What I Stand For as a Coach, Therapist, and Human
Because I believe it’s important for us to explicitly state — and live — our values, here are mine.
Anti-Racism Work
“No one is free until we are all free” (Martin Luther King, Jr.), and no one is safe until we are all safe.
As a white person, it is my responsibility to actively work to dismantle the system of white supremacy that is inherently designed to benefit me while harming others.
How I Stand For Anti-Racism Work
With My Words
By having hard and uncomfortable conversations with other white people in my life about anti-racism and the ways in which we continue to do harm by perpetuating white supremacy
By Listening and Learning
By continually educating myself about anti-racism work and always listening to and learning from anti-racism leaders
By doing the work on my own racism and privilege through therapy, coaching, and education
By Amplifying Marginalized Voices
By serving as a signal boost for the BIPOC voices that should be centered in this work
With My Dollars
By buying from BIPOC-owned and led businesses and contributing financially to racial justice work
By Doing the Work Consistently and Sustainably
I make these commitments for years to come because this work is lifelong.
Anti-Racism Resources That I Refer To:
LGBTQIA+ Equality
I have been an LGBTQIA+ advocate since before I even realized my identity as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Again, because no one is free until we are all free, and no one is safe until we are all safe.
The fight for LGBTQIA+ equality didn’t end with marriage equality. Homophobia, transphobia, and internalized homophobia + transphobia steal lives. They stole years of my life and still impact me each and every day.
And because...
Black trans women are being killed at a soul-crushing rate.
Up to 40% of LGBTQIA+ youth experience homelessness and are up to 5 times more likely than their straight peers to contemplate or attempt suicide.
There is no federal protection for LGBTQIA+ folx against workplace or housing discrimination.
How I Stand For LGBTQIA+ Equality
By Being Visible and Out
I want people to know that by knowing me, they know a queer person.
With My Words
By having hard and uncomfortable conversations with straight people in my life about homophobia, LGBTQIA+ equality, and the ways in which we continue to do harm by perpetuating heteronormativity and cisnormativity
By Listening and Learning
By continually educating myself about the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ equality work with anti-racism work and always listening to and learning from LGBTQIA+ equality leaders
By doing the work on my own internalized homophobia, heteronormativity, cisnormativity, and cis / passing privilege through therapy, coaching, and education
By Amplifying Marginalized Voices
By serving as a signal boost for the marginalized voices within the LGBTQIA+ community
With My Dollars
By buying from LGBTQIA+ owned and led businesses and contributing financially to LGBTQIA+ equality work
By Doing the Work Consistently and Sustainably
I make these commitments for years to come because this work is lifelong.
LGBTQIA+ Equality Resources That I Refer To
Body Positivity
Despite what diet culture leads us to believe, the truth is that our body size and shape have ZERO relationship to our worth.
Fat phobia harms us all.
How I Stand For Body Positivity
By Living and Supporting Health At Every Size (HAES)
I choose not to engage with or in diet culture.
With My Words
By having hard and uncomfortable conversations with people in my life about fatphobia, diet culture, and how we do harm by perpetuating a narrow range of body ideals
By Listening and Learning
By continually educating myself about body positivity and always listening to and learning from body positivity leaders
By doing the work on my own internalized fatphobia and diet culture through therapy, coaching, and education
By Amplifying Marginalized Voices
By serving as a signal boost for the body positivity community
With My Dollars
By buying from and financially contributing to individuals and businesses that work to support body positivity and actively dismantle diet culture
I support size-inclusive brands, like Universal Standard.
By Doing the Work Consistently and Sustainably
I make these commitments for years to come because this work is lifelong.
Body Positivity Resources That I Refer To
Democratization of Mental Health Support
There are already too many barriers to accessing resources and support for mental health and emotional wellbeing. Finances should NEVER be another.
Especially when having limited financial resources is itself a risk factor for one’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.
There have been many times in my life when I wouldn’t have been able to access the resources and support I needed were it not for reduced cost and sliding scale options.
This is why I reserve a portion of my coaching + counseling practice exclusively for sliding scale clients who pay in accordance with their financial resources.
What else do I stand for?
You.
Stating your values may feel vulnerable, polarizing, and like you’re opening yourself up to ridicule or attack.
But, it also draws in people who feel seen and valued by you.
Sometimes, we miss all of the potential positive outcomes of sharing our values because we’re so afraid that we’ll turn people off, push them away, or hurt our business.
But do you really want the business of people who don’t resonate with your values?
What if you could attract only people who are as aligned with your values as you are?
How much better would that feel?
Be bold. Be explicit.
Say eff it, and put it out there.
xo,