“When a friend told me Insight Timer was looking for a publishing assistant, I was balancing motherhood with several freelance writing and editing jobs. Barely making ends meet, always grinding. But for the first time in decades, my hands were steering the wheel. There’s a unique sense of freedom that comes with that. No longer was I wearing a mask molded from my parents’ expectations. Finally, I was a writer with a map to a destination I could carve on my own.
But, I hesitated, struggling to let go of the freedom I fought so hard to achieve. The thought of my feet tethered to a desk turned my spirit pale and tamed.
Here I am, two years into a job I want to do the rest of my life. Time fleeted, weaved with immense joy and certainty I didn’t expect.
Words are an intrinsic part of my job, revolving around building relationships, reaching out and communicating with teachers – brainstorming, suggesting what works, what doesn’t, reviewing and polishing content before it’s released into the wild. Behind each piece, personal struggles and triumphs shape their makers’ stories. I see many faces and specters of myself: the sexual abuse survivor, the child born to dysfunction, the person who lost moments and people to death, the mother carrying the weight of double burden. The woman pushed and pulled in different directions, swimming against the current, but still able to reach the shore.
I sit at my desk, sustained with gratitude – being part of an organization moving the needle on compassion does that; it connects teachers through wisdom and stories, communicating to those who need it most. People whose day might hang on words of affirmation, kindness, and hope.
Most people won’t see our names etched on pages. The truth about written words; it’s never about the storyteller. Writers are mere vessels. It will always be about the human story – power to be felt, individualism through shared experience. Stories are humanity’s lifeblood. They gather us in their arms, weaving connecting threads, however different we are. The stories making a difference aren’t about the “I”. They leave you knowing you’re seen and heard. That you matter.”
#womensequalityday
