Leah Holmes

Why Loving Myself Feels Like an Act of Rebellion In a culture that profits from my insecurities, every act of self-love feels like an act of rebellion. Every time I choose appreciation over criticism, I refuse to participate in a system that tells me my body is something to fix, shrink, smooth, tighten, or change before it's worthy. "I think it's radical to love this body." The more I reflect on it, the more I realize that so much of our culture depends on us believing we're not enough. If...

A Question I've Been Sitting With Lately, I've been thinking a lot about freedom. Not just political freedom. Not the kind that's celebrated on holidays or written into history books. But the kind we experience in our everyday lives. The kind we experience within ourselves. What does it actually mean to feel free within ourselves? I started thinking....if I believe my worth depends on how productive I am... am I really free? If I can't rest without feeling guilty... am I free? If I'm afraid...

It's a question I've been asked countless times over the last decade. "Why don't you drink?" I've always thought it was an interesting question. Not because people ask it with bad intentions but because we rarely stop to ask the opposite question. Why do you drink? I don't ask that as an accusation or a judgment. I ask it because I think it's an invitation to become curious. Most people answer, "Because I like it." But if we pause there for just a moment and ask another question—What do you...