I’ve been sick for nearly a decade. But it’s only been in the past two months, since I have finally recovered, that I have come to understand the depth of the ramifications of having an invisible illness. So to all those who suffer from invisible pain, I hope that this makes you feel a little … Continue reading Invisible Illness: Heartbreak, Healing and Being Enough
https://youtu.be/zqhCkWwzurw I started a web series of interviews with my friends from diverse backgrounds as a way to resist the current administration's attempts to divide us. There are a lot of challenging conversations to be had and we don't all have to come from the same backgrounds or even ever agree on everything. What we … Continue reading Sharisse Coulter Has Awkward Conversations (So You Don’t Have To)
In this MeToo/Time’s Up era and especially since the Aziz Ansari story broke, there has been a lot of discussion about the distinctions between sexual harassment, assault, rape and impropriety of varying degrees. These are important distinctions and I hope much thoughtful conversation goes into parsing them out. But I want to talk about where … Continue reading Want to Have Better Sex? #MeToo
I've been thinking a lot these last few days about the state of the world and what we can do about it. And then a friend challenged me to come up with THE solution. Rather than dismiss it as merely an insane idea, I took my own advice: I tried. It's not THE answer. There's … Continue reading It Starts With You
When I was in third grade I had a sleepover at a white supremacist’s house. His daughter and I were school friends and she invited me over. I didn’t know who her dad was, but I did know that she and I both liked tetherball and reading. That was more than enough for eight-year old … Continue reading I Had a Sleepover at a White Supremacist’s. Here’s What I Learned.
"The system didn’t work for me. I am on my own. And because of that I can stop lessening myself in order to preserve their egos. I can stop laughing at their sexist jokes. I can be opinionated and intelligent and talented and unladylike and even (gasp!) gain or lose weight and still like myself. I can dress up or wear pajamas all day. I can do whatever I goddamn please because I. Am. Free."
When I was in high school I spent a week in Tijuana, Mexico building houses for poor people. That trip changed me. Or more precisely, one little girl in a turquoise shirt did. My boyfriend’s church group was going over spring break and they needed more volunteers, preferably who could speak Spanish. I volunteered. Admittedly, … Continue reading The Girl in the Turquoise Shirt
I did the one thing this Thanksgiving none of us were supposed to do: talk politics. I engaged with a white male Trump supporter. I did not do it out of anger. I did not tell him he was wrong. I did not see him as my enemy. Instead, I challenged myself to see his … Continue reading Radical Empathy
The first time I was sexually assaulted I was nine-years old. That’s right, nine. To really put that into perspective (as if any should be required) here’s what I looked like at that age. Undeniably sexy, right? Just look at those bangs. Who could resist? This isn’t something I expected to discuss publicly. Ever. Most … Continue reading Trump Grabbed Me By The PTSD
I am an introvert. That doesn't mean that I'm shy, exactly. It's more that I require lots of time on my own, getting lost in the world of my imagination. That's part of what I love so much about traveling solo—it's a perfect excuse to interact when and how I wish and then retract, replenishing my … Continue reading Tales of an Introvert Living in an Extravert’s World
