Finding Power in Vulnerability: Lessons from Can You Hear Me Now? by Celina Caesar-Chavannes
By Helen Patterson
Leadership often begins when we finally are able to listen to ourselves.
And then there is a realization that the most powerful voice is the one we have at first ignored and spent years learning to hear.
In her book, Can You Hear Me Now?, former Canadian Member of Parliament turned advocate, author, and scholar Celina Caesar-Chavannes invites us into a bold and vulnerable reimagining of power, identity, and purpose.
This isn’t a political memoir in the traditional sense. It is a truth-telling map. One that evolves Celina’s personal and professional journey with clarity, courage, and compassion.
During our February 2025 “with heart” book circle, held in honour of Black History Month, we had the privilege of being in circle with Celina herself. What emerged was a soulful, spacious conversation about healing, leadership, womanhood, and what it really means to use your voice with intention.
What are some key insights from Can You Hear Me Now?
Vulnerability is leadership
Celina doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of her story. She owns them. From her struggles with mental health to the microaggressions she endured in Parliament, she offers it all with radical honesty. Celina says, “Vulnerability is the path to healing. It’s how we reconnect to our shared humanity.” Her words reminded us that leadership is not about perfection, it’s about presence. Real leaders don’t hide their wounds. They honour them, and grow from them.
Pain can be transformed into purpose
When Penguin Random House offered her a book deal, they wanted a traditional life story. But Celina chose to write towards healing. “My editor asked me: ‘Do you want this to hurt people, or to heal them?’ That question changed the entire direction of the book.” The book holds pain, yes, but it holds it in a way that lets others feel seen, validated, and empowered to do their own healing work.
Identity is not a box, it is a beacon
In politics and corporate Canada, Celina often felt expected to “code-switch” or fragment parts of herself to fit in, until she decided to honour the fullness of who she is. “I am not interested in shrinking. I am not going to cut off pieces of myself to make other people comfortable.” Celina’s defiance is not anger, it’s alignment. Her story reminds us that authenticity is its own form of activism.
The feminine is a superpower
Feminine intuition is a key to meeting ourselves in authenticity and courage, in parenting, leadership, and healing. “We’ve been conditioned to ignore our feminine wisdom. But your body always knows. You just have to learn how to listen.” This feminine knowing is essential to both personal well-being and collective leadership. We don’t need to “lean in”, we need to lean inwards.
Redefining power, redefining leadership
Leadership needs to evolve beyond domination and debate, and instead become a space of dialogue, curiosity, and shared vision. “I want to dismantle this idea that leadership means having all the answers. Real leadership is about being in the questions. It’s about allowing space for collective wisdom.” Celina envisions a world where we are not ruled by ego, but led by empathy.
“Can You Hear Me Now?” as a Call to Inner Listening
The title of Celina’s book isn’t rhetorical. It is a spiritual prompt.
Can you hear the voice beneath the performance?
Can you trust your inner knowing, even when the world tells you to doubt it?
Can you live from your essence, not your image?
This message was especially timely during Black History Month, when we honour the voices that have long been silenced, distorted, or erased. Celina’s work is a reminder that Black women's stories are powerful and are essential. And they must be told in full humanity.
And here at Life Works Well, we celebrate the beauty of Black History all year long.
Here is what some of our with heart book circle participants also had to share:
“I loved learning about Celina’s journey through life, her political career and how she wrote her book. Writing stories as she felt called to, the emotions she felt through her life lessons”.
“If we want places to be inclusive and change we need to lead the way and use our voices.”
“Getting the words on pages, our fury or love or sorrow at the time can be therapeutic, and getting our voices in our head onto paper can help us heal.”
“I appreciated how Celina normalized the tough times in her book. We are all going to experience depression, loss or some form of trauma. She humanizes our experiences.”
Let your voice be a tool for truth.
Let vulnerability become your strength.
And know that when you speak from the heart, you will be heard. Can You Hear Me Now? is more than a memoir. It’s a movement, a mirror, a map, and a call to radical self-acceptance.