Raquel Willis is an activist, author, and media strategist whose work focuses on Black transgender liberation. Willis joins Cleo Wade today to talk about her debut memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom, and making peace with her younger self while chipping away at the idea of wanting to tell a "pristine" story. They also talk about the moment Willis' path into activism became clear, and her advice for those who are afraid of saying the wrong thing in the journey toward collective liberation. (To hear more from Willis, tune into her new podcast series, Afterlives.) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices