26: Being Brave

Rowan here. I just had top surgery five days ago, so this will be a short post.But it felt like the right time to discuss bravery last week before I underwent this life-changing, gender affirming surgery. (It’s effectively a double mastectomy, which is nothing to scoff at.)Even big surgeries aside, as a trans person, I get called “brave” almost daily. But is it really brave to just, well, exist? Does it qualify if I don’t have much of a choice in the matter?Is it courageous for Lara to talk so openly about having ADHD? Is it living with neurodivergence itself that people are impressed by, or her willingness to be vulnerable about it?What does it mean to be brave, and why do we applaud it?In this candid conversation, Lara and I share our views surrounding bravery, and whether or not we feel our actions or those of others warrant that title. It’s a little more nuanced than you might think.Aaaaand that’s all I have in me. Time to go rest up again. If you have any thoughts about bravery, please comment and let us know. Learning from each other is one of the coolest parts about being human, and we’re sure you have something to teach us.Thanks for sticking with us!LinksEpisode on confidence and arroganceEpisode on how our brains are differentEpisode when we talked about Rowan’s health scare This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unboxingit.substack.com/subscribe