When I co-wrote Check Your Privilege: Live Into the Work, I didn’t realize how much this message would resonate with individuals navigating the complexities of privilege, identity, and justice. The phrase "live into the work" became a call to action—a challenge to move beyond performative allyship into embodied, intentional practice.

This blog, like the book, is an invitation to go deeper. It's not about perfection; it’s about showing up, learning, unlearning, and making mistakes along the way.

The Meaning of "Live Into the Work"

Living into the work is about being accountable to your humanity and the humanity of others. It’s a process of continuously acknowledging privilege, confronting biases, and engaging in actions that align with equity and justice. This journey isn’t linear, and it isn’t easy, but it’s essential.

In Check Your Privilege, I share the tools and reflections that helped me—and so many others—embrace this transformative journey. Living into the work means:

• Practicing empathy by listening to the lived experiences of others.
• Sitting with discomfort rather than avoiding it.
• Choosing accountability over defensiveness when confronted with our own complicity in systems of oppression.

Lessons Learned Along the Way

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that the work starts within. Many of us want to dive into activism or external change, but true progress begins with self-reflection and internal growth. This means asking hard questions:

• How does my privilege shape the way I move through the world?
• Where have I been complicit in maintaining systems of oppression?
• How can I practice humility as I learn from others?

The answers to these questions aren’t always clear or comfortable, but they’re necessary for growth.

Healing as a Collective Act

Healing isn’t something we do in isolation. It requires community—spaces where we can be vulnerable, accountable, and supported. In creating Check Your Privilege, I envisioned a community of co-collaborators working together to dismantle privilege and racism. This blog is an extension of that vision: a space to share resources, reflections, and stories that inspire action and connection.

Your Invitation to Begin Again

If you’re new to this journey or returning to it after stepping away, this is your invitation to begin again. Live Into the Work isn’t about a single moment of awakening; it’s about daily choices that reflect your commitment to justice and healing.

Let this space be a reminder that the work is ongoing, that it’s worth doing, and that none of us are alone in it. Together, we can heal forward and create a more just world.

Ready to live into the work? Share your reflections or questions in the comments. Let’s continue the conversation and the journey—together.