Many of us are being called to speak our truth.

There's a lot going on in the world that we are bearing witness to. And it has come to a place where we can no longer look away or stay silent.

As women of color, this is nothing new. We are continually trying to claim our sovereignty, our autonomy. And in order to do that, we need to speak our truth. And to speak it out loud.

No one is a mind reader.

The problem is: our nervous systems get activated. In our bodies, we carry trauma, both from first-hand experience and from inheritance. When we speak our truth, something gets triggered — there is a history of harm in speaking our collective truth.

And so we are reluctant speak up.

But we know all too well what it feels like when we fake who we are, when we pretend to like somebody, when we play nice in the office.

It does not feel good. To say the least.

Our skin crawls. Our neck and shoulders scrunch up. Our bellies get knotted. Our torso starts to hunch over. The teeth start to grit. The jaw is clenched. The brow is furrowed, even underneath the appearance of a smooth forehead. The fists start to tighten. Or maybe it's clammy hands.

Either way, the body knows when we are lying to ourselves. When we are acting out of incongruence. When we are being someone who we are not.

It is time for us to stand up straight and speak our truths. To claim who we truly are and to step out into the light. To be witnessed and bear witness.

And you can do this through healing traumas —both known and unknown— and building nervous system resilience.

You can practice speaking your truth over and over. And with each repetition, it becomes easier and easier. Your body begins to relax and soften into ease.

So who do you choose to be? What will you do with the truths that live inside of you?