Earlier this week, I was invited to give a few words at the launch of Hispanic Image Magazine’s 25 Women of Legacy — Rhode Island Edition. It was a wonderful and intimate gathering celebrating 25 remarkable women in the state of Rhode Island. Of course, I went off script. Not because I am difficult—I promise I am not—but because when I started writing down what I know, or perhaps more accurately, what I feel about legacy, a few questions came to mind. I am an ’80s cool kid. W

What if being nice isn’t the same as being kind? A personal reflection on the messages we’re taught about being agreeable, the cost of always keeping the peace, and learning that kindness doesn’t require self-abandonment.

What if walking away isn't failure, but self-respect? We're taught to wear endurance like a badge of honor — to stay longer, push harder, tolerate more. But what happens when perseverance becomes permission to remain unhappy? Sometimes the bravest thing a woman can do is stop proving she can survive it and start asking whether she should have to. Read the latest on Marca Mujer.