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Dear Soul Sister, 

What an amazing time to be alive and to be a woman! I genuinely see everything as a learning opportunity and the U.S. presidential election allowed us to see just how much trauma we have been carrying as women without a safe space to express it, share it and heal it.

We’ve experienced a range of traumas as women, everything from sexual assault to the loss of loved ones, and we’ve been taught to ‘buck up’ and get on with life. Especially when I had a professional career, there was a massive division between my personal life and my work life. For example, there was no space for me to grieve the two miscarriages I had before having my three children. I felt like I had to show up for work the next day and act as if nothing happened.

The problem with this coping strategy is that a part of me stayed with this unprocessed trauma. These parts of myself that I couldn’t share became locked away in the shadows, hoping that no one else would ever see them either. My mask and my protection became stronger and stronger as I had more and more to hide until I no longer knew the truth of who I was. I was the shell that I presented to the outside world.

Trauma occurs when there is an overwhelming shock to the system. The situation is deeply disturbing and is more than the system can handle which leaves the individual feeling disempowered and unable to cope clearly. This election seems to have created it’s own trauma, although I imagine that it’s actually surfacing the trauma we have each been carrying in silence, afraid that if others knew we wouldn’t be accepted.

I see an incredible opportunity for us to step into our power as women by expressing what we are really feeling and not just grin and bear it. To do this, we need to create safe spaces for ourselves and others. Creating space means pausing more and doing less. It means giving permisison to our bodies so we can really FEEL. It means listening without judgement.

This is when we become unshakable in who we are… when we find the strength to reach out and connect, even when we’d rather turn away… and to open our arms with the unconditional love of the Mother.

With love,