Check out my op-ed “Finding Courage During Challenging Times” published by PRsay and pasted below.

In a blog post published last month, PRSA’s Los Angeles Chapter President Marisol Barrios Perez, APR, wrote, “I urge our PR community to do what we do best: Raise our voices. Because when we speak together — with purpose, with clarity and with courage — we shape the narrative. And we stand on the right side of history.”

Indeed, these are unprecedented times that call for unprecedented measures. Just a glimpse at the last six months in Los Angeles, where I live, is telling. January started with the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the state’s history. In early June, the president sent the National Guard and Marines to our streets, exchanging insults and accusations with California Gov. Newsom in the process. With a softening job market, an uncertain economy and a fragile geopolitical climate, it’s enough to make you want to hide under the covers and wait for calmer days.

And yet, as Barrios Perez reminds us, we are the truth tellers. From standing up to reverse the climate crisis to speaking out against authoritarian regimes, now’s the time for us to act courageously.

But what does “courage” even entail, and how can we invoke it within ourselves and each other? Here are a few ideas I find helpful when trying to act courageously.

Courage is within you — and eager to be unleashed.

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