How I Found My Voice (even when it shakes)
a guide to stepping into politics, or at least speaking up
Hi friends,
Most of my days start in the world of politics. Being on the West Coast means I wake up already feeling behind on what’s happened across the country, so I do a quick scroll to see if anything major broke overnight. Then I jump into the normal morning routine: getting my kids ready for school, checking in with my husband, eating breakfast, before settling in with cable news and my favorite creators, all helping me track the day’s political movement.
But let me back up…
I started Still We Rise in 2017 to fundraise for organizations across the country (and occasionally around the world). In between those fundraisers, people started asking for news, for inspiration, and for my take on the issues. I never set out to be a source of daily news, but here we are—seven years later with a community of about a million people across social media. It’s wild. I still picture Still We Rise as that smaller group of a few thousand who check in morning and night to catch what they missed while living their busy lives.
I know it’s bigger now, but I still hold that small group energy. Imagining hundreds of thousands of people listening can be daunting and yes, my imposter syndrome shows up. Here’s how I quiet it and how I found my voice, even when it shakes. I hope it encourages you to speak up in your own community, because that’s where the real difference happens. You don’t need a massive platform to create impact. Honestly, you can often do more right where you are with your friends, family and community.
A few things that help me:
• You don’t have to tackle everything.
My favorite creators often take a niche approach and focus on one topic. I trust their dedication, and I go to them for deep, reliable information. They’re invaluable. There are tons of creators, orgs, news sources out there, choose a few and focus on their content, it can be much less overwhelming to check in with small number of accounts each day than dozens! Trust me.
• Follow organizations doing the work.
Groups like the ACLU are incredible at informing the public while actively fighting for our rights. Their social media doesn’t just share updates—it explains the law in ways that make sense.
• At Still We Rise, I try to offer daily news roundups.
Usually once a day, sometimes more when needed. It’s my curated look at what happened and what’s ahead. We’ve been sharing them here on Substack through Today in Pictures & Posts, and if you want to follow along on Instagram, you can do that HERE.
• When I feel overwhelmed or unsure what to post, I go back to the community.
I read the comments, I answer DMs, and I uplift the work that others are doing. I don’t have to cover everything, that’s the beauty of being a one-woman show. I choose what I cover and when. Also, there are so many incredible creators who can fill in the gaps, and the community we’ve built allows us to share each other’s work so that every story gets covered.
Thank you all for being here and for showing up on my other platforms, too. Getting to do this every day is a passion project I never imagined would reach this many people. I take your trust in me seriously. I won’t always get everything right, and I won’t always post exactly what you want to see. Sometimes you might even disagree with me. But we’re in this together, learning, growing, finding inspiration and working toward better tomorrows.
Thank you, truly.