Softness Is Not a Setback

There’s a story women are handed, sometimes gently, sometimes with a blade.

That to be soft is to be weak.

That tenderness will get you trampled.

That gentleness is something you unlearn on the road to power.

We are taught to armor up.

To trade empathy for efficiency.

To become competent, collected, unbothered.

To smile politely while shrinking inside.

And we learn—quietly, shamefully—that softness must be earned.

After the inbox is cleared.

After the body is controlled.

After the work is done.

But here’s the truth: Softness is not the opposite of strength.

It is the evidence of it.

Because in a culture that rewards exhaustion and speed,

Softness is rebellion.

It takes courage to slow down when the world is rushing.

It takes wisdom to stay tender when life is sharp.

It takes strength to feel, fully.

We see it in the mothers who stop apologizing for needing rest.

In the women who cry in meetings and still lead with grace.

In the ones who say,“I’m not here to grind. I’m here to heal.”

“I’m not performing resilience anymore. I’m choosing presence.”

This isn’t weakness.

This is unlearning.

This is the great remembering.

What if we stopped seeing softness as a step backward?

What if we stopped trying to prove we could keep up with systems that were never built for us?

What if we stopped apologizing for our feelings, our needs, our slowness, our warmth?

Because here's what I know: Soft women start revolutions.

Soft women raise whole communities.

Soft women don’t need to be hardened to be powerful.

Let this be the season you let your softness lead.

Let this be the moment you stop translating your wisdom into palatable bites for people who don't understand it.

Let your softness be the thing that guides you home.

You were never made to be steel.

You were made to be soil—rich, alive, and full of life-giving power.