The Weight of Words

Growing up, I was always a reader. I could lose myself in a book—not just mesmerized by the characters, but completely transported to the worlds within the pages. My family will tell you this wasn’t limited to books; I did the same with television. I didn’t just watch stories unfold—I lived in them. Maybe it was this deep love of storytelling that made me so acutely aware of the power of words. A few letters strung together can shape a person’s life, shift entire movements, or even change the course of history. And when words are paired with tone and tenor, they carry even more weight.

Throughout my life, I’ve tried to align my actions and relationships with the values I name. But recently, I was reminded that words alone don’t guarantee values alignment. I relearned—painfully—that actions are the tone and tenor of our words. Actions are what turn an innocuous phrase into something transformative. And when those actions distort or weaponize the very words that define our core beliefs, speaking up becomes an act of courage—one that comes with consequences.

Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Belonging. Justice. These words represent, to me, the best of what we can offer one another. Living by them means curating environments where diverse perspectives are valued, opportunities are distributed equitably, and voices are amplified rather than silenced. Yet, despite my commitment to these principles, I found myself in a situation where I was teaching about them—while also, through my own inaction, allowing team members to be tokenized, mocked, and subjected to coercive power dynamics. Realizing this was a gut punch.

I was scared. It was my turn to take action, to stand up, to speak out. And yet, I knew—more than ever—that raising my voice about diversity, equity, and inclusion would be met with allowable disdain, dismissiveness, and retaliatory silence.

In the end, my choice was clear. I knew the risks of speaking up. I also knew the risks of staying silent. And while speaking up came with direct retaliation—gaslighting, performative head nods, words of appreciation that masked quiet resistance—I also knew that the cost of not speaking up, of betraying my values, was far too high.

So yes, words matter. Read the mission and vision statements of organizations. Ask your friends, your family, your networks about their values. But watch for the tone and tenor of how those words manifest in action. Walking the path of values alignment isn’t easy. I won’t shame anyone for making difficult choices in this chaotic moment in time. But I do implore you to ask yourself: Are your actions reflecting what you claim to stand for?

Because in the end, even the most eloquent speaker is remembered not for their words, but for what they do. And that is what shapes our stories.

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TL;DR: Words have power, but actions give them meaning. Despite my deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, I found myself in a situation where my silence allowed harmful behaviors to persist. Speaking up came with retaliation, but staying silent would have meant betraying my values. True alignment isn’t just about what we say—it’s about what we do. If we want to live by our principles, we must ensure our actions reflect them, because in the end, we are remembered not for our words, but for how we live them.

Words have weight. Some build, others break. Choose wisely.