Zerlina Maxwell
@zerlinamaxwell.bsky.social
@siriusxm Radio Host: Mornings with Zerlina.
Channel 127 Weekdays 7-9am ET
Subscribe - https://zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/
Channel 127 Weekdays 7-9am ET
Subscribe - https://zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/
I didn't leave America because I gave up. I left because I finally chose myself. The grass really is greener on the other side of the world — and I haven't looked back once.
Read my latest Substack post: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read my latest Substack post: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 26, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I didn't leave America because I gave up. I left because I finally chose myself. The grass really is greener on the other side of the world — and I haven't looked back once.
Read my latest Substack post: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read my latest Substack post: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I've never woken up in Palermo wishing I were back in America. Not once. Not on hard days. Not on holidays. I miss my people — but hustle culture stole them from me anyway.
Full essay: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Full essay: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 22, 2026 at 4:39 PM
I've never woken up in Palermo wishing I were back in America. Not once. Not on hard days. Not on holidays. I miss my people — but hustle culture stole them from me anyway.
Full essay: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Full essay: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Somehow we’re all supposed to close the laptop and slide into an ordinary evening as if your whole system has not just spent the day metabolizing other people’s catastrophes.
I am a witness to a moment in history that is genuinely heavy.
Read more:
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I am a witness to a moment in history that is genuinely heavy.
Read more:
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 19, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Somehow we’re all supposed to close the laptop and slide into an ordinary evening as if your whole system has not just spent the day metabolizing other people’s catastrophes.
I am a witness to a moment in history that is genuinely heavy.
Read more:
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I am a witness to a moment in history that is genuinely heavy.
Read more:
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Everyone has a different answer to the question of how we're doing, but most of us aren’t really feeling it when we give the standard automatic answer of "fine" and move on.
Nobody should be "fine". Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Nobody should be "fine". Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 17, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Everyone has a different answer to the question of how we're doing, but most of us aren’t really feeling it when we give the standard automatic answer of "fine" and move on.
Nobody should be "fine". Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Nobody should be "fine". Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I've evolved in my relationship to work. I try to be intentional about the mental + emotional distance I have from the news. I had to learn that I was the only one who could put up a boundary between my wellbeing + the dumpster fire of the news
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 15, 2026 at 4:07 PM
I've evolved in my relationship to work. I try to be intentional about the mental + emotional distance I have from the news. I had to learn that I was the only one who could put up a boundary between my wellbeing + the dumpster fire of the news
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
This week's mini practice came out of a Friday night in Palermo that could have gone very differently. I have a rule I repeat to myself every day here. It sounds like a joke until you watch how this city actually moves. Recently, I learned why I say it. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/paying-att...
June 11, 2026 at 4:32 PM
This week's mini practice came out of a Friday night in Palermo that could have gone very differently. I have a rule I repeat to myself every day here. It sounds like a joke until you watch how this city actually moves. Recently, I learned why I say it. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/paying-att...
My friend's first lesson when I moved to Sicily: the green light is a suggestion. Stop anyway. Look anyway. Your attention is the only thing keeping you safe. That became my daily practice.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 10, 2026 at 6:22 PM
My friend's first lesson when I moved to Sicily: the green light is a suggestion. Stop anyway. Look anyway. Your attention is the only thing keeping you safe. That became my daily practice.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
There is one rule I repeat to myself every single day in Palermo: "Don't get hit by a vehicle." It sounds like a joke. It is not a joke. And somehow it led to a bigger life lesson.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 8, 2026 at 6:19 PM
There is one rule I repeat to myself every single day in Palermo: "Don't get hit by a vehicle." It sounds like a joke. It is not a joke. And somehow it led to a bigger life lesson.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
A quick reminder for you.
Some things are best left in private.
Some things are best left in private.
June 5, 2026 at 5:15 PM
A quick reminder for you.
Some things are best left in private.
Some things are best left in private.
I live in Sicily. The pace is slow, the sea is close, the tomatoes are incredible. And I am still emotionally destroyed by the U.S. news cycle within 20 minutes of starting work. Some of us cannot look away.
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 3, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I live in Sicily. The pace is slow, the sea is close, the tomatoes are incredible. And I am still emotionally destroyed by the U.S. news cycle within 20 minutes of starting work. Some of us cannot look away.
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I moved across the world to find peace. And somehow Donald Trump still manages to ruin my morning espresso. The news cycle is relentless. There aren't enough weekends or guided meditations when the world is completely batshit.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
June 1, 2026 at 4:09 PM
I moved across the world to find peace. And somehow Donald Trump still manages to ruin my morning espresso. The news cycle is relentless. There aren't enough weekends or guided meditations when the world is completely batshit.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Rest isn't the reward for the work. Rest is what makes the work possible. It took watching my mom pass away young for me to finally understand that. She never got to enjoy the retirement she worked so hard for.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 29, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Rest isn't the reward for the work. Rest is what makes the work possible. It took watching my mom pass away young for me to finally understand that. She never got to enjoy the retirement she worked so hard for.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I told my therapist: "I just need to get through this week and then I can breathe." She said: "Zerlina, you have said that exact sentence to me every single week for 10 years."
Read more over on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more over on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 27, 2026 at 4:19 PM
I told my therapist: "I just need to get through this week and then I can breathe." She said: "Zerlina, you have said that exact sentence to me every single week for 10 years."
Read more over on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more over on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I told myself I'd rest after. After the election. After the campaign. After the next deadline. After inauguration day. I made that promise to myself for 18 years. There was always a next thing.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 25, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I told myself I'd rest after. After the election. After the campaign. After the next deadline. After inauguration day. I made that promise to myself for 18 years. There was always a next thing.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Living abroad strips away the propaganda. Without it, the truth is plain: we aren't the best. Not for Black people. We were never great. Not for Black women. I carry that heaviness even as I build a softer life in a country that actually lets me rest.
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 22, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Living abroad strips away the propaganda. Without it, the truth is plain: we aren't the best. Not for Black people. We were never great. Not for Black women. I carry that heaviness even as I build a softer life in a country that actually lets me rest.
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I’ve held tension in my body all week. The pull between rest + resistance. Between protecting your peace + a democracy that's never protected us. I’m tired. But I know my effort + engagement is needed. So is yours!
Soft life and civic engagement are not incompatible. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com
Soft life and civic engagement are not incompatible. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com
May 21, 2026 at 3:20 PM
I’ve held tension in my body all week. The pull between rest + resistance. Between protecting your peace + a democracy that's never protected us. I’m tired. But I know my effort + engagement is needed. So is yours!
Soft life and civic engagement are not incompatible. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com
Soft life and civic engagement are not incompatible. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com
Mental health and politics aren't separate topics. Everything I write is with full awareness of the moment we're living through. This isn't toxic positivity. It's a radical reframe of how to take care of yourself when the world is a dumpster fire: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 20, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Mental health and politics aren't separate topics. Everything I write is with full awareness of the moment we're living through. This isn't toxic positivity. It's a radical reframe of how to take care of yourself when the world is a dumpster fire: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
My grandfather + my 17-year-old aunt marched in Selma. They fought for the multiracial democracy promised by the Reconstruction Amendments. We are watching that same progress be erased in real time. And it hurts. Because it wasn't supposed to be this way. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/mental-healt...
May 18, 2026 at 3:39 PM
My grandfather + my 17-year-old aunt marched in Selma. They fought for the multiracial democracy promised by the Reconstruction Amendments. We are watching that same progress be erased in real time. And it hurts. Because it wasn't supposed to be this way. zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/mental-healt...
What are you willing to do to change your life? How far are you willing to go to improve your mental well being? These are the questions I had to ask myself everyday at my lowest point.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 15, 2026 at 3:45 PM
What are you willing to do to change your life? How far are you willing to go to improve your mental well being? These are the questions I had to ask myself everyday at my lowest point.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I watched my beloved mother die up close. It didn’t happen quickly. I watched her day in + day out become weaker, wither away. She always told me that I needed to enjoy the journey of life and not suffer.
Read more about why I decided to move to Sicily: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more about why I decided to move to Sicily: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 13, 2026 at 4:26 PM
I watched my beloved mother die up close. It didn’t happen quickly. I watched her day in + day out become weaker, wither away. She always told me that I needed to enjoy the journey of life and not suffer.
Read more about why I decided to move to Sicily: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more about why I decided to move to Sicily: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I wanted to share with you the very first post in my Mental Health Mondays series from Feb 2025. This post about changing my life in the wake of my mom's death is still so raw to me. This is why I moved to Palermo.
Read more about my soul care journey: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more about my soul care journey: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 11, 2026 at 6:20 PM
I wanted to share with you the very first post in my Mental Health Mondays series from Feb 2025. This post about changing my life in the wake of my mom's death is still so raw to me. This is why I moved to Palermo.
Read more about my soul care journey: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more about my soul care journey: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
They stopped asking if you're okay because you convinced them you always are. The strong friend trained the people around her not to check.
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 8, 2026 at 4:15 PM
They stopped asking if you're okay because you convinced them you always are. The strong friend trained the people around her not to check.
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more on Substack: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
This one is for the strong friend. The woman everyone leans on. The one who answers the texts, holds the family together, shows up at work, runs the group chat, and still ends most days wondering if she did enough.
Visit zerlinamaxwell.substack.com to listen to this moving meditation.
Visit zerlinamaxwell.substack.com to listen to this moving meditation.
May 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM
This one is for the strong friend. The woman everyone leans on. The one who answers the texts, holds the family together, shows up at work, runs the group chat, and still ends most days wondering if she did enough.
Visit zerlinamaxwell.substack.com to listen to this moving meditation.
Visit zerlinamaxwell.substack.com to listen to this moving meditation.
My mother was sick for 4 years. The number of people who asked if I was okay? Less than five. The performance of strength is so convincing people forget there's a person underneath it.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 6, 2026 at 3:32 PM
My mother was sick for 4 years. The number of people who asked if I was okay? Less than five. The performance of strength is so convincing people forget there's a person underneath it.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
I'm writing to the strong friend tonight. The one who answers at 11PM. Sends the Venmo. Writes the eulogy. Calms the room. Whose name is in everyone's prayers but not her own list. I know you because I am you.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
May 4, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I'm writing to the strong friend tonight. The one who answers at 11PM. Sends the Venmo. Writes the eulogy. Calms the room. Whose name is in everyone's prayers but not her own list. I know you because I am you.
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...
Read more: zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/p/mental-hea...