I have never been a good enough ally or activist. Never been a good enough, present-enough, stand-up, show-up-enough person. I’ve been too busy—too focused on my own unbecoming, my own unwiring. I have been present in my own healing but absent as a voice for those who need one. I’ve been caught in what some may call selfishness—prioritizing my survival, moving out of fight-or-flight, healing wounds not just of my own making but those passed down through generations of women who had no choice but to endure.

They, too, turned away from the world’s horrors because their own worlds were already unbearable. They paved paths not of activism but of quiet survival, making choices that, in their own way, were acts of rebellion—acts that allowed me to stand here today, reflecting, healing, and wondering if I am doing enough.

But here’s what I’m learning: doing the work within myself is its own kind of activism.

Redefining What It Means to Show Up

For so long, I thought being an activist meant being on the front lines, shouting the loudest, organizing, and leading the charge. And while those roles are crucial, I’ve come to realize that there are many ways to show up. Sometimes, activism looks like:

• Voting with intention, knowing that my choices impact lives beyond my own.
• Expanding my knowledge, listening to stories different from mine, and acknowledging perspectives I’ve never lived.
• Sharing the voices of others, amplifying the stories and experiences of marginalized communities rather than centering myself.
• Being mindful of where my money goes, choosing to support businesses and initiatives that align with my values.

I might not be the loudest, but I am here. I am learning. I am growing. And that is enough.

Healing Is an Act of Resistance

We often dismiss personal growth as self-indulgence, but healing is a radical act. Choosing to break cycles of trauma, to unlearn harmful conditioning, and to step into a version of myself that is whole—that is resistance.

Every time I choose to heal, I honor the women who came before me, the ones who stayed stuck so I wouldn’t have to be. Every time I choose to unlearn, I dismantle something harmful within myself and, in turn, in the world. And though my work may not be the loudest or the most visible, it matters.

I am doing what I can. And for now, that is enough. Until I can do more.