Zerlina Maxwell

My mother reminded me that racism in America existed long before me and still will after me. But I don’t have to suffer in it.

Cut to now: I'm on my balcony overlooking the sea in Sicily, drinking espresso, filled with peace.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...

I tend to be guarded and most people can’t tell that anything is wrong. No one thinks I need any support so they rarely give me any. And that f*cking sucks.

At some point, I learned that the help and support I needed wasn’t coming.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/when-you-f...

This month, I wanted to give you an intimate look at my life as an American expat living in Palermo.

Some highlights from Oct:
-bachelorette weekend in Bari, Puglia
-Malta to work remotely for a week
-London to see VP Harris's book tour

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/photo-jour...

When I first started my healing journey, I thought the goal was to fix myself. I am always trying so hard to become better.

But the deeper I go, the more I realize: there was never anything broken to fix.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/when-you-f...

Getting sick, alone, in a foreign country is the worst. There’s no one to make me soup or who can prepare a bath. I’m an independent woman who has the responsibility to care for myself, but when I get sick - it sucks!

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...

I hope that my Substack content on mental health and my expat journey have helped you feel more grounded while the chaos of the world circles around all of us.

Consider this my invitation to become a paid subscriber: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/an-invitat...

Here’s what no one tells you when you start trying to build a slower life: slowing down costs energy. It’s intentional. It takes brain power to say no to the things I think I should do but don’t really have to. I don’t know how to sit still.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/slowing-do...

Lately, I’ve realized that even slowing down takes work.

Unlearning hustle culture isn’t one and done. It’s a battle between the part of my brain that thinks my value is in producing, and the part that knows my worth isn't earned through labor

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/slowing-do...

Excellent interview by @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social and @karinejean-pierre.bsky.social

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Hello Wednesday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: VA House Speaker Don Scott, Senator @warnock.senate.gov of GA, Rep-Elect @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social of AZ-07 & Author of Authentic, Jodi-Ann Burey!

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Hello Monday! W/ @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: #1 NYT Bestselling Author & Spiritual Teacher @gabbybernstein.bsky.social, TX-18 Special Election Candidate Jolanda Jones + @aclu.org National Security Project Director Hina Shamsi!

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Tuesday tidings! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: Fmr. White House Press Sec. & Author of the new book INDEPENDENT @karinejean-pierre.bsky.social, VA-01 Candidate @lisaforvirginia.bsky.social + @ilattygeneral.bsky.social!

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What I do to make $$ to pay my bills isn’t a focus of conversation in Sicily like it is in the U.S. and I often think about why. I have learned that the people I’ve met are not defined by their jobs like we are.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/unlearning...

Back in 2024, I read "Homecoming" by Dr. Thema Bryant.

The book teaches you to come back “home” to yourself. My late mother always talked about “soul care” and that we have to take care of our spirit.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...

In life, it’s not actually about sticking the landing. You're supposed to be on a continuous journey, evolving into something better. But perfect isn’t the goal, and I realize it never should have been.

It’s in the mess that the magic happens.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/letting-go...

🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Hello Thursday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: U.S. Senator from New Jersey @corybooker.com, @casten.house.gov of IL-06, @repdexteror.bsky.social of OR-03 + Rep. Jasmine Crockett of TX-30!

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The 1st sport I ever loved was gymnastics. I competed until I was 15 years old, spending hours training to be perfect.

It’s no surprise that I grew up striving for perfection, only to realize it was holding me back from the life I wanted.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/letting-go...

Hello Wednesday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: @govpritzker.illinois.gov of Illinois, @houlahan.house.gov of PA-06 + Author of The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare @eramalam.bsky.social!

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Tuesday w/ @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: National Security Analyst & Nuclear Expert @joecirin.bsky.social, U.S. Senate Candidate from Michigan @abdulelsayed.bsky.social + Veterans Education Success Senior Advisor Col. Bob Norton!

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I moved to Sicily without speaking any Italian.

And 1 of the lessons I’ve learned since is that I'm really afraid to suck. I live in fear of being bad at something and other people knowing it.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/moving-to-...

Hello Monday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: Author of Millennial Menopause Lauren Tetenbaum, Journalist for Stop the Presses on Substack @markjacob.bsky.social + U.S. Senate Candidate from Maine @jordanwood.bsky.social!

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Everything in life comes down to a decision: to go after your dreams, to start/end a relationship, to move to a new place.

That’s what happened to me but it was the universe sending me signs and me taking notice.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-signs-...

My entire Substack is about looking inward and working on yourself. But part of being a better person is being considerate of other people. Who cares if you’re able to heal and have an inner glow up if everyone thinks you’re a total jerk?

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/self-care-...

A few weeks ago, I had a moment of clarity.

I was sitting near people committed to their own comfort, at the expense of everyone else.

It was self-focus to the point of rudeness. As my late mother used to say, “Zerlina, you aren’t the only one that exists in the world.”

Read more, link in bio.

I'm a proud member of the 92% of Black women who voted for VP Kamala Harris in the '24 election.

We’ve always been on the frontlines of Democracy. While men get all the recognition, it's Black women who organized to ensure a better America with equity for all.

Read more at the link in my bio.

Talking to @danharris about meditation was a great opportunity. In particular, I loved hearing about how he started small and the ways in which he encourages us to do the same.

Listen to our full conversation on my Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/five-ways-...

I can't sit still. And it's been one of the biggest barriers to me for forming a regular meditation practice.

But I'm proud to say that I'm getting better. And I've found 5 tips that really work for getting into the habit: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/five-ways-...

Hello Monday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: Life Coach Lauren Handel Zander for #MentalHealthMonday, Congressional Candidate for CA-40 @lisaramirez.com + Congressional Candidate for CA-48 @marnivonwilpert.bsky.social!

☎️ 866-997-4748
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At my lowest points of grief I’ve come back to this question over and over, even when the idea of being happy seemed so far out of reach: Who am I to want to be happy, when in the midst of grief, the most you could hope for is to get out of the bed or eat food?

Read more at the link in my bio.