Issue #4: Seeds of Authenticity
This newsletter shares peer stories that may touch on sensitive themes. While we hope these stories offer inspiration and connection, please remember that the Little Light Community Collective is not a mental health or crisis service.
Our content is based on personal lived experience and isn't a substitute for professional medical advice. Please take care of yourself as you read, and if you need professional support, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified provider or your local crisis service.
Quote
“Authenticity is the practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” - Brené Brown
Opening Note
Dear friends,
Welcome to the fourth edition of our Little Light Newsletter! We’re so grateful you’re here.
Not feeling accepted, welcomed, or like you truly belong can be incredibly challenging and hurtful. Often, it can lead us to put up a shield, making life feel more like a performance than something real. But there is something deeply beautiful about finding those rare spaces and people where you can safely let down your armour and simply be yourself… fully and completely. While we don't find this safety in every environment, when we do, it can be a powerful and transformative part of our healing journeys.
Think of it like a garden. We all carry unique seeds within us, and when we find the right conditions and the right people, we can truly begin to bloom at our own pace. Cultivating a space that values whole selves and encourages showing up authentically is at the very heart of what the Little Light Community Collective aims to do.
Of course, finding these spaces isn’t always easy. Stepping out of our comfort zones and choosing to share our true selves requires immense vulnerability. When I look at our storytellers—both those who have already shared and those we will welcome in the future—I am consistently moved by their incredible strength. It takes profound bravery to step forward, drop the armour, and reveal pieces of a journey that can be both deeply personal and vital to one’s identity. Witnessing this resilience is nothing short of inspiring, so a big thank you and shoutout to all storytellers who do this.
With that in mind, we are truly honoured and beyond happy to welcome our third Little Light of the Month, Snataya, into the Little Light Community Collective.
Snataya has been a foundational part of our community from the very beginning, being one of the first to follow, share, and support the Collective. In her story, authenticity and a deep connection to nature emerge as powerful paths toward finding a true sense of belonging and community. We are so incredibly grateful to celebrate her and share her light with you all this month.
Snataya
Snataya is a multipassionate creative and human rights advocate devoted to mental health and community engagement. She considers herself a student of life, learning to build her own path while deconstructing limiting beliefs.
As an event facilitator and content creator, she shines light on the world she wants to be part of and questions everything that comes her way through the lens of psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. A multilingual jack of all trades, Snataya explores life through many forms of creativity and expression - dance, storytelling, podcast...
Thank you for sharing this space and walking this path with us 💛
Kindly,
Lily Baker
Founder & Collective Lead
Little Light of the Month—Reflections through Expression, Snataya
“Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights”
I saw this quote while I was taking a walk towards my favourite park.
I love walking. Towards nothing. Just for the sake of it.
I started taking a lot of walks when my mental health was at its lowest.
My mind feels less heavy and my thoughts less overwhelming when I am in movement. As soon as I catch myself spiralling over things I can’t control, I put my shoes on and start putting one foot in front of the other till I get tired, usually with no specific direction.
With time, I’ve realized I often find myself in the same places: parks.
I love parks.
I love being surrounded by nature.
It has been a key factor in my healing journey. I’ve learnt to stay present, to observe my environment, and to realize how blessed I am, how blessed I feel we all are...
Neurodiversity has shaped a lot of my way of being, and yet it can often be a subject that is not discussed in today’s society.
It is even Iess of a conversation in communities that are still healing from the wounds of colonialism. One of the prevalent consequences is the need for control over people. After centuries of being taught how to behave through violence, it has become a tool, subconsciously or not, to put order into things or to have people follow a certain script.
For me, having ADHD has often meant feeling a lack of control. Because of this, I often felt that I didn’t fit the mold.
In fact, for as long as I can remember, I grew up thinking I wasn’t enough.
That’s the message I got from my surroundings: my way of acting was wrong, my way of thinking was wrong, my way of being was wrong. I couldn’t really speak my mind; therefore, I was always performing, but it was never enough. Whenever I made a mistake, I was reminded that nothing good was expected from me. All of this contributed to my belief that I would never be enough...
Now, I feel very fortunate for my strong-headed nature and, most importantly, for my resilience.
Something inside of me was loud about the fact that I wasn’t the issue and that one day I would find myself in places where I could be my whole self and be valued for it.
I’m happy to say I’ve found those places…
Over time, I’ve learned to pick myself up from any situation that made me feel like I had to be a certain way to be accepted, loved, or to deserve a space to fully be.
Now I hang in spaces that celebrate life in its many forms through its diversity and plurality.
For instance, participating in “Pass the Vibes Collective” events has been so fulfilling and healing to me. From the first moment, I felt included and valued. I wasn’t asked at any moment to prove myself or be anything but myself. Now I get invited to events just because my presence and energy are appreciated, and that warms my heart so much.
My inner child gets filled with love and joy.
We can often be told not to place too much importance on external validation because our own perception should be enough to determine our value. But for me, finding spaces that validate my existence and resonate with who I am has helped to build my confidence and made a real difference in my life, which I’ve felt with the LLCC.
Nature is also one of the spaces that makes me feel that way.
I’ve found pleasure in the art of noticing. Noticing how different trees are while coming from the same kind of seeds.
Seeing them lose and regain their leaves through the seasons, and always remaining majestic.
Trees inspire a lot of strength inside of me: I tell myself if they can go through rain and storms and still be able to flourish each time so beautifully, that means I can do it too.
When I am next to the river, I notice how water is able to move with ease, no matter what’s in its way. I notice how profound it can be in certain areas and be extremely light in others, to the point you can see through it.
It has taught me that I can be many things at the same time, and it all deserves space to flow with ease.
I notice the ducks, squirrels, bunnies, and all sorts of birds that live in harmony while being diametrically different.
They inspire me to believe that we, human beings, can also find a way to cohabitate while allowing everybody to be who they are here to be.
I know it is possible.
And the more I keep expressing myself in the full range of my being, the more I attract people who see life the same way.
Today I feel important, I feel valued, I feel love because I dare to be myself while everything around me has been encouraging me to stay small and predictable.
The sentence I saw in front of Amnesty International’s offices was actually written by Liu Xiaobo, and it fully states: “Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity, and the mother of truth,” and that explains the importance of expressing ourselves in the most authentic way possible...
I believe that freedom of expression is the source of humanity because nobody was brought on earth to be anything other than who they already are. For me, it is also the mother of truth because if we choose to be ourselves without following any script, we will all have a better idea of who we are as a collective.
~Snataya
Reflection
“I feel most authentic when I am ___”
If you’d like to share, we would love to hear from you. You can submit your reflection here. (Note: With your consent, we may feature your reflection in an upcoming issue to share your voice with the community.)
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Closing & Feedback
Thank you for being here and for reading our fourth issue. We are deeply grateful for your support and hope you’ll join us again next month on June 25th, 2026.
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How did this newsletter land with you today?
As a peer-led community, your voice matters deeply to us. Your reflections, feedback, and suggestions help us keep the light shining in the right direction.
We invite you to take a moment to share your thoughts here.
Thank you for reading and for being part of this circle of light.
Until next time,
Keep your little light burning.
✨Little Light Community Collective✨
