Everybody talks about courage and being brave, being ‘real’ – but what does that mean? When people abandon you for expressing an opinion, when churches wash their hands of you, when the fear and risk is so very real, how can you be authentic?
How can you possibly be brave?
Life can be overwhelming
Just getting through the day can be exhausting. People’s opinions can be harsh and unfair – and yet you listen to them anyway. Anxiety and shame flow like blood through your veins and most of the time, fear wins. It is hard to walk an unpopular path if you feel unworthy. If the naysayers have the power to destroy you. Society is so good at shutting us down and shutting us up.
It is easier to shrink down than it is to stand tall.
But it doesn’t have to stay this way.
You can engage the darkness of the world bravely. You don’t have to wait until you’re perfect to change the world. You can believe in your worthiness now.
Living a courageous life is possible.
You can walk bravely.
I am a Brené Brown fan, and when I read her Gifts of Imperfection this summer, I realized something. She was interviewing wholehearted people. People who fought shame and won. And she interviewed thousands of them. There are actually people walking around this world living courageous lives.
My life has been permanently marked by rejection. I grew up with a parent with an undiagnosed mental illness. I have C-PTSD and incredible shame issues that were finally starting to affect every aspect of my life.
I realized if living bravely was possible for the people Brené researched, it was possible for me. And so I started exploring:
If courage is contagious, who is being courageous?
What sparks anxiety, shame, and vulnerability and why?
Where is hope in the world?
Where is darkness in the world, and how can I find the light?
If living bravely is possible for other people, then it is possible for me, and it is possible for you.
Together we can learn the habits that lead to a life not controlled by shame.
Walking Brave
a zine for when shame gets in the way
is available in two formats.
1. A physical zine mailed to you every other month. (Next issue: December)
2. A digital zine, link emailed to you every other month. (Next issue: December)
The zine contains 28, 8.5” x 5.5” pages, including 16 full color pages.
The physical issue includes the hard copy, the digital magazine, with an option to download a pdf version, and 2 e-mail newsletters a month, coming after the zine has been mailed. $12
The digital issue includes the digital magazine, with an option to download a pdf version, and 2 e-mail newsletters a month, coming after the zine has been mailed. $6
The newsletters contain more information about the topics covered in the zine, what books and music influenced me this month, more quotes and inspiration to keep walking brave, and tons of links to relevant content.
The zine includes:
- articles related to shame, imperfections, anxieties or fears
- inspiring quotes and poems
- articles on current issues in the world that are dark and heavy - and the courageous people and organizations that are working to make a difference
- pages to build healthy habits- writing down specific things throughout the month that over time will help build emotional health:
- writing down your doubts
- your joys
- your thanks
- your feelings
- And along the way I'll be writing my own pages and including them in each issue
- Discussions about mindfulness and self-care
- and much more!
This is a zine intended to help you build habits that enable bravery.
Walking Brave
is not a how-to as much as it is a go-do.
It’s easy to read a self-help book. But unless you put the concepts into action, what good is it? This zine is meant to make that process easier.
Now when the doubts come, you'll have a place to jot them down, so you can see them, and ignore them, and then you can read inspiring quotes to help overcome them.
After a few months, you will be able to look back and see a physical record of your fears, your doubts, your thanks, your joys, your feelings and your accomplishments, having gained knowledge, inspiration, and encouragement along the way.
You are not alone.
Being brave is possible.
Learn with me?
Walking Brave - A Zine For When Shame Gets In The Way
Issue #2 - December
Order by November 30th, mailed out by mid-December
December Single Issue - Physical $12/issue December Single Issue - Digital $6/issue