Episode 26: This Isn't Normal: Silence, ICE and Trump are the Enemy

This is not a normal episode.I recorded this on release day because staying quiet felt worse than showing up imperfectly. I didn’t have fully formed thoughts. I still don’t. And that’s the point.This episode isn’t about trail running, workouts, or performance. It’s about what’s happening right now in our country, how it feels to live inside it, and why silence is not neutral.I talk openly about anger, grief, exhaustion, and the weight of watching harm unfold while trying to keep living our everyday lives. I name the difference between confusion and choice. I talk about performative “switching sides,” accountability, and why growth doesn’t deserve applause just because it finally arrived.I also talk about movement — not as a fix, not as a distraction — but as a way to stay grounded and human when everything feels loud and overwhelming.There’s no bow on this episode. No neat resolution. No pretending this is fine.Just truth.If you are angry, exhausted, numb, overwhelmed, or unsure how to hold all of this ...there is nothing wrong with you. That’s what living inside ongoing harm does to people.I’ll talk about trail running again. I’ll talk about strength and joy and long miles.But I won’t pretend this doesn’t exist.This matters.In this episode, I talk about:Why this episode exists and why staying quiet didn’t feel like an optionLiving inside constant harm while still working, training, and showing up to daily lifeAnger as a sane and valid responseThe difference between confusion and conscious choiceWhy performative allyship isn’t accountabilityWhy switching sides doesn’t automatically make someone “safe” or deserving of celebrationRest vs silence — and why silence isn’t neutralMovement as regulation, not avoidance - yep, I didn't talk about this much. I talked about how movement is keeping me sane and fighting so remember to MOVE.Why this fight isn’t ending — it’s escalatingListening to and learning from Black women and communities who have been warning us for yearsSitting with discomfort instead of rushing past itWhy saying something messy is better than saying nothing at allResources (These are from my mentor Shante Cofield aka themovementmaestro..follow her on Instagram)Donate to Minnesota: www.standwithminnesota.comCall your reps: This week the Senate will vote on a DHS funding bill that includes $10 billion for ICE: https://5calls.orgGet involved with your local Rapid Response Network. You can Google this and include your city/state. Another resource which I have been using is https://indivisible.org. Click Get Involved then Organize Locally and then select Find Your Group. People to learn from - I am linking Instagram handles but most of these people you can find on their website and they are also on Threads with so much needed information.Kiki Bryant: uppity_negress_ - amazing workbooks on decentering white people and decentering men.Jackie: unapologetically_jackie - so much information and she has a whole academy of resources.Kiandria Demone: kiandriaThere are so ma