How SHE Media’s SXSW Co-Lab Reframed my Gen-Z Anxieties

As a college student, academia has lately felt like a pressure cooker. Time and resources feel limited when they should feel abundant. Thinking about the future fills me with a sense of anxiety when it should feel invigorating. What so many describe as the “best years of your life” has instead become a period of intense uncertainty — and being around so many high achieving peers has only heightened this sense of doubt.

But recently, I got to step outside the sphere of campus and into an environment where I was one of the youngest people in the room, by attending the SHE Media Co-Lab event at SXSW. And it was a culture shock, to say the least. Still, my feelings of inadequacy quickly dissipated as I listened to folks of a different generation discussing their unique struggles. It felt foolish to let my anxieties get the best of me when I was surrounded by a group who’d already suffered through the rollercoaster ride of being a 20-something and came out alive. Not only had they survived, but they’d lived to tell the audience their tale.

One speaker, best-selling author Kate Bowler, mentioned how even though it’s becoming increasingly difficult to let ourselves be vulnerable, happiness is more likely to come our way if we’re willing to have a “greater honesty about the things that hold us down.” In a culture obsessed with productivity and presenting our best self, suggesting that we put away our bravest faces is a revolutionary call to action. It’s difficult to keep in mind that our struggles don’t define us, but leaving the door open for connection in our most vulnerable times is the key to stumbling upon joy again.

Flecks of inspiration kept coming at me. During the “Winning Women” panel, four-time Olympian Chaunte Lowe, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in the midst of her athletic career, discussed the importance of success stories from those facing any battle — whether physical, internal, or external. You don’t have to be an Olympic contender for Lowe’s message to resonate; I witnessed firsthand a wave of women across the room whose faces lit up as Lowe pulled an Olympic medal from her pocket. If she refused to surrender in a time when continuing felt impossible, shouldn’t we do the same?

Most importantly, there were moments at the conference that forced me to acknowledge perspectives outside of my own, especially when it came to the generation above me. During the “Holding on, Letting Go” panel, Kim Holderness and Gretchen Rubin discussed the “rebranding of the empty nest.”

I’d never truly contemplated how my parents must have felt when I went off to college, as I’ve become so consumed by my studies and social responsibilities that I often forget to check in on them and ensure everything’s fine on their end. Being in a room of women who had already gone through the empty nest phase or are going through it right now enlightened me on how anxiety isn’t exclusive to my generation. Our parents, after all, are simultaneously wondering if we’re alright, even if their concern takes the form of late-night lurking on Life360.

As the conference came to a close, I felt grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by a plethora of high-minded individuals who had forged their own paths personally and professionally. Instead of clinging to the version of myself that’s eager to have everything figured out, the panelists helped me see that there can be comfort in the uncertainty.

Caleb Morrow is an Economics and English major at UT Austin. His writing focuses on topics like popular culture, finance, and social phenomena. Outside of writing, he spends his free time reading, discovering new music, and playing volleyball.