Dawn McCoy Instagram – My dear friend, designer @Ripleyrader, sent me this hat with this message and the most thoughtful handwritten note telling me why she’s welcoming me into her “Take Up Space” army, comprised of women who aren’t afraid to do just that…TAKE UP SPACE. In her beautiful handwriting, she thanked me for being kind in an unkind world and said “Your heart, joy, fierceness, love & resilience is a lighthouse for every woman who knows you.” Well, I don’t know about that, but thank you, my friend.☺️ What I DO know is this: We, as women, do need to take up space… To refrain from making ourselves small to make others feel more comfortable… And to refuse to dim our shine to make others feel brighter. Doing this serves no one and does not make this world a better place. Taking up space means sharing our stories – the good, the great, the bad and the horrific. By sharing our stories, we help teach other women that they can live through something seemingly unsurvivable because WE have. Thank you all for following me here on social media, for listening to me share my story (the parts of it I can share for now) and thank you for sharing your stories with me. I read every single message – even when I don’t have time to craft a thoughtful reply. 🫶 And, thank you Ripley for reminding us to take up space. I intend to keep doing just that so that my space can help make room for those women and children who have a hard timing claiming their own. 🖤🤍🩵🩷 Los Angeles, California