I’ve come back to my wholeness — A year ago, I thought I had met my match. It was the first time I’d found myself with a man who seemed sexually compatible with me. His passion seemed to match my own. He encouraged my sexual expression and didn’t seem judgmental or put off by it, like most…

Unleashing my voice after a lifetime of being a good girl — If I could say whatever I wanted to say… If I hadn’t been hyper-conditioned to be a good little girl… If I could speak my mind honestly without worrying about other people’s feelings or responses… If I took care of my own needs without prioritizing other people’s… What would I…

I finally get to dress the way I want — Trigger warning: sexual assault, eating disorders, body image I was twelve years old when I started dressing for other people. I wanted to wear skirts that barely covered my ass and tight shirts that would show off my curves. (Yes, I had curves by that age.) I knew if I…

We finally saw our experiences in a main character’s plotline…but it didn’t do us justice — I’ve just finished watching the third and final season of Dead to Me and I’m so horrified, I had to stop everything and pour my feelings onto the page. Yes, that means if you haven’t yet watched this and intend to, run far away, because I’m about to spoil everything…

It’s about time I met these challenging emotions face-to-face — Trigger warning: eating disorders, mental health, family issues I love this time of year perhaps more than any other. And I also hate it more than I can describe. What an odd and uncomfortable combination of feelings this time span brings to my heart. Often the things we love about…

Caregiving for aging parents prepares us for what’s to come — I lost my father in February 2010. He didn’t die. But in a way, I did, indeed, lose him. My parents had just decided to get a divorce and the next morning, he woke, in the midst of a stroke. He wasn’t able to get out of bed and EMTs…

How do we meaningfully address abuse in a culture that’s built upon abusive power dynamics? — Is it just me, or have you noticed that we don’t really understand how to talk about abuse? Since 2017, the news has been filled with people’s painful conflicts. We’re watching court cases unfold and testimonies being recorded. Everywhere we turn, we hear women speaking up about their experiences, drawing…

Women shouldn’t have to censor themselves in order to prioritize other people’s emotional comfort — I used to be nice. And I think I still am. But I’ve grown to become nice…and careful. Nice…and strong. Nice…and hard. I am learning to speak very firmly about my experiences, my boundaries, and even my opinions. I am learning to share my thoughts without first apologizing or making…