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In "Sealed Places Unlocked," Shannon Dorsey Moreland shares her journey from silent suffering to fearless leadership by defining sealed places, emphasizing the importance of intentional breathing for healing, and encouraging listeners to unlock hidden pain and wounds. Through personal experiences of grief and loss, she highlights the need to identify, name, and address sealed places to find healing and purpose. The key takeaway is that naming sealed places is the first step to unlocking and finding freedom. Listeners are encouraged to journal about their sealed places, pray for healing, and share with trusted individuals for support. The ultimate goal is to embrace vulnerability and allow God's healing light to bring transformation. Welcome to Sealed Places Unlocked where we name the hidden wounds in our hearts and step boldly into God's healing. I'm Shannon Dorsey Moreland, author, educator, and fellow traveler on this journey from silent suffering to fearless leadership. Today, in this very first episode, I will be defining what a sealed place is, why it matters, and how you can begin to unlock the corners of your life that have stayed hidden for too long. Before we talk about sealed places, let's settle our hearts with a simple breathing exercise. Why do this? Research shows that intentional breathing, especially a slow diaphragmatic rhythm, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowers cortisol, reduces anxiety, and helps us listen more clearly for God's voice. Our posture, we're going to sit up straight with our shoulders relaxed and close your eyes if you can. You're going to inhale for four seconds, breathing in through our nose, feeling your belly expand first, then your chest. We're going to hold it, then you're going to exhale, releasing gently from your mouth, letting your belly deflate. And we're going to repeat this. Ready? Breathe in. Exhale. One more time, breathe in, exhale. As you continue to breathe, I'll share one verse to anchor us. He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds, Psalm 147 and 3. Meditate on this promise, God sees every hurt, even the ones we have sealed away. I want to share a bit of my back story with you. When I was 11, my mother passed away suddenly. She was about a year younger than I am now when she passed away. In this small southern town, grief feels like something you feel behind a locked door. You don't talk about it unless you have to. I'm the youngest of seven, and I remember our pastor at the time looking me in my eyes and telling me that I had to be strong. So I held on to my tears, cried in secret places, and began pretending I was okay. I remember one day, not long after her burial, hiding in a closet, clutching one of her worn shawls and willing the tears to stop. For years, I thought if I stayed busy, being a student, being a wife, being a mother, being a sister, being a teacher, I could keep that vault shut forever. I thought I was honoring her by continuing to move forward, by being strong. Thirty years later, my father passed away, and the room behind that sealed door was getting full. I found myself standing in front of old photos, and the memories felt like they belonged to someone else. Painful? Yes, but also sacred. Fast forward to December 2024, another wave of grief begins. First, my brother-in-law, then my father-in-law in March of 2020, and my sister in April 2025. My sister's death was completely unexpected. It felt like the last straw. Everyone's losses piled up, and I had nowhere to put the grief or the questions. That sealed door was now bursting at the hinges. I tried journaling, praying, even extra work, but every night I'd wake with the same ache. It was in the midst of that raw season that God met me in a dream. In the dream, I was in an apartment building with three units. One of them had been sealed off. There was a smell. Something decaying. There was rodent activity. It was clear that something was wrong. I complained. The other tenant complained. But we couldn't get in. Days passed, and in the dream, I see my sister's husband, which reminds me in the dream that my sister is really gone. I saw my youngest daughter crying, and she was distraught, which gave me the strength to do something. I stormed into that apartment building, and I began praying, declaring, reclaiming space. And finally, someone opened that sealed apartment and started clearing it out. Prayer changed the conditions. That's when I knew this wasn't just a dream. It was a calling, a divine prompt to write, to speak, to help others unlock the places they've sealed shut out of pain, fear, or simply survival. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. Luke 12 and 2. We all live in buildings with sealed rooms, some in our families, some in our hearts, some in our church, the places no one wants to open because they smell like loss, neglect, abuse, or shame. But God is calling us to stop complaining and start praying, to stop knocking and start interceding, to stop avoiding and start cleansing. We are being called to leadership, but not the kind that wears a title, the kind that touches, decays, and still speaks life, the kind that discerns what others refuse to see, the kind that unlocks what has been sealed. God reminded me through this dream that I am no longer just a tenant in someone else's system. I am a keeper of legacy, a watchwoman on the wall, and a cleansing force for the kingdom. And I believe He's calling you, too. There's a closed door somewhere that only your prayers can open. Will you go back to that building? So, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is my sealed place? A sealed place is any corner of your life that you've locked away. You've tried to hide it from yourself and others. It could be a wound that you refuse to revisit because it still hurts too much, or a mistake you replay over and over again in your mind, or a shame that you believe defines who you are. When you sealed that place and tucked it away, you might have gained what felt like control, but also you lost access to the healing, the growth, and the purpose wrapped within that pain. Here's how my own journey of unsealing began after that dream. I asked God to help me identify the root of the pain. I named it and wrote down every thought I've been too afraid to say out loud. Things like, I'm overwhelmed by these losses. I feel abandoned. I don't know how to carry on. I then invited community. I shared with family, with a few friends, and my husband. Hearing their compassion and their thoughts made me feel the truth that I wasn't alone. And finally, I claimed purpose. I repented for pretending that I was fine all of those years. And I sensed God calling me to help others do the same, which birthed the book, Unlocking the Sealed Places, and now this podcast. By the end of all of that, I was not simply over my grief. I am being transformed by it because this is an ongoing journey. What had been sealed became a source of empathy, authenticity, and unshakable hope in my purpose and teaching. So what's our key for this premiere episode? Our key takeaway is a sealed place must first be identified before it can be unlocked. Pray and ask God to reveal any sealed place you have hidden. Then name those sealed places. Naming the sealed place opens the door. Naming the sealed place invites truth in. Let's tie that to another promise from Scripture. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8, 32. When you identify and name your sealed place, when you say, This is my grief. This is my anger. This is my shame. This is my hurt. You're stepping into freedom. Here's your action for the week. Find a quiet moment. Five to ten minutes is long enough. Journal about one sealed place you have been avoiding. Write out the words you've never said. For example, I'm afraid that I'm not good enough. I've hidden, and you fill in the blank. Or, I don't know how to, and you fill in the blank. And then pray out loud. Ask God to meet you at the door of your sealed place and unlock it with his healing light. If you're comfortable enough, share what you wrote down with someone you trust. A friend, a mentor, or join my Facebook group, Sealed Places Unlocked, and share your post anonymously. You don't have to unpack it all, but saying it out loud is the first turn of the key. Thank you for joining me on this first step toward unlocking what's been sealed in your heart. If today's episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate it, and share with someone you trust.