Are You Actually Free Or Just Comfortable Inside the Box? with Rebecca Justus Artwork

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Empowered & Embodied Show

Are You Actually Free Or Just Comfortable Inside the Box? with Rebecca Justus

February 11, 2026 • Kim Romain & Louise Neil • Episode 192

0:00 | 42:19

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What does it actually mean to be free? Not theoretically, but in how you live, choose, and lead every day. Ethical leadership advisor Rebecca Justus joins Kim and Louise in Episode 192 of The Empowered & Embodied Show to unpack autonomy, intentionality, and why the systems designed to make life easier might be the very things keeping you small.

From algorithmic echo chambers to cultural conditioning, we explore how our choices are being curated without our awareness and what it takes to break out of the box you don't even know you're in. Rebecca brings a global lens shaped by living in 12 countries and working in international human rights, reproductive justice, and ethical leadership.

In this episode, we dig into:

Why everyone craves freedom and why it matters that we can't seem to agree on what it means to be free
How algorithms, social media, and digital curation have become a modern form of oppression
The relationship between power, privilege, and the fear of sharing freedom
What cross-cultural perspectives reveal about community, time, and autonomy
Why intentionality is the prerequisite for autonomy
How curiosity and simple inquiry is the entry point to breaking conditioning

Key Moments

00:00 Welcome and introductions

03:53 From international relations to ethical leadership

06:43 The birth of Reproductive Autonomy

10:47 Why we crave freedom so deeply

16:23 How autonomy and power play out globally

24:25 No autonomy without intentionality

28:37 How systems put us in boxes and keep us there

30:01 Curiosity as a doorway out of conditioning

37:11 Takeaways and closing reflections

About Our Guest

Rebecca Justus is an Ethical Leadership Advisor & Coach, supporting socially responsible rising leaders and teams to become more strategic and self-aware, stay true to their values, and lead with integrity both locally and globally. She is also the creator of Reproductive Autonomy, an online information hub for trustworthy reproductive resources. Rebecca is a certified anti-racism training facilitator and the Vice President of the Board of Directors for EcoWomen. She holds an MA in Human Rights from the University of Sussex and a BA in International Relations from Boston University. Originally from the U.S., Rebecca has lived in 12 countries and traveled to over 60.

https://www.rebeccajustus.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-justus/

https://www.instagram.com/therebeccajustus/

https://www.pinterest.com/justusadvising/

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