And living an intentional life is hard because it means reflecting on what you want, honoring your truth, and then bringing that truth in the world, even when the world around you may not support it or you don't completely understand.
And you don't only have to do that one time.
You have to do that your whole life.
You have to do that all the time.
And that's a very demanding existence.
So imagine walking through life knowing who you are, but not, not feeling like you can live as that person.
Well, that was how my guest today, Amara Jones, experienced pretty much the first half of her life before making a series of choices that would allow her to feel safe and supported stepping back into her own life on her terms.
Amara is the Emmy and Peabody Award winning founder of Translash media across platform journalism, personal storytelling, and narrative project, which produces content to shift the current culture of hostility towards transgender people in the US.
As part of her work at Translash, she hosts the Webby nominated translash podcast with Amara Jones, as well as the investigative limited series the Anti trans Hate Machine.
And in 2019, she chaired the first ever UN high level meeting on gender diversity and was featured on the COVID of Time magazine.
In 2020, as a part of its new Revolution special edition, she's held economic policy posts in the White House, communications positions at Viacom, and Amar's work as a host on air news analyst, contributor, and writer.
It's been featured everywhere from the Guardian, the Nation, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, to the mic and color lines, and really focuses on the full range of social justice and equity issues.
And we explore Amara's experiences growing up in a family and a culture where revealing and living her truth felt not just uncomfortable, but unsafe, and also how that experience is so universal to so many and how she made choices that effectively empowered her to reclaim a sense of agency and identity and purpose.
And we explore the power also of representation in media and stories and everyday life as a vehicle to open minds, conversation, and cultivate understanding, connection, and a sense of shared humanity we all long for, especially now.
So excited to share this conversation with you.
I'm Jonathan Fields, and this is good life project.
As we dive in, you're in New York.
It sounds like you've actually developed a love for both New York and Brazil and spent a fair amount of time traveling back and forth.
Is that right?
Yeah, I have.