We are ONE WEEK away from our next Pride and Joy Parent Event: An Evening with Nicole Gress. This event will give affirming adults an opportunity to learn just how important voice is in mental health. They will be there to answer all your questions, share her story and we are sure her contagious energy will inspire conversations well beyond our event. 

We had a moment to sit down and chat more about Undead Voice and hear directly from Nicole for this week's blog post about some of the background of Undead Voice and why they started it as well as a dive into mental health for the trans and nonbinary community. Nicole also graciously shares resources you can come back to.

And for even more information about Undead Voice, Nicole's expertise, and some of their personal journey, don't forget we kicked off Season 3 of our podcast, Out of Queerisotiy with Nicole, so make sure to have a listen! 

What do you love most about the work you do at Undead Voice?

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Authenticity and its Importance for Queer Joy

by Naomi Mendes-Pouget

Have you ever heard the word ‘authentic(ity)’ and thought, what does it really even mean!? Am I authentic? Why is it such a buzzword these days?

As someone who lives and breathes the pursuit of authenticity both personally as a genderqueer woman and professionally as a Life & Business Coach, I’m thrilled to be here today discussing this incredibly powerful topic with you! Thank you, Pride & Joy Foundation, for having me!!

In this post, I’ll use the term Queer+ to address all of us on the non-conforming gender and sexuality spectrum.

Let me know how it lands! DM me on instagram @naomi_authentically.

-XO Naomi (she/they) Mendes-Pouget

What is Authenticity, and What Gets in the Way of it?

First, it’s important to explore authenticity as a verb, rather than as an adjective. Authenticity is an active CHOICE to BE visible, transparent, and truthful as we move through our...

It’s safe to say that it is not uncommon for many people to get to a point in one’s career when they finally realize that there is so much that they still don’t know. 

When your career is just beginning, it’s easy to be a bit naive, star-struck, and wide-eyed, or fully determined to prove your worth to the boss and yourself. You might become preoccupied with “earning your stripes” or taking up your rightful space in the conference room. 

Let’s pause for a moment and hear about Jax* 

*Names changed for confidentiality reasons

Jax* (they/them) has worked their way up the ladder at their company ACME Marketing*. It was their second job out of college and they truly loved the position. When Jax decided to come out as non-binary, the company was really great about changing their name in the HR system and normalizing the use of pronouns for all employees. It was an ideal scenario.  

It’s 2023 and Jax has already been...