Meaningful Emotion Therapy

09/13/2026

Clarity was never supposed to require the absence of fear; that's a myth that keeps people stuck waiting to feel "ready." Softness isn't fearlessness. It's moving forward with the fear still in the room. What decision have you been waiting to feel brave enough to make?

09/12/2026

We usually ask, "How much does this hurt?" and skip the harder question: "What did I have to shrink, silence, or sacrifice just to keep functioning through it?" That second question is where the real accounting happens. What has pain quietly asked you to give up without you noticing?

09/10/2026

The moment your child does the exact thing that makes you snap—that's rarely about them. That's a doorway into something in you that's been waiting a long time to be met differently. Parenting will show you yourself before it shows you your child. What's one thing about your own childhood that you're actively trying to parent differently? Tell me below. 🌿

09/09/2026

Softness can mean many things. Rest. Safety. Being cared for. Letting go of hyper-independence. Feeling like you do not have to hold everything together all the time.

This study explores what softness means to Black women, where it has felt possible, where it has felt out of reach, and what might make more room for it.

I am interested in the stories behind strength. Not to diminish resilience, but to better understand what Black women may need beyond survival, competence, and carrying.

This work will help inform future research and writing centered on Black women’s lived experiences, relationships, and possibilities for healing.

If this study resonates with you, I would be grateful for your participation. If someone comes to mind, please share it with them.

What does softness mean to you as a Black woman — and what has made it feel impossible? This anonymous research survey, conducted by Dr. Lastenia Francis, PhD, LMFT, explores how Black women and women of color understand softness, where it has felt dangerous or unavailable, and what conditions mak...

09/08/2026

Walking away mid-conflict isn't avoidance if you come back. The pause is the tool; it's what makes the return possible. Escape has no return date. A break does.

09/06/2026

We've been taught to measure strength by how much we can silently haul. But functioning through pain isn't the same as healing from it; sometimes it's just really good camouflage. What would it look like to redefine strength as something other than endurance?

09/05/2026

There's a myth that your body has to hit rock bottom to earn your attention- that whispers don't count; only collapse does. Waiting for the breakdown isn't discipline; it's just delayed listening. What's a signal your body sends early that you've learned to override?

09/03/2026

That behavior wasn't irrational; it made sense somewhere, once. The question now is whether that "somewhere" is still where you live.

09/01/2026

This shows up in almost every couple's session I run. It's not a compatibility issue—it's two nervous systems doing their job differently. The work isn't crowning a winner. It's building a "we" that can hold both. 🌿

08/30/2026

Competence is not the same thing as an assignment. Being good at something doesn't automatically make it yours forever, but so many of us were never told that, so we just... kept filling. What is a "gap" you have been filling for so long that you forgot it was ever a choice?