*I originally shared this on my personal Facebook account but I thought it warranted some space here as well. Warning: This post is about sexual assault and may be emotionally triggering.

I’ve been thinking about sharing my #metoo story lately and honestly, it scared me. I was scared to be embarrassed, I was scared to make people that I love (and happen to be Facebook friends with) sad for me, I was scared to offend and then it occurred to me, THAT’S why this is important

Sexual assault and sexual harassment are things that I’ve been pretty publicly vocal about denouncing but I’ve never shared my personal experiences with most of the people in my life (even a few of those closest to me). When I came across #metoo this weekend I was shocked to see the swell of stories from women I know, women I admire, and women I respect flood the internet. While I have always known the scope of sexual violence and how it has touched most of the women in my life, there is something about seeing the numbers that is downright overwhelming. As this trend of sharing spreads, you may see similar posts, tweets or news stories pile up and I urge you to pay close attention. Keep a mental tally of all the women YOU know and love and respect and admire whose lives have been rocked by sexual assault. It will confront you. And it should. Giving a voice to pain and wrong-doing is how we start to change things. Acts of bravery will be the way we move forward.

While this may not be the best avenue for sharing these things, I thought I’d lay bare a few (but nowhere close to all) of my personal experiences with sexual harassment and assault in the hopes that they might arm you with a little truth.

I was once approached by a very aggressive man whilst pumping gas. My daughter was in the car, with the window rolled down, no more than a foot away from me. It was daytime and there were policemen parked at the next pump over. The man came up, tried to initiate an inappropriate conversation and when I refused to engage he exposed his penis to me, in front of my toddler. The police men laughed and did nothing to help as I drove away shaking.

In a foreign country, with my husband walking directly in front of me, a man I hadn’t so much as made eye contact with passed by me in a crowded nightclub and inserted his fingers into my body without my consent.

At a very young age an equally small boy forcibly “played house” with me.

After denying their propositions, I have been tirelessly asked by strange men “You’re not allowed to have friends? Your boyfriend doesn’t let you have friends?” as if the presence of a man in my life is the only thing that would stop their advances.

I have been approached to inquire about my pricing for the night.

I’ve been pressured into doing things I was uncomfortable doing by boys who prey on teenage girls at a time when they’re still learning to exist in their bodies and still figuring out their worth.

I am uncomfortable going most places alone and my pace quickens when I am in a room with men I do not know. Sometimes I call my husband or sister as a precaution to say, “I am here. They are also here. We are alone.” Sometimes I make them stay on the phone. Sometimes I say things out loud like, “You’re outside? Awesome! See you in a minute,” even though it’s not true.

As you read stories like mine from women woven into all aspects of your life, please think about the ways you act out against and speak up for our safety. I hope that it’s often and loudly. I hope that it’s unwavering.

Stop defending predatory language and repackaging it as “locker room” talk. It’s unacceptable.

Stop defending us as your mothers or your sisters or your daughters but protect us as human beings with the same right to safety as you instead.

Stop yelling overtly sexual things at us as we walk down the street like it’s a compliment and we should be grateful to be lusted after by you.

Stop chalking it all up to something that’s normal and banal. The fact that harassment and assault feel normal is the root of the problem.

To all of the women (and men) sharing stories of sexual assault, I see you. I value you. You are brave.

To all of the women (and men) that aren’t yet ready to share their stories, I see you too. You are no less brave. #metoo

To say it's been a hard week for the world would be a massive, misleading understatement. I've been going back and forth with myself for days about whether or not to say anything here about the tragedy in Charlottesville or what I might say when I did finally decide to speak out. In the past I've penned a pretty laid-back blog with a lot of focus on frivolity and minimal polarizing content but this year things have changed... I've started delving into weightier topics. I've written about things like the grief of losing my mother and my struggles with body image. I've realized, now more than ever, that I have a responsibility to this space to take big stands and create a platform on which the hard discussions can happen.

This week, the violent actions of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and white nationalists at the Unite the Right rally and the disappointing reaction of our American President have left me completely stunned. I'm bowled over. It's absolutely preposterous to me that I even have to make a declaration like this but here it goes: White supremacy and racism have no place here. They will not be tolerated and they are basely immoral, disgusting and completely unfounded. If you don't like that, you can leave. You see, now is the time to be mad. To be enraged. To make bold declarations and to follow through.

How do we live in a country where ACTUAL Nazis and Klansmen are allowed to demonstrate their particular brand of hate IN 2017 and cause the violence that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer? How have we allowed men like Deandre Harris to be beaten in the streets? How has our president NOT gone out of his way to publicly state that this is inequitably wrong? I realize racism is an omnipresent part of our history but I'm devastated that we've made it to this point. If you're being oppressed, please know that I stand with you. Please know that this is a space where Black Lives Matter and racism will not be condoned.

In the months since Trump's term began I've had a lot of difficult conversations with different people. I've tried to convince relatives, people I see casually around town and complete strangers that there is no other appropriate side of history to be on than the side of equality. While I've always been privy to racism, the rapid integration of social media has exploded my bubble from the inside and opened my eyes to just how great the divide is. Now more than ever we're acutely aware of our neighbors inner most thoughts and it really sheds a light on the twisted ideology that has been lying beneath the surface all along. I'm hoping that we can all realize just how wrong supremacy is and use this as an opportunity to unite against evil together.

I want to start a conversation because I am truly interested in what you have to say. How are you feeling about everything happening in the world right now? Where do you think we go from here? How can we help / change this? I think we start here:

1. Understand what's happening and how we got here. We watched this video right after the rally and I could hardly hold it together.

2. Educate yourself with articles like this and this one and information about the African American Civil Rights movement.

3. Register to vote and use your voice to enact change. Call your representatives and be a champion of your values.

4. Attend rallies and events near you to stand in solidarity with Charlottesville.

5. Donate to the United Charlottesville Victim Relief fund.

6. Talk to your relatives and neighbors, especially if they're part of the problem.

7. Support minority owned businesses.

8. Raise racially conscious children.

You might have noticed but lately I've been obsessed with sharing spaces that I pique my interest. Since moving into our new blank canvas of a home, I've been in need of a serious interior kick in the pants and filing away images of gorgeous rooms has helped me find my inspiration big-time. Today's home tour is one that I've been wanting to share for a while... I've seen photos of Serena's California fixer-upper on all of the best sites this year and wanted to compile them all together in one easy to drool over place for you!

Serena Mitnik-Miller is one of my favorite insta-muses, the founder of General Store (alongside friend Hannah Henderson... I shared a peek into her home a few weeks ago), a mother and an incredibly talented artist. Along with her husband, Mason, Serena has created an oasis for her family in the Malibu-adjacent town of Topanga Canyon. Their carefully curated, light-filled abode is the perfect mix of useful design and beauty, boasting objects that are both functional and oozing with the vintage bohemian aesthetic that General Store has become famous for.

Keep scrolling for a VERY photo heavy tour of this perfect space:

photos via Mother Mag, Apiece Apart, Jenni Kayne & Honestly WTF