Permission to Break: A Memoir of Strength, Silence, and Softness Paperback – October 31, 2025

Permission to Break is a memoir about emotional resilience, identity, and the hidden cost of high functioning strength. Through the lens of a Black woman serving in law enforcement, Rashida Saunders explores trauma, leadership, silence, faith, and the long journey toward healing.Strength taught her how to survive. Softness taught her how to live.Raised in silence and praised for her strength, Rashida learned early how to endure. She built a life in public safety, wore the badge with pride, and carried more than most people could see. But endurance came at a cost. Emotional suppression, grief, burnout, and the pressure to appear unshakable slowly began to erode her sense of self.In this unflinching and reflective memoir, she writes about survival, motherhood, community, and what it means to reclaim tenderness after years of armor. She explores trauma informed leadership, bridging institutions and community trust, and the personal toll of holding strength without space to rest.Permission to Break is for anyone who has mistaken endurance for healing. For women in leadership. For those navigating burnout, identity shifts, or high functioning depression. For anyone learning that breaking is not collapse, but release.This is not a story about falling apart. It is a story about coming home to yourself.Available in ebook and hardcover. Read more