When Life Silences You
Lessons on Resilience, Leadership, and the Art of Speaking Up
Sometimes, life hits the pause button.
It silences your plans. Confuses your certainty. Makes your voice feel small, even muted. You wonder if the stage you once dreamed of, in leadership, career, or life itself, will ever feel familiar again.
If you’ve ever faced a setback, a diagnosis, a loss, or a season where your voice felt quiet or unseen, I want you to know you’re not alone.
After my own cancer relapse in June 2024 and a year of quiet reflection, I’m stepping back into leadership speaking, carrying lessons from life’s fiercest trials, and the wisdom of those who have shaped the world’s most bookable speakers.
I recently had the honor of speaking with Maria Franzoni, author of The Bookability Formula and former UK speaker bureau head. Maria reminded me that being bookable and truly impactful, isn’t about charisma or fame. It’s about relevance, reliability, and trust that outlives the applause.
Read the full interview with Maria in Authority Magazine. ↗
From our conversation, a few lessons stood out. These translate as much to life and leadership as they do to the stage:
Relevance Is Everything
Brilliance alone is not enough. Whether guiding a team, making decisions, or leading yourself through a crisis, ask yourself: What does this moment truly need from me? Those who are truly relevant create lasting impact.
Reliability Creates Trust
It sounds simple, but it is often overlooked. Just show up. Follow through. Make the hard things look effortless. Life and leadership reward those who make others feel seen, heard, and most importantly, supported.
Treat Your Work Like a Business
The 1% of bookable speakers thrive because they approach every opportunity with strategy, structure, and accountability. Apply the same rigor to your life, your health, and your leadership. Intentionality turns chaos into opportunity.
Stay Visible, Stay Present
Quiet seasons are natural, whether imposed by circumstance or by choice. But the people, teams, and opportunities that matter notice consistency. Showing up, even when it is hard, ensures that when the moment returns, you are ready.
Confidence and Humility Must Coexist
Stand in your truth, but remain approachable. Influence is not earned by commanding attention alone. It is earned by lifting others while walking your own path.
These lessons mirror my own journey from a life-threatening cancer relapse to finding the courage to show up fully — in life, in leadership, and on stage — even when my voice felt muted during 14 months of treatment and healing.
Whether you’re navigating personal challenges, professional transitions, or guiding a team through uncertainty, these principles can help you turn setbacks into springboards that outlast the moment.
I’m Savio P. Clemente, a journalist, keynote and TEDx speaker, two-time cancer survivor, resilience strategist, board-certified wellness coach (NBC-HWC, ACC), and best-selling author. Following a life-saving stem cell transplant — what doctors called a medical rebirth — I now help leaders and high-achievers convert life’s fiercest challenges into actionable growth, adaptive resilience, and transformation.
My lived truth of turning breakdowns into breakthroughs, and my latest leadership insights can be found at → 🔗 saviopclemente.com ↗