Hi, Reader!

Last week, I took the grand majority off to attend my little brother's wedding in NC and as a result, I was offline most of the week.
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For that, I'm so grateful because likely, like you - when I returned to social, my feed felt like a firestorm filled with fear & fear-mongering, mudslinging, people getting cancelled, and a mix of helpful and harmful posts.

This isn't our first rodeo with this and it seems each election cycles get more and more intense. I've been slowly processing what this election means to me and more importantly, what it means for others.
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​That's what guided my vote the most.

I voted for women's rights even though I'm done having babies (I got my tubes removed this year).
I voted for LGBTQIA+ rights even though I'm in a heterosexual, cis-gendered marriage.
I voted for gun reform even though we own guns that rarely see the light of day.
I voted for tax cuts for the middle class and taxing the rich even if that means I'll be taxed more in the future.
I voted for a sustainable path to US citizenship even though I'm a natural born citizen.
I voted for sustainable healthcare even though I have Tricare for life from being a military family for 20+ years.
Just to name a few....

And even though almost half of the American public voted the same, my opposing party still won by a slim margin.

I've been oscillating between despair and hope just like Republicans would be had Harris won and one thing I will never stand for is dismissing someone else's concerns or fears no matter what side of the aisle someone lives on.

• Republicans voted for the version of the country they want to see because Harris's version scared them of what could happen as a result.
• Democrats voted for the version of the country they want to see because Trump's version scared them of what could happen as a result.

The truth is, American politics today give us few options for voting for what we really want and instead encourage us to vote against what we fear.

Everyone loses in this situation, in my opinion.

I'm personally very concerned about another Trump presidency and the people he's appointing into office; especially their experience for such important roles. And also, the last time he was elected my fear took me out for weeks greatly disrupting my productivity and emotional regulation when that's not how I'm going to roll this time around.

My work is to stay as emotionally grounded as possible and be an anchor point for others who DO have so much to lose with new policies.

• The truth is, there will be some good that comes from this presidential term. There will also be GRAVE rollbacks as more things move to the state level. Maybe not all of that is bad. But definitely some things WILL BE bad as we've already seen with the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

So many things hang in the balance from the validity of people's marriages whether they're LGBTQIA+, interracial, or immigrants (lawful or not). Women's health and safety from both a legal & cultural perspective is more at risk than ever before. The whole "your body, my choice" narrative fires me up like I've never felt before!!!

And there are so many posts that come across my feed that make me want to cry and feel afraid of where we'll be 4 years from now. Please know that! I'm feeling that deeply.

And also, I'm trying to hold onto my greatest hope that with the Republicans controlling the Presidency, the House, and the Senate, that they'll smartly adopt the most popular Democratic policies to maintain power the next election cycle.

• I'd love to see both parties working together to remove the toxins and poisons from our food!
• I'd love to see both parties working together to remove NRA funding from politics and outlaw assault rifles to mitigate mass shootings.
• I'd love to see a war on fentanyl across the board and more funding being put toward mental health.
• I'd love to see both parties support women's right to choose instead of letting religion dictate what a woman can and cannot do and truly honoring separation of Church from State as this country was originally founded.
• I'd love to see both parties find value in social-emotional learning because a more empathetic society benefits everyone's mental health!!
• I'd love to see both parties protect health insurance and drive down the cost of big pharma.
• Hell, I'd love to see term limits for all our representatives and get rid of lifelong politicians and return to true civil servants!

I do not claim to be an expert on any of these things nor do I believe everyone has to agree on everything. However, there are always crisp lines we all need to draw on what we won't tolerate in our spaces.

Earlier this year, I rewrote my community engagements based on my years of DEI work. Where I landed was including a section titled "Political Differences".

It reads:

Earlier 2016 me would have been explicit that, you too, must hold all of my beliefs. My viewpoint has softened on that over the years, but that does not change what I expect and uphold inside my spaces to protect my clients, my company culture, and the safety I want the most marginalized people to feel inside my communities.

My work is to support more women, femme, and other underrepresented entrepreneurs in creating sustainable business growth. My work is supporting more representation when it comes to wealth, especially creating more diversity in the middle class, upper-middle class, and upper class to ensure we have more equitable decision making power that funds systemic change. My work is to take a stand for the things I believe in and the world I wish to create so you know where you're putting your dollars when you invest with me.

While others are asking their communities to unsubscribe if they don't align, that's not my ask for you today.

Instead, my ask is to get curious about the very real fears people are feeling right now if you happened to vote for a Trump term. My ask is to hold him and his party accountable for building the freest, most loving America we can. And to take the time you need to feel your feelings, find your own sustainable path of advocacy because it's intense out there right now, and find the helpers and healers you can trust for where we go from here.

I will never have all the answers, but I will always sit with you in the questions. I believe in us no matter what!!

I believe Trump has shown small signs of growth. I also believe a lot of his appointments feel very Project 2025-ish, which should alarm us all! I'm right there with you hoping for the best ❤️

To our success always,

Megan Hale, MA ​Scaling Strategist for Social Entrepreneurs​ ​Founder of DreamMoney™​ ​Creator of the 2% Pledge​