Bravery isn't safe – it's fire

My Toronto Star opinion piece, going viral, and the alternative ending I couldn't use.

Over a month ago, I wrote an essay that terrified me. It was about Donald Trump, who I called a cult leader – and wove in my own story and experience with a high-control group.

I posted in a private group for writers about the piece I had written and everyone encouraged me to be brave and take the leap. I submitted to The New York Times first and prompt…