Why it took us a week to publicly declare we’re unequivocally pro-choice.

We sent this message out to our newsletter subscribers today and we wanted to post it here as well.

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I was on a work call when I learned the news. A teammate sent through a Slack message, “Roe v Wade was overturned.” Despite knowing this was a real possibility given the leak over a month ago, I still was in complete shock reading that message.

As the memes went wild and the public statements by businesses of all sizes came through my screen throughout the day, I sat there paralyzed. I innately knew that now was not the right time to say anything. Though I am a CEO, I am a human first, and most importantly—a woman first. I knew there could be potential backlash for staying “silent” as a business, but at that moment I needed to lean into my humanity despite the risk.

I knew I needed the weekend to fully process what just happened because I also understood that I did not fully comprehend the magnitude of the Supreme Court’s decision.

I needed the weekend to grieve with my mom and sisters. I needed the weekend to process the WhatsApp messages from my friends around the world who were in disbelief with what they were seeing. Many of them upheld our country's legal protections for access to abortion as a beacon to fight for their own reproductive rights and bodily autonomy in their respective countries.?It was only recently that Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico legalized abortion.

I needed the weekend to reflect on the conversations I had only a few months ago on our trip to Bolivia with El Camino alum and Chief Medical Officer for Planned Parenthood,?Meera Shah, who made me realize the importance of destigmatizing the word abortion in our day-to-day conversations.

I needed the weekend to fully comprehend that we were now?entering an era of criminalization of pregnancy?never experienced in my lifetime. I needed the weekend to understand that?comparing what we were going through to Handmaid’s Tales is inappropriate and a white feminist?fictionalized take on actual historical injustices done to Black and indigenous women.

I needed the weekend to understand?what potential legal measures can be taken to reverse the damage done by the Supreme Court’s decision. Finally, I needed the weekend to dig deep and find a?sense of hope. What is happening is frightening and alarming, and in no way do I want to sugarcoat how hard the fight is going to be to keep reproductive ownership of our bodies as child-bearing individuals.

However,?hope?is what will push us through despair.

If it wasn’t clear, I hope it is unequivocally clear now, we are pro-reproductive freedom, and we are right in this fight alongside you.

Let’s take care of each other and let’s not give up.

xx,

Katalina

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Instead of our usual 5 Senses section of our newsletter, our CEO, Katalina, shared 5 things that are nourishing her with hope.

When feeling hopeless, I love hanging out with people who inspire me. I got to?spend late Saturday morning?with artists?Rowan Bathhurst?and?Zeh Palito. Intentionally surround yourself with others who will make your think bigger about the world.

When I wake up and before I go to bed, I meditate on gratitude and point out three things or people that I am particularly grateful for that day. Waking up and going to sleep with a smile makes the day a little lighter.

In times of despair and hardship, it is important to get creative. I recently finished?this book?about the science of creativity and it helped me better understand how I can foster creativity within myself (spoiler alert: travel is discussed a few times).

This podcast?humanized the fight for reproductive freedom in a way that brought me to tears several times throughout the episode, but also made me so grateful for everyone who is working in the clinics and on the frontlines of this fight. I now am asking myself how I can best support these individuals who are bearing the brunt of our collective freedom.

And on that note, I have found that the best way to heal in times of tragedy is in community and by showing up for each other. Be there for your people, heal together, and fight for each other.