“Growing up female consisted of toeing the lines set out before me. The line between strong and abrasive. Passionate and hysterical. Joyous and ditzy. Kind and weak. I found myself taking a backseat. Scared of judgement, scared of attention, and scared of womanhood. I created different versions of myself. Personas, jackets, layers built to protect the inside. I tried painting them with projections of societal perfection. I viewed creation of identity and a sort of test I needed to pass. But what happens if I center myself in my story? What happens if I embrace the beautiful, magical complexity of divine femininity? I am a being full of love, wisdom, and hope. Of strength, power, and captivating essence. I am natural, nurturing, ethereal. A being of divine light. I can begin removing these jackets, layers I hide behind and start participating in the radical act of embracing my femininity. Embracing myself.”