This weekend I attended the March for Our Lives rally and march in San Francisco. The speakers I heard in person, as well as in the news media across the country, were brave and inspiring youth. I felt motivated by their voices and encouraged by their spirit. Many of them bravely shared their fear and boldly expressed their outrage about the series of mass shootings this country has experienced in the last decade.
What struck me the most was not only the huge amount of vulnerability they had in stating their fear and anger, but also their grounded ferocity to take action and demand action. This new voice is refreshing, hopeful and inspiring.

Lately I’ve been speaking with others about my work and projects to facilitate healing for marginalized peoples (victims and survivors of traumatic of abuse, LGBTQ folks). The feedback I’ve gotten on my messaging is, “People don’t want to do healing work, they just want to feel better,” or, “Admitting they have trauma is scary for people.” These ideas may be true, and I believe that our culture has enabled people to stay powerless in these places of fear and dissociation. Our systems of “support” encourage us to take prescription medications that mask our ailments, instead of doing the hard to work to heal. They support us to forget about what made us sick, instead of confronting and addressing the origin of the cause.
But these teenage activists are shining a light on this, saying, “Wake up! No More! #NeverAgain! #EnoughIsEnough!” They are showing us how to take courage in the face of fear. They are proving that strength comes from being vulnerable and brutally honest with ourselves.
Brene Brown says, “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” This new movement is inspiring me to be brave and powerful in my vulnerability.
It’s also important for us to be vulnerable with ourselves — to face our own inner challenges, be honest with ourselves and find the courage to heal our wounded hearts. Once we have done our own inner work, we are more able to do the work for our community, our country and our planet.
~ Nick Vengoni
If you are a LGBT/Queer person who is ready to heal your wounded heart, check out my workshop, “Reclaiming the Magic of Your Queer Power.”
It will next be offered for gay men in Los Angeles, April 13-15th.
Future dates for ALL queer people are coming soon.