“Perhaps the most exhausting part of the charade was time spent watching myself through the lens of others; contorting myself into something more palatable for the next person; shouldering guilt and expectations that weren’t mine to bear; and swallowing discomfort when I wanted to bellow, 'I’m not okay with this!'”
More from Martine Thompson
“You’ve got to give yourself permission to not have the answers, to survive things going…”
“Stop giving apologies you don’t owe. Rightfully take up space. Know you have something of…”
“I, as do you, deserve a seat at the table, flaws and all.”
“We don’t have to morph into something disingenuous for the sake of appeasing others.”