Spectacle Quotes

“In the South, Christianity was as ubiquitous as sweet tea and country music. Questioning my religion meant questioning how the entire world worked and my very identity.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“Choosing to avoid talking about money, sex, religion or mental health doesn’t make them go away. Each of these taboo subject are part of the human experience and to exclude them from “normal life” is silly, in fact impossible.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“When our reality is actually called into question it can feel like the world is falling apart. But it is fertile ground for our growth. Curiosity demands us to risk any previously held narrative to discover what is missing.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“A hallmark of female adolescence is the realization that you are being commodified. You then are developing a sense of self within a cultural framework that values you primarily as an object.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“We all yearn for transformation but the current cultural conversation leads us to believe it is this incredibly positive and desirable experience. It makes it sound easy. But the truth is, transformation is slow, messy, difficult and almost always painful.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“Regret is about the past, anxiety is about the future, curiosity is about now.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“I thought graduation was going to be the start of my life, but I felt in limbo. When was it going to be my turn? I’d fought my depression-like hell to get to graduation, someone moved the goalpost.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“I began to hate myself and pray that God would make me straight. I carried the fear that authenticity would be met with condemnation and shame for years. No one felt safe to share with anymore, so I hid it all deep within me.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“Unfortunately, mental health is still a taboo subject in our culture... I want to help normalize this discussion. If depression was talked about in more detail I may have been able to get the help I needed much sooner.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“People coming to me for help meant I was the exact opposite of an imposter. So why did I struggle with feeling like one?”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“Life was moving so fast that I was having trouble landing with both feet in this moment. I’d finally “arrived” again...Why wasn’t I more excited?”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“I was so angry that something that framed itself as comforting and inclusive [church/Christianity] felt like a dagger in the heart. The more I leaned into my true identity, the more distant I felt from religion. It just didn’t align with who I wanted to become.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“She [Janelle] helped me asked the question “who do you want to be in this moment?” I continue to ask myself this when faced with difficult decisions.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“You don’t know what hangs in the balance if you don’t do this.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“Maybe if I just kept acting like a Christian, I’d eventually feel like one again.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity

“This past year many people wanted to “return to normal” but what if we used this disruption as an opportunity for transformation? This moment is begging us to become present and examine what might not be working anymore.”
― Natalie M. Esparza, Spectacle: Discover a Vibrant Life through the Lens of Curiosity