Braver Collective

“People are drowning in plain sight.
People are breaking behind polite smiles.
People are begging to be seen without saying a word.
If we loved each other right,
if we treated each other like souls instead of scenery, hurt would be less triggering.
if we cared before the tragedy”

Ebony’s story is a heavy but necessary reminder: we are so often walking through life drowning in plain sight, waiting for anyone to notice and hold the pain with us.

To anyone reading this who is quietly carrying that weight: You are seen. You are not alone in the deep end.

🔗 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 "𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐲:"
https://bravercollective.org/stories/inspiration-for-ebony

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐨: Jade Thornsburg is an author, student, and advocate for individuals affected by domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual abuse. Her work focuses on mental health, generational trauma, and resilience, giving voice to experiences that are often overlooked.

Have you ever been working and realize you’ve just been blankly staring at your screen for an unknown amount of time?

For survivors, the workplace isn’t just a place to “get things done,” it is a sensory minefield. Between open floor plans and the constant pressure to be "on," our bodies can quietly decide we aren’t safe, triggering a state of Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn.

When your nervous system is occupied scanning for danger, productivity and focus doesn’t just feel hard; it feels impossible.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐲.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 “𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛.”

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.

Whether you’re stepping into your first internship or you’ve been navigating office dynamics for years, masking a trauma response can be exhausting. It takes a specific set of tools to move from just “getting through the day” to actually feeling settled and safe in your space.

In the latest insight article by Karina Davila, she shares 5 practical tips for navigating the workplace as a survivor.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://bravercollective.org/resources/5-tips-for-navigating-your-workplace-as-a-survivor

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Karina Davila is a designer, researcher, artist, and writer whose life and work are shaped by her experience as a survivor of child sexual abuse. She channels that truth into advocacy, education, and healing—believing deeply in the power of design and storytelling to shift culture, spark conversation, and create the conditions for genuine connection and safety.

Your story is not a collaborative project. It belongs to YOU.

As survivors, we know that trauma can continue in the "after." It lives in the moments when our truth is bartered, whispered away, or rewritten by people who weren’t even there. It is a theft of reality, when those closest to us decide what happened to us before we’ve even had the chance to process it ourselves.

Today, we hold space for Isabel’s "My Never Ending Nightmare.” We honor the strength it takes to rebuild a reality that others tried to tear down. By witnessing Isabel’s story, we begin to reclaim the right to our own narratives.

Healing requires us to stop accepting the stories told about us so we can finally make room for the stories told by us. This is how we take our power back.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, "𝐌𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞," 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://bravercollective.org/stories/my-never-ending-nightmare

Isabel Morgan currently serves as an Officer in the United States Air Force, continuing to develop her creative practice alongside her career. Her work is informed by themes of duty, identity, and perspective, bringing a thoughtful and distinctive voice to contemporary writing.