The Master’s Tools Are Burning. Good.

“I am not fragile like a flower. I am fragile like a bomb.” -  Frida Kahlo

I had a conversation with a dear friend the other day that got me so fired up, I had to write. She reminded me of something Audre Lorde said- we cannot dismantle the master’s house and rebuild it with the master’s tools.

And right now? The house is burning.

Institutions are crumbling. Systems are breaking. And I’d like to believe that what we’re watching is the patriarchy taking its final, desperate breath. Grasping with all its might.

And it should be scared. Welcome to 2025.

This is the most autonomy, choice, power, and freedom that women have ever had in the history of humanity. Even in past matriarchal societies, women didn’t have what we now hold.

And this kind of freedom? Is still incredibly recent.

Some basic examples... it wasn't until the 1970s that women in the U.S. could even open a bank account or get a credit card without a man’s signature. In France, it wasn’t until 1965 that women could legally work or open a bank account without their husband’s approval.

Today, we can launch empires from our laptops. Create communities that span continents. Start nonprofits, ignite revolutions, or run for office. (Have y’all seen 25-year-old Deja Foxx running for Congress in Arizona? Queen.)

Many of us are doing exactly that- rising into our callings, shaping new paradigms, and living expansive lives.

As Women Rise, Current Systems Panic

And with that freedom? Comes fear. Panic, actually- from the men whose systems are threatened.

Cue the backlash: the reversal of reproductive rights. The rise of incels. The “lonely men epidemic.”

News flash: this is evolution. This is natural selection. Your genes are no longer required. Thank youuuu, next.

Of course, this freedom is still not global. In Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, women still cannot vote, drive, or access education freely. In some regions of the United States, women can be prosecuted for miscarrying.

But the fire is spreading. The recognition that women are full, autonomous human beings is underway. And the fact that this is still up for debate in 2025? Wild.

We Cannot Rebuild with Broken Tools

What do we do when we can’t build a new world with the same broken scaffolding?

The electoral college, the two-party system, the very foundation of our government- these are patriarchal tools, forged in systems of capitalism, white supremacy, and religious control. They weren’t made for us. They weren’t made for liberation.

And they certainly weren’t made for equity.

The Liminal Space

So what does it mean to live in this moment between breakdown and breakthrough?

Honestly- I don’t know what’s in store for humanity. Day to day I feel activated, inspired, thriving in my purpose. Yet, when I stop and pause, there’s a constant panicked scream echoing through my nervous system.

If you don’t feel that on some level, you’re probably doing a good job of burying your head in the sand- and I kind of love that for you. But it’s not an option for me.

Because I’m in it. Because I’m part of the maternal health revolution.

That’s my lane. And it requires me to stay alert, nose up, toes up, flowing down the white waters of change. 

We are in a Deep State of Transition

I feel like as a society we’ve been riding the waves of labor pain for years. Decades. And now? We are in the thick of it.

I may only think in birth metaphors, but I feel like we are at 8 centimeters dilated. Deep, consuming transition. The moment in labor when even the strongest birthing person says, “I can’t do this anymore.” But as birthworkers, we know: that means the baby is close. That means transformation is near.

Our job is to help her focus, release, surrender, and birth.

We, the global collective, are in that transition now. And we need to figure out how to push through the pain.

Surrendering doesn’t mean giving up. It means planning. Road-mapping. Dreaming- collectively, courageously, and wildly.

Because what comes next is birth. And if we do this right, we build anew- with tools of our own making.

Bring on the Kali energy. Let it burn. And from the ashes, we build on fertile ground.

And when I say ours- I mean WOMEN. RISE. THE. FUCK. UP.

If women were in leadership, we wouldn’t have war or genocide. Full stop. War exists because it feeds the war machine- Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, oil companies. It’s not about peace. It’s about profit and plunder.

Women in power would never.

When women lead, communities are more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable. Study after study proves this. So why are only 13 countries led by women?

So I say again: women, it’s time. Step into the power your ancestors prayed for.

I am a Millennial Woman

I am a Millennial woman, raised in the afterglow of the 20th century’s social movements. We were told we could do anything. We agreed without hesitation . Women now earn nearly 60% of college degrees in the U.S. And the more educated a woman is, the less likely she is to marry. These choices, recently unimaginable, are now reality.

We have opportunities our foremothers could only dream of.

The Next Wave

I think of all the women in history who never got the chance to live their potential. And now, here we are- living in a world they couldn’t even imagine. But we still have so, so much work to do.

This is the next wave of feminism. A wave rooted in equity. In intersectionality. In the recognition that Black and queer women shift culture in a way no one else can. And when Black women rise, we all rise. Because they were always forced to forge their own tools.

This attack we are feeling is nothing new to BIPOC communties. They have always been fighting for basic human recognition from societies that have profited from their expoitation.

And white women- we have a lot of work to do. Historically, we’ve been on the wrong side of things too often. In 2016, 47% of white women voted for He Who Shall Not Be Named. In 2020, it was 55%. In 2024, early data suggests 53%.

That’s not just a mistake. That’s a symptom of deep-rooted internalized patriarchy and white supremacy. Stockholm syndrome? Maybe. Brainwashing? Definitely.

To my fellow white women: we have upheld capitalism, the patriarchy and white supremacy. We were owned, also literally as property, and in our suffering, we turned that ownership outward- inflicting harm on Black and brown women. It’s time to face that truth and do better. And good news- so many ways to do so!

So I return to my lane: birthwork.

At Wombs of the World, we believe that the maternal health revolution is one of the most powerful levers for global change, and that supporting mothers is how we begin to heal the world.

I happen to be hyper focused on birth, but it is only a piece of a much larger systemic puzzle. We need the other pieces… of fighting climate change, ending genocides, regulating Ai, accessing healthcare (this list could be very very long).

Because none of this matters if the planet burns before our children can grow up.

We are in a time when our choices matter more than ever. The decisions we make in the next 3 to 5 years will shape whether seven generations forward can thrive- or whether we are in the start of the apocalyptic movie we have all watched for decades now. 

When I start to spiral (like now) I come back to purpose: I am here to support mothers. Because birth is the foundation of everything. It is the mirror of our society. Because how we treat mothers is how we treat humanity.

And right now, mothers are dying, isolated, traumatized.

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 287,000 women die each year from pregnancy and childbirth complications- 80% of which are preventable. The highest rates are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. However, in the U.S., Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women- even when controlling for income and education. The U.S. has a RISING maternal mortality rate- and it will only get worse with lack of healthcare.

Maternal health is one of the clearest indicators of a society’s wellbeing. And it is so ready for a makeover. And it is a global issue we can all, every single person who has been born, can get behind.

Rise, Rebuild, Repeat

So what’s the point of improving birth if the planet is burning? If there’s no livable world for our children to inherit?

I reject the Boomer narrative that “every generation thinks it’s the end.” They feared nuclear war. We fear that too- but also school shootings, climate collapse, AI surveillance states, billionaires colonizing Mars, and entire cities flooding that were supposed to be safe.

But I won’t spiral.

Because I come back my lane.

This is where I fight.

I channel my fear into action.

Birthwork is revolutionary.

Gentle birth is resistance.

And women- when we rise together, we are a tidal wave they cannot stop.

So, I ask you- what is your lane? What fires you up?