Author: Lee Byrd

This Uppity Woman

Fierce at every age. Unapologetic by nature. Uppity by birthright.

Some words arrive like a spark—small, bright, insistent. This stanza came to me that way: fierce, clear, and unafraid. It’s a tribute to every woman who refuses to dim, disappear, or become invisible again. A reminder of the truth we carry in our bones. This uppity woman isn’t arrogant—she’s awake.She carries her light openly and… Continue reading This Uppity Woman

Beyond the Veil: A Love Letter to the Witness

Stepping beyond the veil — into the vast, luminous truth of who we really are.

Ram Dass once said: By cutting through the veil of illusion, one realizes they are not the body or the mind. In fact, we are seduced into the appearances of reality.The game is to get free from attachments to the senses by using the witness. I keep coming back to that line—using the witness. I… Continue reading Beyond the Veil: A Love Letter to the Witness

When the Voice Trembles: Returnng to the Heart

Holding my own light, one breath at a time.

When Fear Comes Calling Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes. — Maggie Kuhn There are days when insecurity moves through me like a cold wind.Unsteady. Unwanted. Unloved.Even after years of breathwork and affirmations, the fear still finds a crack. I tell myself, Stop!But the heart doesn’t follow commands; it only softens when it’s heard.… Continue reading When the Voice Trembles: Returnng to the Heart

The One Guru is You

The One Guru is You The luminous field within every heart — consciousness remembering itself through form. We are not separate from the Source; we are its living expression.

What if there were no gurus?No masters. No chosen few.Only consciousness, remembering itself through you. What if every teacher, every mystic, every saint was simply showing you your own reflection — the light of your own divine awareness peeking through human form? For centuries, we’ve looked outward for guidance, kneeling before those who seemed to… Continue reading The One Guru is You

The Currency of Love

When love is the current, giving and receiving become the same act. The heart knows no ledger — only flow.

I used to think the universe ran on a law of exchange: work hard, earn the reward; lose something, gain the lesson—the cosmic version of a balanced checkbook. But the longer I’ve watched life move through me, the less it feels like accounting and the more it feels like circulation. Nothing is truly lost or… Continue reading The Currency of Love

The Uppity Woman’s Last Walk to the Cave

Standing tall, wrapped in laughter, ready to join the stars.

Even Death Knows Better Than to Argue With an Uppity Woman They said the old woman was dying.She said she was finishing. The tribe gathered with long faces, carrying bowls of water and bundles of sage, whispering prayers as though she couldn’t hear. She rolled her eyes. “Stop fussing,” she told them. “You’d think no… Continue reading The Uppity Woman’s Last Walk to the Cave

Yes, I’m a Bitch—And It’s Ms. Bitch to You

They didn’t wait for permission. They titled themselves. And the world had to adjust. — From The Uppity Woman Chronicles Sometimes the revolution starts with a name.

An Open Letter from One Uppity Woman Who Knows Her Name My first job out of high school was in a little mom-and-pop fabric store in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Mr. Goldberg owned the place, and the real boss was a silver-haired woman named Dorothy Gage—kind, efficient, and clearly in charge. When I was hired, Mr. Goldberg… Continue reading Yes, I’m a Bitch—And It’s Ms. Bitch to You

Radical Rebellion: Damn, I’m Magnificent

Caught in the act of rising — silver hair, sunlight, and the sweet rebellion of saying yes to life on your own terms.

An Uppity Woman Chronicle Women are relentlessly bombarded with messages that our bodies are projects in need of fixing. Flatten your belly. Lift your breasts. Disguise your wrinkles. The whisper is always the same: you are not enough as you are. I used to listen. For decades, I believed my body was a renovation project—something… Continue reading Radical Rebellion: Damn, I’m Magnificent

The Uppity Woman Chronicles: A Manifesto

Reclaiming “uppity” as the crown we were never meant to wear — but always did.

A love letter to every woman who’s ever been told she’s too much. For too long, “uppity” has been used to shame women who dared to rise, speak, and shine. This is where we reclaim the word — and the power that comes with it. According to most dictionaries, uppity means arrogant, snobbish, or persnickety.… Continue reading The Uppity Woman Chronicles: A Manifesto

We Marched So You Could Tweet (And Still You Call Me “Darling”)

Imperfectly beautiful. Fiercely alive. The woman who rose — and kept on rising.

The message popped up on Substack: “Hi Darling.” I stared at it for a solid ten seconds before muttering, “What the hell?” under my breath. I’m old enough to have burned my pantyhose in the name of liberation, and some random man on the internet still thinks that’s an acceptable greeting? A few days before… Continue reading We Marched So You Could Tweet (And Still You Call Me “Darling”)