Towanda Wellbeing

On June fourteenth, I stepped into the Rotunda at Union Terminal in Cincinnati—that vast, breathtaking space where history breathes through the walls, where art and time hold each other. This is where refugees and Holocaust survivors once passed through, seeking safety and new life. And on that evening, it held space for something sacred: the Upstander Awards, a ceremony honoring people whose courage and character strengthen our community.

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲—𝗧𝗼𝘃𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗵𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘅. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀—𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗧𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗧𝗼𝗸. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱: 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻?

And we listened. Her mother's words echoed in the room: Remember. Don't forget us.
After the ceremony, I sat with her, held her hand, and looked deeply into her eyes. I thanked her for her courage. She looked at me and said simply: I don't have a choice. If I don't tell everyone these things, who will? It must be me.

Her refusal to let the world forget is a call to all of us. To turn inward and ask: What are we carrying that we've forgotten? What ancestral traumas live inside us—perpetuating mistruths and hatred we don't even see anymore?

This is where energy medicine becomes essential. When we heal these wounds, we create safety in our own bodies. We remember who we actually are. Upstanding is not a calling or a badge to wear. It is who we are.

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼𝘃𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁 @𝘁𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 @𝘁𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺.