Ali Owens | The Art of Empowered Living

I'm Ali, and I'm glad you're here! I've been a writer since I was old enough to hold a crayon, and this blog is where I share my experiences relating to personal growth, creativity, and social justice, in the hopes that my stories can inspire others.

Posts are sorted into three categories:

Personal Empowerment

Mental health, self-love, self-care, healing from trauma, growth, self-awareness, and body image.

Creativity & Expression

Poetry, photos, songs, art, and anything connected to the essential human practice of creating.

Liberation & Justice

Anti-racism, feminism, intersectionality, oppression, social justice, identity, and diversity.

Browse the blog topics below, search by tag, or learn more about me here. Thanks for stopping by!

All Posts
Personal Empowerment
Creativity & Expression
Liberation & Justice

Trauma is Valid. Period.

Despite having been diagnosed with PTSD, I have struggled for years to acknowledge the realness of my trauma, or the impact it has on me.

Permission to Be Human: Lessons from a Global Pandemic

The truth of who we are as human beings doesn't live within our clean kitchens or styled hair. The mess - THAT'S where we find our humanity.

Poem: Eves

We are told Eve ate the apple and the sky fell down so that we grow up fearing our own deep desires that would set us free if we let them.

5 Things I've Learned (So Far) As A 30-Something College Student

The education I'm receiving extends beyond academia and into the realm of self-awareness.

Unity. But First...a Reckoning.

I'm not willing to smile and make nice with people who think human rights for anyone are up for debate.

P.S. I'm Queer

I am queer. And after over a year of navigating the process of owning this piece of my identity...I finally came out publicly.

On Mental Illness, Medication, and Toxic Positivity

Depression has been making life difficult at the best of times and unmanageable at the worst. Why should I feel shame for taking meds?

The Power of Perspective (and How I Let It Convince Me I'd Failed)

In my last post, I shared how in 2004, I failed all my college classes and dropped out. Turns out, that's not what actually happened at all.

The Cage I Built - and How I'm Breaking Free

The saddest stories of all are those of the doors that remain closed for no reason other than that we don't even think to open them.

White People: 4 Questions for Diffusing Our Defensiveness About Race

When our defensiveness comes up in conversations about race, how do we deal with it and ensure we don't do harm?

Gifts From Quarantine: How the Great Pause Changed Everything

I've invested so much energy into trying to do, be, and have MORE that I never bothered to question whether what I actually needed was LESS.

A Thorough Examination of My Whiteness in a Racist Society

I haven’t done enough. I haven’t done NEARLY enough. And for that, I take full responsibility.

Poem: The Deep

Give me the deep / for I am comfortable in the pool of my own darkness / It no longer frightens me.

4 Tips for Speaking Up, Setting Boundaries, and Self-Advocating

I advocated for myself when other people did things that made me uncomfortable - and it did NOT go well. What now?

5 Ways to Feed the Inner Muse

What if, instead of just waiting around for the muse to show up...we simply invited her in?

Joy In Motion, Part 6: On Dismantling Shame

I've begun to advocate for the well-being of my fat body. That advocacy - that ownership - is a direct result of dismantling my shame.

Joy In Motion, Part 5: Nature, How I've Missed You

I loved exploring the mountains, partly because I love nature...and also partly because being fit and active made me feel morally superior.

Joy In Motion, Part 4: The Reawakening Body, and Everything That Comes With It

I'm noticing some shifts - most of which feel positive and empowering, and one that feels like a setback.

Winter: A Love Poem

"Hold on," says Winter, and taking a pause, she summons the snowfall and sits beneath it, letting things be as they are...

Joy In Motion, Part 3: What Does It Mean to Love My Body?

I want to be fully present in my body, and feel it, and move it…AND love it. All at the same time.

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being a student 3 posts
body image 8 posts
coming out 1 post
depression 6 posts
domestic violence 2 posts
epiphanies 7 posts
family 1 post
fatness 1 post
feminism 6 posts
LGBT 1 post
limiting beliefs 6 posts
living with intention 1 post
mental health 8 posts
mindfulness 5 posts
nature 1 post
ownership 10 posts
perfectionism 4 posts
personal growth prompts 5 posts
poetry 3 posts
politics 1 post
racism 4 posts
resistance stories 1 post
self advocacy 5 posts
self love 9 posts
self-awareness 16 posts
self-care 4 posts
sexual assault 1 post
social commentary 9 posts
spirituality 2 posts
tough stuff 7 posts
trauma 2 posts
witchery 1 post
wordsmithing 2 posts

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