As we commemorate Black History this month, my mind swirls with thoughts of the remarkable figures who, with their vision, values, voices, and valorous actions, have shaped the world as we know it. Their powerful alliances and heart-wrenching sacrifices paved the way for the liberty and progress we enjoy today. They proved that shackles—both literal and metaphorical—can indeed be shattered, freeing us from the fears, limitations, and oppressions that once held us captive.
On this momentous month, I want to pause and celebrate the victories of the past. But, more importantly, I want to reflect on how we can apply the lessons learned from those courageous enough to question the status quo, and use their inspiration to shape the future.
In our modern world, the battleground has shifted. Our team at Reactionpower is committed to minimizing unjust bias in AI and stand at the forefront of this new war. It’s a battle fought not with weapons of steel but with bytes and algorithms. It’s a struggle against the perpetuation of harmful biases, all hidden within the folds of machine learning models and datasets.
I believe in the transformative power of AI. However, I also understand its potential pitfalls. As we train our AI models, it’s vital to remember that they learn from us, from our history and our present. They absorb not just our knowledge but also our biases, replicating them at an unprecedented scale.
This is why our work is so crucial. By creating pre-training data that consciously counters unjust bias, we are actively breaking the shackles of prejudice that could potentially taint AI technology. We’re ensuring that the AI of the future reflects the best of us, not the worst.
But we can’t do it alone.
Just as those who came before us relied on powerful alliances to champion their cause, we need your support. Top companies are major influencers in the technology landscape. The AI systems you develop, use, or sponsor have a far-reaching impact. Your commitment to reducing unjust bias in AI can make a significant difference in this battle.
So, this month, I ask you to honor the past, not just by remembering the trials and triumphs of those who struggled for freedom and equality, but by actively working to ensure these values are reflected in our technology.
As leaders, you have the power to influence the course of AI development, steering it toward a future that values diversity, inclusivity, and fairness. And remember, in this fight, every byte counts.
Let’s learn from our past to build a better future—a future where the shackles of bias have no place and where technology empowers us all, regardless of our race, gender, or background.
Together, we can make sure that humanity wins again… and again… and again.
Here’s to a Black History Month that honors our past and uses those lessons to build a better future.
Nostalgia.
Take us back.
Take us please… back as far as we can go.
We don’t want to face the present moment or the future.
No, we want to keep looking backwards.
Women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights… it’s all wrong. Call in the cavalry.
They’ve gone wild.
Disrupt this insane perception of freedom.
First one demands to be unshackled, then the whole damn world wants to be free.
Bring back the good ol’ days, when we gave ’em hell.
Goddamit, make America great again.
Make sure women can’t get credit cards without their husbands’ permission.
And while we’re at it, ensure they can’t vote and breed them. Do it by force if you must.
Take us back to a time when movies were in black and white, and so was everything else.
We are grieving.
Pain has its icy tentacles around our hearts as we witness yet again, another senseless massacre.
Texas. Children gunned down at school. The second mass shooting in 11 days.
Buffalo. Black people sought and slaughtered. 11 days before we commemorate George Floyd’s murder.
I’m stunned, angry, and heartbroken at the persistent prejudice and pitiless violence. I’m frustrated with sending more thoughts and prayers for families as they receive the worst possible news.
Our strategy of ignoring real problems and fighting fake predicaments is not working.
How can we face the fear, anguish, and despair with resolve?
We spoke directly to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention and thanked him for all his thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/EfdDrgD4Af
— The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) May 29, 2022
We choose the direction of our life at all times.
We decide who is welcome in our space, who gets access to our energy, and what is worth our precious resources.
It’s time to forgive ourselves for past transgressions and older versions of ourselves.
It’s time to recognize where our old wounds are controlling us and embedding fears in our minds from another time.
It’s time to ask ourselves where we need to heal.
It’s time to find the tools we need to feel empowered.
It’s time to lead ourselves forward without fear in our hearts.
It’s time to release identities and external expectations that don’t align with who we are.
It’s time to feel our feet on the ground as we look forward to the next cycle of life.
Let’s make decisions from a place of confidence, knowing that we are worth our greatest dreams and visions. This inner knowing and acknowledgment makes them possible.
So today, take steps to allow your past to be in your past.
See your destiny beginning to unfold from the seat of your intuition. Feel your worth. Embrace the stabilizing energy of connecting heart, head, body, and breath.
Connect your infinite power within with the force of the universe without. The truth is you are unstoppable.
You can steer yourself in whatever direction you choose.
It’s time.
Happy Thursday ?
Today is a new day.
Be receptive and present this moment.
Remember where you are, right here, right now.
Disentangle from the habits of thinking, wondering, or worrying.
Return to the gift of the present.
We often get caught up in yesterday or tomorrow, trying to fix things. But often, this isn’t actually helpful. It enhances anxiety.
We get lost in an unknown future, swept away by stories. Soon, we’re spiraling into projections that heighten our unfounded fears. Like a little vessel on a stormy sea, we move through the upheaval in turmoil. We either want to hide away, get lost in our interior spaces or become consumed with the problems of the world.
If we can settle our minds, we can find wisdom and the courage to act where action must be taken. We can change how we relate to uncertainty, recognizing that it’s often our own stories and projections that keep our hearts heavy.
Don’t rehash tragedies. Don’t borrow trouble.
Stop drifting into concerns about the past or future. Gently bring your wandering mind back to the present… this moment.
Slow down. Breath. Engage your senses fully. Savor every sensation, sight, touch, and sound. Listen to your heartbeat.
Here in this moment, you can stay open and informed while creating a more spacious perspective.
Allow your emotions to arise and flow through you with kind, compassionate attention. With mindful attention to the moment, you can move calmly through the clamor, chaos, and uncertainties of life.
Focus on this moment. Make it the best ever.
Spring brings new beginnings and fresh starts.
With this fresh burst of energy, motivation, and raw willpower, comes the risk of burnout. If you don’t pace yourself, you can quickly go from blazing to fizzling.
Remember, small steps move you forward too.
So this season, feel what is calling your attention.
Are you ready for a transition?
Is it time to start writing your book?
Have you always wanted to research your family tree?
Do you long to learn a language? Or run a marathon?
Is there a personal project you want to begin?
Now is the time to tackle something that needs your attention.
Decide what steps you are ready to take to manifest your visions.
While you’re at it, take on the inner doubts that prevent you from shifting your life in a new direction. Overcommitment, smartphone addiction, emotional eating, insomnia – these can be signs that you are unhealthy, distracted, stressed, and half-living. Unless you prioritize healing, rest, and recovery, you will never truly feel alive.
As you create your future, commit to daily practices that restore you, give perspective, and allow you to tend to your fire rather than burn it out.
Music. Laughter. Rest. Fun time with friends. Bath time journaling. Stargazing. Dancing. A walk on the beach… or a swim. Sunshine. Silence. Solitude. Meditation.
These are a few of my favorite things.
Let go of expectations and embrace the unexpected.
Spring clean old stories to make space for new adventures.
Say goodbye to ideas that don’t align with who you are becoming.
Release anything that’s hindering you from finding your soul’s alignment.
We tend to cling to the familiar because it is known. Yet, sometimes we need to let go even if we don’t know what comes next. We need to be ok with not knowing and trust that magic will find us when we need it most.
Let some energies unravel in your life.
Notice what you are holding on to too tightly and ask yourself why.
You can only spring forward after you release the crap you carry. It’s holding you back and wearing you down.
Let it go. Live. It’s spring!
How do you go about finding happiness?
You strive to do well in school. To get the right job. To build the right life.
Tomorrow you’ll be happy after you get the promotion.
Next week you’ll be happy after you get the Instagram-worthy boyfriend.
Next year you will be happy when you have your picture-perfect wedding.
A decade from now you’ll be happy, once you have kids.
You’re a smart girl. Self-aware. So of course you’ve noticed that happiness is always around the corner of the next achievement, the next milestone toward your perfect life. One more and one more and one more and (don’t panic!) one more.
Keep it together girl, you’re almost there!
But one day soon?
Don’t waste years of your life with thoughts of finding happiness on the horizon.
Live in this moment, even as you work on progress. Instead of living with one foot in the future (and perhaps another in the past), take ownership of your experience now.
And remember, it’s often not what’s happening that determines our attitude.
Our thoughts are the key to unleashing our fulfillment, even in difficult times.
Alive. That was my word for 2021… and in it, I’m finding my secret sauce.
What’s yours?
I’m committed to being in constant conversation with life. Always questioning, always learning – half curious kid, half audacious explorer, half undaunted life alchemist.
150% ALIVE.
So as we start the new year, I’m asking myself what I learned last year. I’ve tried to crystalize my thoughts into 5️⃣ lessons:
We often give so much power to the hurt of the past that it ends up ruling our present.
The act of letting go is rooted in a profound acceptance of what is. It’s about letting your heart crumble and letting yourself be rearranged by the journey of being alive.
The greatest act of self-love is to let go.
Let your actions be motivated by love.
When love is pure, we’re not driven by agendas or conditions. Love is not loaded with “ifs and buts.” It’s just love.
There’s devotion, effort, and commitment to the people we journey with, not manipulative power struggles or coercive control. Love grants the people you love the freedom to be, to see and be seen, to feel understood and safe.
Love is the nerve to express what needs to be heard and listen with the ear of the heart.
Love assumes good intention, sees beyond what’s visible, and hears more than what’s being said.
Love fills our hearts with hope and gratitude and gives us a chance at rebirth. ✨
We hold back so much of ourselves when we script, edit, cut, redraft and perform.
There’s magic in that messy authentic part of us that we often start to accept only as we get much older. I’m all for learning, growing, and getting better. In the past, that meant adapting and assimilating into what or who was around me. Last year I committed to holding nothing back – none of my feelings, none of my attention, none of my questions. It’s been vulnerable, sure. But it’s the only way to return to the miracle of being here completely.
No performances. That’s the promise I’ve made to myself. Perhaps then people around me will mirror what’s in my heart – and there we’ll find magic in what’s real – our pure, beautiful messy souls.
Relationships take heart.
They don’t come readily assembled and perfect out the box.
The hardest moments reveal opportunities to better understand each other and deepen a meaningful connection.
In 2021 I was forced to let go of perfection.
Instead, I’m learning to build on good communication and a profound commitment to caring.
A friend once said she wanted to find a life partner because living alone can make you an awkward person. I laughed, at first… then I thought about it.
Romantic love is an invitation to heal. That can make it really messy but it creates an opportunity for two people to grow in self-awareness, develop emotional maturity and become so much more – individually and together.
Love is the courage to admit that we are wrong and own where we mess up. It’s the courage to hold space for others to be – to wait and watch with all of who we are, allowing our loved ones to be all who they are.
Great relationships take courage to care even when we’re bent… not broken.
Don’t build relationships with broken people. Walk away.
Life happens in the ordinary.
We often find ourselves looking for the extraordinary to make us come alive. But the blessings of the ordinary are that in moments of stillness everything that is life is revealed… the power of presence.
In the gift of the here and now we can see through the troubles, wade through the turbulence and reconnect.
Gratitude gives us grace – when we go below the surface of ordinary things, we can see the miracle of the moment. We get to celebrate the things (and people!) we once only wished we had. We return to the heart of all things – the warmth of a delightful cup of tea on a cold morning, a cold cocktail in the evening, a moment to slow dance and celebrate the one you love, the smile of a stranger, the laughter of friends who sustain you along the way, the hug or tag of your child, the crunchy leaves beneath your feet or the sunshine kissing your face.
2021 was a year of immense growth for me, with profound breakthrough insights on life and love.
In a world that often teaches us the only way to be lovable is to be extraordinary, a return to experiencing the marvels of the ordinary was a gift – an invitation to stay open to the magic of falling in love with life at first sight.
Happy new year, you beautiful soul ❤️ What’s your secret sauce?
Share it with me and let me know what makes you come alive!
The current state of world events is heart-wrenching, from the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the devastation following the massive earthquake in Haiti, and the relentless global spread of the COVID-19 delta variant to the political polarity and incessant misinformation in its wake.
As a woman, watching what’s happening in Afghanistan is particularly difficult. It’s watching the possibility of half the population getting wiped out and thinking “there goes girl power, dreams, and profound ingenuity.”
The layers of pain leave me speechless. It’s so hard to feel this helpless… unable to make a meaningful impact.
My heart goes out to everyone who is directly affected. People are not meant to live in such a state of suffering.
I feel heartbroken, afraid, and sad, but I know I am not powerless. We are often more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for. I know we can do something. .. together.
I’m putting together a list of organizations doing critical work and will see what I can do to support them.
I’ll start by believing and taking action in the commitment to our collective well-being.
There’ll be a miracle in this mess.
xoxo
Today I get to celebrate four decades of being alive on this amazing planet!
I am so grateful for all the people who have been a part of my journey (you know who you are!) and everything that helps me live with a greater understanding and respect for life.
For my birthday, I want to share with you 40 lessons I have learned in 40 years of life.
It’s a list worth growing into… still working on that ?
My heart is full!
Thankful for all who’ve allowed me to show up with more lightness, authenticity, and freedom. I am looking forward to this new chapter of my life where I get to use all that I’ve acquired these past 40 years.
I’m surrounding myself with people who push me to be a more courageous explorer; a more inspired mother; a more present friend; a more supportive partner…
to KEEP LIVING and KEEP LOVING.
?????? Now it’s your turn. What is the lesson you’ve learned you want to share?