Our stories are powerful life forms. Sometimes they seem self-aware, as if they have missions of their own to accomplish. When we share them with each other, our stories can weave bonds of trust and healing. When released into the world, they can contribute to cultural evolution.

I write true stories from my life, in the form of memoir, personal essays, poetry, and speculative nonfiction. I’m drawn to the topics of spirituality, social justice, and reclaiming our freedom to choose.

I want my stories to create spaces where we can talk about difficult issues like racism, abortion, and body image through the lens of faith and spirit—spaces free of shame, fear, judgment, and contention, where everyone feels safe to speak their own truth. I believe that we can use our stories to transform society, and I’m eager to be in conversation with others who have the same passion.

Our stories can also transform our individual lives. The stories we tell ourselves have the power to create our reality; what we believe is what we make happen, for better or worse. This is where rewriting comes in.

If the words I’m saying to myself are colored by shame and fear, I am likely to choose silence over truth-telling. But when I’m able to rewrite that narrative based on my spiritual attributes—courage, trustworthiness, compassion, love—I’m empowered to speak. I become emboldened. The work I’ve done in racial justice and the book I’m currently writing are outcomes of rewriting the stories I was telling myself.

This is something we can all do. I offer my experience to those who want to make a difference, whether through the stories they’re telling themselves or the ones they’re sharing with others.