Embrace Boldness: Show Up Like a Hot Pink Highlighter

Show up like a hot pink highlighter: Bright and bold.

I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes I just have to step into the world like a hot pink highlighter—bold, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.

Now, let’s be clear: I am the queen of dark colors, of rich, deep tones and effortless neutrals. My closet is a shrine to black-on-black with an occasional pop of earth tones. But my ambition? My vision? My drive? Chile, those things are LOUD. Audacious. Uncontainable. My dreams walk into the room before I do, neon bright, unmissable, and refusing to shrink. And as the dreamer of these wild things, I have no choice but to be their fiercest advocate.

See, boldness is not just about how you show up in the world—it’s about how you fight for your place in it. It’s about how you hold space for your own audacity when the world wants you to tone it down. And for me? That means standing up, every single day, for a vision so big it makes people blink twice.

The Nerve to Dream THIS Big

Let’s talk about nerve. Because whew, the level of audacity it takes to dream beyond what the world has made room for? That’s another level.

I mean, let’s just break it down. Here I am, a single mother of six—raising kids with real lives, real needs, and real things going on. That alone is a full-time, overtime, every-single-day-of-my-life job. And yet, in the middle of all that, I had the nerve—the unmitigated gall—to write a book. Not just any book, but a deeply messy, profoundly honest, and undeniably transformative book that stretches almost 400 pages long. And let’s not even talk about what it took to get that book written—the late nights, the self-doubt, the life interruptions, and the battle between exhaustion and purpose.

But it didn’t stop there. Because I didn’t just write the book and sit pretty, waiting for it to make an impact. Oh no. I decided this book was going on tour. Not just a couple of stops, not just a cute little city-to-city thing, but a global tour. And here’s the kicker—it’s only partly about the book.

The real mission? Impacting the lives of 1 million women. One. Million. Women.
That’s right. I said it. And I meant it.

This tour is about inspiring, motivating, and reminding women of their power—at a time when I, too, am holding onto my own power with both hands. Because let me tell you something: this isn’t just about me pouring into other people. This is about us pouring into each other.

I need this as much as the women I’m showing up for. We need each other.

The Weight of Boldness

Now, let’s be real. Being bold ain’t easy. Showing up big and loud in a world that prefers women—especially Black women, especially mothers, especially those of us who don’t fit a neatly packaged narrative—to stay small? That’s exhausting.

It takes work to keep standing when life is trying to knock you over. It takes nerve to keep dreaming when the world is handing you reasons to quit. And it takes a whole lot of faith to believe in a vision that even the people closest to you don’t always understand.

But let me tell you something: playing small won’t save you. Shrinking won’t make life easier. And waiting for permission to be great? That’s a game nobody wins.

Boldness is an act of rebellion. It is a refusal to be erased. It is standing tall even when your knees shake.

Who’s Waiting for You to Show Up?

Here’s what I know: somewhere out there, there’s a woman who doesn’t yet know we exist. She doesn’t yet know that there’s a movement happening, a sisterhood being built, a revolution of women claiming their voices, their stories, and their futures without apology.

And that’s why we show up. That’s why we take up space. That’s why we refuse to be anything but bold.

Because boldness is contagious. The moment you step into your power, you give someone else permission to do the same. The moment you say, “Yes, I can,” you silence the world that told you, “No, you can’t.”

So, let this be a reminder: your boldness is necessary.

Your dreams are not too big. Your goals are not too ambitious. Your purpose is not too much.

The world needs your hot-pink-highlighter energy. Show up in all your audacity. Take up every inch of space you were meant to occupy. And if the world blinks twice? Good. That means they see you.

Now, Go Be Bold.

If nobody else says it, I will: You are not alone in this.
We are out here, pushing, stretching, bouncing back and bouncing forward.

And if you’re ready to step into your boldness, if you’re ready to be part of a sisterhood that doesn’t apologize for its power, then let’s do this together.

The Without Apology Tour is coming. And so are you.

Because some of us were never meant to be whispers.
We were meant to be neon lights, loud voices, and undeniable forces of nature.

And that? That takes some damn nerve.

ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Dr. Sagashus Levingston is an author, entrepreneur and PhD holder. She has two fur babies, Maya and Gracie, six children (three boys and three girls), and they all (including her partner) live in Madison, WI. She loves all things business, is committed to reminding moms of their power, and is dedicated to playing her part in closing the wealth gap for people of color and women. She believes that mothering is a practice, like yoga, and she fights daily to manage her chocolate intake. The struggle is real, y’all…and sometimes it’s beautiful.

Follow her on Instagram: @infamous.mothers