Zerlina Maxwell
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zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social
Zerlina Maxwell
@zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social
@siriusxm Radio Host: Mornings with Zerlina.
Channel 127 Weekdays 7-9am ET

Subscribe - https://zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/
Birthdays are equal parts gratitude and grief, especially since my mother passed. She was always the first person to call on my birthday.

Now the silence is deafening. I wake up on my birthday knowing she won't call. And I always cry.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/its-my-bir...
November 14, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Every year, my birthday sneaks up on me, even though I know it's coming. And every year, I tell myself I’m fine.

That I’m living the life I intentionally chose and I’m leaning into joy. But every year, I wake up, and I cry.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/its-my-bir...
November 12, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I had an interaction with a celebrity recently in the streets of Palermo, Sicily, and it sparked so much joy.

It made me remember to look up from my phone, because that’s when the magic happens!

Read more about glimmers of magic: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
There's an American phrase that sparks so much discussion: work-life balance. It’s a catch all to describe a life that includes productivity, work, joy, and fun. Why is achieving this balance so hard? Why have we been conditioned to chase it?

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
November 7, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Zerlina Maxwell
TODAY: Special repro rights roundtable 'The Geography of Freedom: Where You Live Now Decides Your Rights' w/ Chelsea Clinton, @reprorights.org President Nancy Northup & @reproductivefreedomforall.org President @mintimm.bsky.social!

🎧 8am ET
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November 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM
A big difference between how I am now after a year in Sicily vs who I was before is how fast I move and walk. I am a New Yorker at heart and it's second nature. It became part of my personality.

Being out of breath was a way of life.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
November 5, 2025 at 3:21 PM
My mother reminded me that racism in America existed long before me and still will after me. But I don’t have to suffer in it.

Cut to now: I'm on my balcony overlooking the sea in Sicily, drinking espresso, filled with peace.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
November 3, 2025 at 9:22 PM
I tend to be guarded and most people can’t tell that anything is wrong. No one thinks I need any support so they rarely give me any. And that f*cking sucks.

At some point, I learned that the help and support I needed wasn’t coming.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/when-you-f...
November 1, 2025 at 2:38 PM
This month, I wanted to give you an intimate look at my life as an American expat living in Palermo.

Some highlights from Oct:
-bachelorette weekend in Bari, Puglia
-Malta to work remotely for a week
-London to see VP Harris's book tour

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/photo-jour...
October 31, 2025 at 3:47 PM
When I first started my healing journey, I thought the goal was to fix myself. I am always trying so hard to become better.

But the deeper I go, the more I realize: there was never anything broken to fix.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/when-you-f...
October 29, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Getting sick, alone, in a foreign country is the worst. There’s no one to make me soup or who can prepare a bath. I’m an independent woman who has the responsibility to care for myself, but when I get sick - it sucks!

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
October 27, 2025 at 2:39 PM
I hope that my Substack content on mental health and my expat journey have helped you feel more grounded while the chaos of the world circles around all of us.

Consider this my invitation to become a paid subscriber: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/an-invitat...
October 26, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Here’s what no one tells you when you start trying to build a slower life: slowing down costs energy. It’s intentional. It takes brain power to say no to the things I think I should do but don’t really have to. I don’t know how to sit still.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/slowing-do...
October 24, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Lately, I’ve realized that even slowing down takes work.

Unlearning hustle culture isn’t one and done. It’s a battle between the part of my brain that thinks my value is in producing, and the part that knows my worth isn't earned through labor

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/slowing-do...
October 22, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Zerlina Maxwell
Hello Wednesday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: VA House Speaker Don Scott, Senator @warnock.senate.gov of GA, Rep-Elect @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social of AZ-07 & Author of Authentic, Jodi-Ann Burey!

☎️ 866-997-4748
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October 22, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Zerlina Maxwell
Hello Monday! W/ @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: #1 NYT Bestselling Author & Spiritual Teacher @gabbybernstein.bsky.social, TX-18 Special Election Candidate Jolanda Jones + @aclu.org National Security Project Director Hina Shamsi!

☎️ 866-997-4748
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October 20, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Zerlina Maxwell
Tuesday tidings! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: Fmr. White House Press Sec. & Author of the new book INDEPENDENT @karinejean-pierre.bsky.social, VA-01 Candidate @lisaforvirginia.bsky.social + @ilattygeneral.bsky.social!

☎️ 866-997-4748
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October 21, 2025 at 10:30 AM
What I do to make $$ to pay my bills isn’t a focus of conversation in Sicily like it is in the U.S. and I often think about why. I have learned that the people I’ve met are not defined by their jobs like we are.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/unlearning...
October 20, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Back in 2024, I read "Homecoming" by Dr. Thema Bryant.

The book teaches you to come back “home” to yourself. My late mother always talked about “soul care” and that we have to take care of our spirit.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
October 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
In life, it’s not actually about sticking the landing. You're supposed to be on a continuous journey, evolving into something better. But perfect isn’t the goal, and I realize it never should have been.

It’s in the mess that the magic happens.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/letting-go...
October 17, 2025 at 3:33 PM
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
You are my calming voice of reason and reality in the mornings. Your perfectionism plays a huge role in that. 💙
October 16, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Zerlina Maxwell
Hello Thursday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: U.S. Senator from New Jersey @corybooker.com, @casten.house.gov of IL-06, @repdexteror.bsky.social of OR-03 + Rep. Jasmine Crockett of TX-30!

☎️ 866-997-4748
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October 16, 2025 at 10:30 AM
The 1st sport I ever loved was gymnastics. I competed until I was 15 years old, spending hours training to be perfect.

It’s no surprise that I grew up striving for perfection, only to realize it was holding me back from the life I wanted.

Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/letting-go...
October 15, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Zerlina Maxwell
Hello Wednesday! Joining @zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social: @govpritzker.illinois.gov of Illinois, @houlahan.house.gov of PA-06 + Author of The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare @eramalam.bsky.social!

☎️ 866-997-4748
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October 15, 2025 at 10:30 AM