I spent International Women’s Day 2025 with hundreds of other women and nonbinary folx (and a few men) at The Meteor’s Meet the Moment summit at the Brooklyn Museum. It was a full day of sessions with journalists, artists, entrepreneurs, and political activists across the spectrum centered around how we can (and must) show up in this moment.

It felt like a warm hug, a momentary oasis from the chaos raging outside — even as a healing rage flowed within the walls of the theater. Rage is valuable especially when it can be alchemized. I have a framed screenprint on my desk that says: Rage Is Tinder. Hope Is Fuel. It helps me also to remember, as The Bengsons sing: Hope is an action.

In this moment, I’m finding myself teetering between feelings of complete powerlessness and despair; the urgent need to act; and the desire to have peace and love and joy. I keep saying I’m trying to be like a meerkat. I pop my head out of the sand to make sure I’m staying abreast of what’s unfolding, and then pop back down to ensure I can keep moving and resisting in all the ways I’m committed to. Rest and nervous-system resets included. Not having a TV helps. Carefully selecting and time-limiting the media I consume also helps.

We are in a moment of great darkness. Many will and are suffering — and have been for some time. It’s a hard thing to sit with, but I have faith that we will learn to see in the dark. That we won’t stagnate. That we will learn to communicate and support one another through offline systems of connection and community. Of utmost value is finding and building strength within ourselves so we have what we need to show up when, where, and how we are called to.

Self-reliance and this inner knowing was a consistent theme throughout the summit.

“We have to believe in the light.” —Diane von Furstenberg

The opening conversation between Aurora James and Diane von Furstenberg, 78!, was an inspiring way to kick-off the day. DVF dolled out gems from her long life and career as a “woman in charge.” (If you haven’t seen the Hulu documentary about her, I highly recommend it.)

“Be responsible for yourself…if you own your vulnerability, it becomes your strength,” she said and spoke of finding her strength in her relationship with herself during both the highs and lows. “Only losers don’t [ever] feel like losers.” Huzzah! She expressed that kindness is a currency — like money, and we should use it to navigate this moment. In the face of such extreme hate, individualism, scarcity thinking, and exclusion, extending kindness to ourselves and others is an act of resistance.

Being vulnerable has always been hard for me. But as I adapt to the fact that true strength IS vulnerability, I am working to be more intentional with my energy. Instead of approaching every situation with a hard shell, I’m learning to soften, let go, and open up in order to establish deeper connections to other people and the world around me. Nothing is black and white. Beauty and change is found within the nuance, but it can be hard to get there. It’s like another muscle I’m building over time. This blog post in one of my exercises. I think it’s helping…but ask me in a week or two.

In the interest of succinctity (it’s not a word, but I really wish it was), here are a handful of highlights that stuck with me from the day:

• Read banned books! We heard excerpts from a few, including “Well Read Black Girl” by Glory Edim and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. Pen America offers more ways to get involved.
• Disability rights are under attack. Read about it here. Xian Horn, disability rights advocate and Founder of Give Beauty Wings, said “The best allies are great listeners…Lacking in leadership [today] is the humility to know you don’t know everything.” We need to learn about and support each other — not save each other.
• The Women’s Power and Influence Index examines how well-being, safety, and more varies widely across the US. “It’s not ok that the state you live in determines your freedoms and health outcomes,” said Dr. C. Nicole Mason, President/CEO, Future Forward Women.

“We want power. And we deserve it.”
—Versha Sharma, Editor-in-Chief, Teen Vogue

• May gender liberation reign supreme. The liberation of trans and cis women is woven together. Raquel Willis and Paola Mendoza encouraged a commitment to building a world focused on freedom from gender for all.
• Bridging the gender gap in AI. CEOs in the AI space, including Stephanie Leblanc-Godfrey of Mother AI and Emma Bates of Diem, spoke on the importance of building the womansphere. Society is being shaped by AI, and women need to be involved to have an impact on the future — regardless of feelings or insecurities that may be holding us back.
• Sharing abortion stories matters! Kaitlyn Joshua, who lives in Louisiana, co-created Abortion in America to help people share their stories and give context to what we’re fighting for. The Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline is a helpful resource for medical advice in an emergency.
• “You have to start resisting,” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a Canadian-Pakistani director and activist, as someone who has seen how the strategies of today play out. We must build resistance on every level. Obaid-Chinoy co-directed the DVF documentary and is directing the next Star Wars.

“Get comfortable making other people uncomfortable.” —Tiffany Cross, Journalist + TV Host

It’s so easy to despair. It’s so easy to teeter back into the overwhelm of feeling powerless to stop any of what’s happening. We just can’t get stuck there. There is too much at stake.

Keep showing up and speaking out. It’s another note to self, and it’s how I find balance in this chaos. Showing up looks different for everyone, and it can happen in the smallest of actions, but we must. keep. going. Some days I need to crawl under the covers with a pint of ice cream. Other days I’m out in the streets. Other days I’m able to make calls, send emails, check in with friends. Other times it’s just about getting in a room with a bunch of people who think like me. I trust that if I keep listening to my body, recharging when necessary, and doing more when I can, I will be able to keep moving forward.

Hope is an action. I believe in the light. Even when I can’t see it, I can feel it all around. My night vision is getting a lot better though, too.

Thank you for reading. I hope you’re able to nourish yourself and keep going. I hope we can all keep showing up to fight for a world where everyone has what they need to live and grow and be.