I’ve been on a journey of self awareness, reflection and an attempt to redefine my identity as a young brown woman. Through this journey, I’ve struggled immensely but I’ve ultimately learned to love myself more and more each day. My greatest risk has been learning to be confident in who I am. For most of my life I never felt good enough, smart enough and certainly not beautiful enough. As a POC our society says “pick yourself up from your bootstraps and anything is possible but also we live in an unjust system that will ultimately not provide you many opportunities but also it’s your fault if you don’t make it”. As a woman society says “Don’t do anything/go anywhere because it’s dangerous but also you need to take care of others but also don’t challenge the patriarchy but also speak up but also don’t”. As a broke young person society says “Go to college to make money but also you’re not qualified for most jobs when you graduate but also make sure to pay your student loans but also stop complaining and get a job”. As an ethnically ambiguous person society says “You don’t fit into any of the boxes we’ve created for you but also you meet our diversity quota”. How could I ever feel empowered when every which way I turn I find a narrative prescribed about my life that I never even created? I said no more of this! It’s time to push back and take back. Most of my childhood I yearned so badly to become the powerful woman that I’ve grown into. I want to help others on their journey to reclaiming space and feeling confident in who they are. Big Mood is a lifestyle, it is growing pains, it is boss bitchness and all its glory, it is rewriting the narratives of our lives, it is surviving AND thriving..