hello friends,
i have two quotes on my heart for y'all this evening.
“There is no end
To what a living world
Will demand of you.” - Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower
“not tryna get by, I'm tryna get free” - Mereba, Get Free
how do we combat the consistent demand of this capital-is-king society? how do we break away from the either/or’s that attempt to control how we live and are (success or failure, productive or lazy, friend or foe, dependent or independent)?
in a world that is never going to stop demanding everything of me ceaselessly yet attempts to convince me there is freedom once it is all complete, i have to commit to getting being free. i have to commit to no longer “getting by” like Mereba reminds me and you - to no longer giving into all the either/or’s and confines of our shared culture. i must instead find and practice being free on the daily, right here and now.
how can my body hold and be the presence of liberation? i want you to pause here and ask yourself that truly. breath to belly, hand to lap, what comes up for you?
for me the answer is rooted in presence and authenticity. if i can be myself, fully aware, right here and right now, without masks, then i am the presence of liberation. if i am the presence of liberation, i am authentically here, connecting and inspiring it in you too. simply through my being i’m breaking the either/or’s, i’m reshaping the values of my culture.
when i think back to what made me leave my doctorate program, it was me tryna get free. now, when i sit with all my work i see that thread has been the path beneath my feet all along. embodying the presence of liberation is in everything i offer, its in me and its what i seek to give you access to. my Authentic and Impactful Speaking workshop is birth from that; its how we hold the presence of liberation and authenticity when we deliver in the containers of speaking, presenting, and facilitating (this Saturday!!). i’m honored to offer this for and to you.
this brings me to a reflection for you dear friend: what are the either/or’s confining you? how/ where can your body hold the presence of your liberation, as it feels to you? what do you need?
self-practice: take a few natural, gentle, belly breaths and focus on your inhales. notice the effort it takes, how would you describe it? switch to focusing on your exhales. where/ how can you let go a bit more? notice the wave of breath, the pauses. what does it offer you as wisdom on embodying liberation?
