Welcome to Bursting Through
Real stories. Active Allyship. A community where love and courage drive change.
Bursting Through is the nonsense-free, emotionally safe space for marginalized communities and their Allies. Here, we bring our fears and concerns—but also our love, empathy, and hope. Through meaningful conversations and authentic connection, we find strength, share stories, and explore real solutions together.
The Problem We Can’t Ignore.
Hate is organized.
Across the country, anti-inclusion movements are highly coordinated, deeply funded, and relentlessly active. They’ve scored victories everywhere — from local school boards to federal courts — while our communities remain fragmented and too often reliant on large nonprofits or politicians to counteract the harm.
And yet, we are the majority.
More than a third of Americans identify as racial or ethnic minorities. Nearly 1 in 10 adults identify as LGBTQ+. Over a quarter of adults live with a disability. Add to that the millions of women, gender minorities, immigrants, and others facing marginalization — and the tens of millions of Allies who stand with them — and it’s clear: together, we represent a decisive majority of this country.
But numbers alone don’t create change.
Despite broad public support for equity, belonging, and protection, hate continues to out-organize us. Decades of grassroots action from those movements have built power — and it will take equally grassroots love, connection, and courage to meet this moment.
We believe safety, belonging, and dignity for all people cannot be left to politicians or large nonprofits. It’s a responsibility we all share. Real change begins with us — by sharing our stories, by showing up for one another, and by building community rooted in love, compassion, and our shared humanity.
It starts with us.
What will we do here?
We—marginalized communities and Allies—will come together safely and without judgment to share our stories, empower one another, and build community. Together, we will create a positive, powerful path forward.
This is an inclusive space beyond the noise and ugliness of social media—a place where we connect through love, compassion, and shared humanity. Too often, when we engage in the old battles, our voices are drowned out by the opposition’s cruelty, amplified by the media’s focus on outrage, and reinforced by laws that protect division instead of people.
Here:
We refuse to fight the old battles or accept the roles the system assigns us.
We do not engage in nonsense.
We choose emotional maturity, compassion, and intelligence.
We take action, grounded in love and support.
What do you get? (free subscription)
Join a community of mindful, awake people who are done with the noise — and ready to be part of real change.
A different conversation — honest, human, and full of heart.
Bi-weekly Knowledge & Power emails packed with insight, inspiration, and actions you can take right now.
Be the first to know about events, stories, and opportunities to take meaningful action.
What do you get? (paid subscription)
Step inside the deeper circle. Paid subscribers power the movement and gain access to meaningful experiences designed to spark real-world impact.
In-depth conversations on urgent cultural issues with guest experts — politicians, educators, faith leaders & more.
Exclusive deep dives into topics that shape our communities — and practical tools to take action.
Achievable action plans to help turn ideas into real change.
Quarterly Storytelling Workshops — learn to share your story with power and purpose.
Your support keeps this work alive and amplifies voices that need to be heard.
Who leads Bursting Through ONLINE?
Hi, I’m Steve Petersen. Founder of Bursting Through • Storyteller • Podcast Host • Movement Leader • Catalyst for collaboration — I believe telling our stories of compassion, empathy, and expanded love change hearts, open minds, and transform lives.
My 27-year career in marketing and visual merchandising took him from rural Iowa to Fortune 500 companies in Manhattan, shaping his ability to see the power of connection, creativity, and visibility.
While professional success informed much of my path, coming out in my mid-20s cemented my core values of compassion, courage, and change. These values fuel the Bursting Through Movement and drive my mission to create sustainable safety, equality, and belonging for all marginalized communities.
“My professional and personal experiences gave me a unique ability to connect deeply and meaningfully with you and your story. When we tell our stories, we uncover shared humanity, deepen Allyship, and spark the change our world needs.”
P.S.Bursting Through isn’t a nonprofit—it’s a storytelling movement and media company for marginalized communities and their Allies across the United States. We began through the lens of LGBTQ+ Allyship, but our work has evolved to embrace all communities too often silenced, dismissed, or pushed aside.
As a media company, we use storytelling to spark courageous conversations, grow compassion, and ignite change. Bursting Through partners with individuals and companies ready to turn intention into action and co-create a culture rooted in our shared human experience.
