As part of Marie Claire's Power On virtual summit, actress Gabrielle Union had a live conversation with journalist Laura Ogunnaik.

Gabrielle Union stopped short of remaining silent on an important issue.

Union appeared at the Power On Summit, a virtual version of Marie Claire's annual "Power Trip" networking conference for women leaders, and wrote about Union in the October cover story of Marie Claire (opens in new tab) He spoke via video chat with journalist Laura Ogunnaike (opens in new tab) about his commitment to using his voice in an impactful way. Here are a few highlights from this conversation, which concluded the Power On conference.

"I realized that by the time I turned 40, I had become paralyzed by fear of public humiliation, fear of scarcity, fear of failure, and had become my most unserious self. And there is nothing the world can do for me that life has not already handed me."

"This full fucking basket? I emptied it first and I am not going to bother. At this point, no one can take anything from me except my soul. So when I emptied that basket, I thought to myself. I will always speak truth to power, always lead from the front, always set an example for myself. And I would rather be authentically myself and take the blows than to retreat into my shell and win a half-assed victory"

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"The longer you remain silent, the more you are complicit in your own pain and trauma. So if we want something different, we must do something different. We must speak up, stick our necks out, and sign the petition. We are not all built to lead from the front. But there are other ways to contribute to the fight. Stand on someone's side, amplify the message, and anonymously confirm what you have witnessed. Otherwise, people will think everything is fine and you're doing fine.