Survival mode is deceptive when you're high functioning. It looks like someone who is doing everything right.
But surviving and designing aren't the same. Surviving is reacting to everything. Designing is intentional.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/from-survi...
I’m so good at achieving while exhausted. I used to pride myself on being articulate while my nervous system was raging. But life isn’t supposed to feel like a struggle. You're supposed to be enjoying the journey!
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/from-survi...
TODAY is the day! Author, speaker, and political organizer Shannon Watts will be joining me on Substack Live at 10:00AM EST.
Head over to my Substack at zerlinamaxwell.substack.com to hear our conversation about taking action without burning out, you won't want to miss it!
Visibility scares me. I know it seems counterintuitive for a media personality like me.
When you operate at your highest level, people notice. And with that comes judgment, criticism, expectations, hate, and pressure.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-gear-i...
Author, political organizer, speaker and founder of Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts will be joining me on Substack Live on MON, MARCH 2nd at 10:00AM EST.
We'll be chatting about encouraging women to be more active in politics without burning out.
Follow along at zerlinamaxwell.substack.com
One thing I know about myself is that when I am productive, even if it’s doing tasks that don’t really matter, I feel accomplished. There are days where I do nothing and then if I work out, I feel like a million bucks.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-gear-i...
"You're allowed to cultivate joy. In fact, you need to because our job is to build the world that we want. And if we don't allow ourselves to... be happy, then we're not reminding ourselves of why we’re doing any of this. We can't be joyless people." -AOC
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I’m making progress toward my goals. I’m doing the things I need to do to stay regulated and pointed in the right direction.
Even this foundation for greatness is something to be proud of because it took years to build.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-gear-i...
There was a time when just getting the basics right felt impossible. I’m in a different place now, fully present in my life again.
But I know there’s another gear. I know I have it in me but something is holding me back.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-gear-i...
How has living so much of our lives online changed who we are at our core?
That question has been living in my body for years now, especially after working in politics, media, and the news cycle.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
I’ve been thinking a lot about who we're becoming in this digital age, not just politically divided, but also the impact on all of us psychologically, spiritually, and relationally. It's personal for me.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
Sign up for our free workshop today at noon ET
luma.com/c0i4dfm5
Curious about moving out of the United States? I’m so excited to tell you that Kirsten Powers and I are hosting a workshop on exactly this topic.
Join us Tuesday, Feb. 10th for a 90 minute conversation on how we moved abroad, with plenty of time for Q&A. Sign up to join us here: luma.com/c0i4dfm5
If watching the news feels too heavy right now, I see you. I get it. That reaction makes complete sense.
What I'm trying to learn right now is how to live my life in a world that has never actually known peace.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/trying-to-...
You’re not avoiding the news because you don’t care. It’s because you feel depleted by it.
The problem is that you are being asked to metabolize nonstop crises without relief, resolution, or rest. That isn’t healthy.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/trying-to-...
When I’m not working, I rest. I create space for quiet and joy. Not because I don’t care about what’s happening, but because I care too much.
Self-care isn't a distraction from activism. It's what makes activism possible.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/learning-h...
I left the U.S. in Feb 2025 because I could feel what was coming. Being across the ocean allows for clarity in seeing how dangerous this moment is for the future of American democracy and global stability. I can see the emergency very clearly.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/learning-h...
I cannot afford to live in a constant state of depletion. If I don’t seek out joy, I will burn out. This is something I understand now in a way I didn’t before: joy doesn’t just happen anymore. You have to intentionally choose it.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/theres-a-b...
A year ago, I noticed something outside my apartment balcony. There’s a boat docked there. On the side of it, in big letters, is the word JOY.
It felt like a clear sign for me to remember why I’m even on this planet.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/theres-a-b...
If you’re in a season of transition, and you don’t yet know what comes next, know this: the presence of fear doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It usually means you’re telling the truth about how you feel.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/a-note-for...
A year ago, I moved to Sicily. It was hard, but now I’m thriving. From the outside, you see the curated version of my life and you'd probably assume that the courage I have is due to the absence of fear.
But it's not.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/a-note-for...
Do you know what's worse than being sick? Being sick when you're alone with no one to take care of you. And even more, being sick and alone when you're in a foreign country.
Read more about what I learned about taking care of myself: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Every year, we all set our goals. And by mid-January, most of those big goals are sitting untouched, staring back at us like an accusation. Then the guilt creeps in.
So this year, I’m doing something different.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/im-not-sta...
Every January, we do the same thing. We set big goals for the year ahead.
But one thing that we all have in common is sometimes we set our goals only to break our own promises on the first Monday of the new year.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/im-not-sta...
This is how my goal setting begins for the new year: I start with the feeling.
Do I need to create a life with more peace? More joy? Do I need to cultivate more strength? More financial security? Do I want to tap into my creativity more?
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/my-soul-al...
Happy Friday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: @adamsmith.house.gov of WA-09, @duckworth.senate.gov of Illinois + Author of the book 107 Days, @kamalaharris.com!
☎️ 866-997-4748
📻 @siriusxmprog.bsky.social Ch. 127
siriusxm.us/Zerlina
Every December, I plan for the year to come. I review my goals and I compare it to a list of things that I actually did. It's not about beating myself up, but an accounting of what I accomplished (and didn’t) and apply the lessons to next year.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/my-soul-al...
I’ve always wanted to speak multiple languages and I spent many years studying Spanish. I almost double majored in Spanish because I really wanted to put in all of the work I could to become a bilingual person.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/moving-to-...
November is my birthday month so you know I had to make it memorable. I tasted world famous Marsala wine, went out to a fancy dinner for my birthday, and took a spontaneous, absolutely magical trip to Paris.
Keep reading to see my November photo recap: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/photo-jour...
There’s a line from the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar that resonates with me: “We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes.”
If you’re a Black woman born and raised in America, you feel that poem deeply.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/palermo-th...
