramatic. Often it is quiet. A deep breath before telling the truth. A hand reaching out for help. A tear that finally escapes. A sentence that begins, “I’ve never told anyone this before…”
To be vulnerable is to say: Here I am, in all my messy, human reality. It’s trusting that we can be held in our wholeness—that we do not have to hide in order to belong.
But it takes immense courage. Especially if our early experiences taught us that vulnerability led to pain. Part of the healing journey is relearning that it is safe to be seen. That there are places, people, and moments where our openness will be met with compassion, not judgement.
Vulnerability is not the end point—it’s the doorway. It’s what allows intimacy, repair, and transformation to unfold. And with each courageous act of truth-telling, we reclaim a piece of ourselves. We step more fully into life.
Because in the end, to be vulnerable is to be real. So instead of shutting it down and hiding, or avoiding our softness by retaliating with anger, or feeling bad and apologising if we cry. Let’s drop into ourselves, accept our vulnerability and open that door. That is where healing begins.
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