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
Author: Lee Byrd
We Marched So You Could Tweet (And Still You Call Me “Darling”)
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”)
Presence: Moving the Way Love Asks You to Move
Ram Dass said, Be here now.Abraham suggests that we find okayness—maybe even happiness—where we are.Spiritual teachers tell us that the peace we seek comes when we surrender to life as it is. I was intrigued by these ideas. They seemed to promise that this is where I’d find that rainbow with the pot of gold—the… Continue reading Presence: Moving the Way Love Asks You to Move
Firelight
The Hope We Carry in the Dark In the dark, I hold onto the ache of what once was. Silence comes, laced with sadness and grief—and yet, within it, a tiny glimmer of hope. My firelight is knowing that where I am is not only okay, but truth, grounded in love. My firelight is knowing… Continue reading Firelight
The Sitcom Version of My Life
Stepping back on stage, delivering my lines differently Sometimes I wish my life came with a laugh track. You know the sound—that gentle cue in a sitcom that tells you, “This is awkward but not the end of the world.” Like when Laverne (Penny Marshall) would boss Shirley (Cindy Williams) around and they’d turn their… Continue reading The Sitcom Version of My Life
The Boulder and the Mountain
Transformed in the Light of Shakti’s Embrace Last night I had a vision. I was pushing a huge boulder up a steep mountain. It hadn’t always been this way—the rock began as a small pebble, something I kept nudging forward until it grew enormous. What started as a gentle hill became a towering mountain. And… Continue reading The Boulder and the Mountain
When the Body Speaks: From Heart to Voice
Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. – Pema Chödrön The Body Speaks Lately, my body has been talking to me in ways I can no longer ignore. It began with a rash rising on the right side of my throat—the very center of expression and truth. Over time, the rash… Continue reading When the Body Speaks: From Heart to Voice
Love and Fear Together: Standing in the Fire
Meeting the Wall Sometimes, with those closest to us, we meet a wall of energy. No words, just the silent force of back off, leave me alone. In moments like these, fear rises. Will I be rejected? Will I lose the connection I long for? And yet, love often rises too. I want to soften,… Continue reading Love and Fear Together: Standing in the Fire
The Frequency of Love
I’ve been using AI as a creative partner; it helps me with research, organization, and finding my words. So, when I read a post warning that chat histories might appear on Google, that old familiar rush of fear rose up — the reflex that says, “You’ve done something wrong. You’ll be shamed. You should hide.”… Continue reading The Frequency of Love
Dear Harper: A Mirror for Tender Fierceness
As I reflect on my grandniece’s journey from child to young woman, I’m reminded of words that capture the paradox of her love and strength: There is nothing more tender than fierce, nothing more fierce than tenderness. — Glennon Doyle My Dearest Harper, You may be too young to read these words right now—you are… Continue reading Dear Harper: A Mirror for Tender Fierceness