How Spoken Poetry Has Changed My Life

I never wanted to be a writer. If you had asked me ten years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would’ve told you anything other than being what I am today. However, at my core, I’ve always wanted to be someone that anyone could come to for kindness, inspiration, and understanding. Someone who could offer comfort in times of confusion or spark a sense of hope when things were dark. Through this journey, I’ve learned that life always has your back. Sometimes you get what you want, and other times you get a lesson in patience, trust, timing, realignment, clarity, or all the above. My lesson was in realignment, or I guess opening myself up to what was always meant to be my path in life. What started as an outlet for self-expression quickly became a life path I never anticipated.

My TikTok account started as a public diary. I never intended for it to be anything more than a place where I could share pieces of myself. I didn’t realize that by opening up in this way, I was also creating a space where others could feel seen and understood, too. What first started as a diary, became something deeper, and before I knew it, my videos were resonating with thousands of viewers. 

The more I shared, the more I realized that I had all these things inside me that I wanted so badly to communicate, and so writing became the most natural way for me to do it. It allowed me to transform my emotions into something tangible. It cultivated my passion for poetry, giving me a medium where I could explore everything I felt. Engaging with the vulnerability and honesty that poetry demands helped me find my voice in a way that felt more authentic than anything I’d ever done. It wasn’t about just writing the words anymore, it was about performing them and sharing them out loud with people who felt what I was feeling. That connection was everything to me.

Spoken Word Poetry gave me the courage to keep going, to keep writing, and to keep sharing. It’s what led me to eventually take the leap and publish my first book—a decision that changed my life forever. When Glass Hearts and Broken Promises sold over 25,000 copies within the first five months of it being on the market, I was overwhelmed. It felt like the impossible had become possible. Its success was validation that my words had power, that my stories could impact others, and that my life could become bigger than I ever thought it could be. That success ultimately opened the door to a traditional publishing deal with Andrews McMeel Publishing—an opportunity I never could have imagined for myself. Even now, it feels surreal to think that my words have reached such a significant platform. 

As I said before, I never wanted to be a writer, but I became one because of Spoken Word Poetry. I never thought I’d publish a book, but I’ve now published two because of the doors it’s opened. Spoken Word Poetry didn’t just give me a voice—it gave me a career, a community, and a sense of purpose. It helped me become the person I always wanted to be.

You can follow Kayla on TikTok here!