On Saturday, over 700,000 people will be marching in 386 countries around the world as part of the Women’s March on Washington. I will be one of the many in this ocean of people who are committed to valuing our humanity, to promoting peace and equality for all, regardless of gender, race, color, creed, or […]
Pushing the Boulder Uphill
Last week I had the honor of serving as a facilitator for the first ever White House Diversity & Inclusion in Government Summit, which brought together diversity and inclusion (D&I) leaders from the public and private sectors to share strategies for sustaining inclusion efforts in the federal government in the coming years. The event had […]
Social Change is not for the faint of heart
“Social change is not for the faint of heart.” These words, uttered by my coach during a recent session, have been ringing in my ears over the last few weeks. For advocates of social justice and equity, this work carries such great meaning, and also often feels like an endless tsunami crashing over our heads. […]
Solidaridad
We have a paper tree in our kitchen with leaves that each spell out a value. Rosie picks a value each week she wants to practice. This morning, we talked about why I was upset and how it’s more important than ever that we stay true to our values. She grabbed my hand and drew […]
Ode to a middle school teacher
It’s Black History Month and I’m on maternity leave, thus I’m watching a lot of movies and shows on racial equality. Today as I watched a documentary on Nelson Mandela, I had a flash of memory from Ms. Zuk’s 7th grade social studies class. The best teachers are those who are quirky, tough, and brilliant. […]
Turn and face the strange…
I love the beginning of things. I am excited by the anticipation of the unknown, of new. A new book to dive into, those few seconds before a play or feature film begins, a new group to join, new friends to make. A new project or idea or fitness class. Anything I’ve never tried before. […]
Women, women everywhere
My dad was surrounded by women his entire life. He spent his childhood with his mother and two sisters. He had four aunties who helped raise him. He grew up and married my mom, with whom he had two daughters. Hell, even our pets were female (except for Sophie the transgender cat who was anatomically […]
Wholehearted
I have a very intimate relationship with shame. Not to be stereotypical, but growing up as a white Catholic American female, shame is my middle name. The ancient root of the word shame literally translated means, “to cover oneself.” This is pretty much what many of us do when we experience shame. We try to hide, […]
Balance…?
I felt like an impostor last night. I was invited to speak on a panel for young women on maintaining work/life balance as a successful career woman. I’m not sure I’m qualified to be giving advice, seeing as I feel a constant struggle to achieve balance in my life. I looked up “balance” in the […]