What I Learnt About Strength and Forgiveness From Amanda Knox
Jeraldine Phneah
August 03, 2025
Most of us dream of going for exchange - soaking in a new culture, learning a new language, and finding freedom far from home.
For Amanda Knox, that dream became a nightmare.
She had always romanticised Italy for its art, language, and beauty. Determined to make it happen, she worked multiple jobs and saved every spare dollar to fund her exchange programme in Perugia.
What began as an adventure quickly spiralled into a global media storm when she was accused of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in 2007.
Amanda was sentenced to 26 years in prison. She spent four years behind bars before being acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Her story became a powerful symbol of how the justice system and sensationalist media coverage can alter the course of a young woman’s life forever.
Imagine serving a prison sentence for something you did not do, being vilified across international headlines, and enduring all of that in your early twenties.
Amanda not only survived this incident but also emerged as such a positive person. She began the recent interview sharing about her gratitude for life and how precious life is.
Many other points in that interview stood out to me
The capacity to forgive Despite all she had been through, she expressed a genuine willingness to forgive, even the man who once prosecuted her. She radiated peace in a world that had not been kind to her. Many would have become hardened. In her words, once you have empathy for someone, you can forgive them.
We can all take control of our narrative Amanda recognised that the version of her shaped by the media was not her truth. It was a distortion. Today, she is reclaiming her voice through writing, speaking, and living on her own terms. It is a powerful reminder that we all have the ability to take back our narrative.
The story of how she eventually met her husband was heartwarming He made her feel safe and heard not by prying into her past, but by really engaging with her as a human. He gave her the space to be human, to be flawed. One of the burdens of being accused of a heinous crime is the pressure to appear perfect. With him, she did not have to be. Through that steady presence, he helped her heal.
Lessons in my 20s
My 20s were challenging though not to the extent of Amanda Knox’s life and what she had to undergo.
In this video, I share a bit more about some of my transformative experiences:
0:48 Losing My Grandma Made Me Rethink Everything
2:00 Don’t Wait to Love. Death Doesn’t Wait Either
9:08 How Volunteering Influenced My Financial Mindset
13:00 Opportunities are not just limited to one country
14:37 If you are in university, please hear this