Calling It In: How to Be an ND Advocate Without Burning Out

Calling It In: How to Be an ND Advocate Without Burning Out

Because setting the world on fire shouldn't require burning yourself down first.

Advocacy Doesn’t Have to Mean Being Loud All the Time

You don’t need a megaphone, a hashtag, or a perfectly researched response to be an advocate.
You just need to:

  • Notice the harm

  • Speak the truth

  • Protect your energy

  • Stay in the room—without sacrificing yourself in the process

What “Calling It In” Means (and Why It Works)

“Calling it in” is advocacy with compassion—for others and yourself.

It’s saying:
🗣️ “That language doesn’t work for me—here’s why.”
🙅♀️ “Can we build a system that doesn’t rely on people masking their needs?”
🤝 “Here’s a better way, and I’ll help if I can—but I won’t carry it alone.”

It’s not about going soft. It’s about staying sustainable.

Signs You’re Burning Out on Advocacy

  • You dread every DEI meeting

  • You start skipping conversations where you used to speak up

  • You feel like the only person who cares—and it’s exhausting

  • You start to believe that maybe you are the problem

This isn’t you giving up. This is your nervous system tapping out. And you have the right to listen to it.

How to Advocate Without Self-Destructing

Here’s what it can look like:

  • Take turns. You don’t have to be “on” all the time. Let others step in.

  • Use scripts or templates. ND advocacy is still advocacy if it’s copy/paste.

  • Set time-bound limits. Give energy in sprints, not marathons.

  • Create boundaries around explaining. Educate, don’t perform.

You’re Allowed to Be Seen Without Always Being Available

Being an advocate doesn’t mean being emotionally on-call for other people’s confusion.

You can care deeply and still log off.
You can hold space and still protect your own.

Calling it out is urgent.
Calling it in is sustainable.

Need a Way to Say It Without Explaining It?

🛍️ Shop our identity-first merch:
“Disruptive by Design” and “Chronically Misunderstood” available now.

📥 Stay tuned for our ND Communication Scripts Toolkit for boundary-setting phrases, polite refusals, and self-advocacy starters.

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