Sophia San Filippo

Managing Editor & SEO Lead

Based in New York City, Sophia San Filippo has worked with Love What Matters as a lead editor and content curator since early 2019 and has acted as Managing Editor since early 2021. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Binghamton University who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Creative Writing, and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She is passionate about personal storytelling and creating a positive space in media to better the lives of others. On a typical day you can find her rocking out at her local concert venue, admiring nature, or baking her latest kitchen experiment.

‘My mother said, ‘We need to have a talk.’ She placed me in a trance. She kept me close, controlling all my decisions in the name of ‘love.’: Narcissistic abuse survivor urges ‘you deserve to be safe and happy’

“She made me feel special, then she controlled what clothes I could wear, what friends I could have, where I went to college, and my wedding. She wanted to ‘show me off’ to her friends. But there was a huge price to be paid. She found any excuse to keep me with my vices if it meant keeping me close to her.”

Sophia San Filippo -

‘Legs are bowed. All bones, bowed. Extremely short.’ I felt my heart sink. ‘I don’t see the point in continuing. You can end it now, quickly.’: Family cherishes 29 hours with Osteogenesis Imperfecta warrior

“‘Let me see her eyes. Please please, let Maverick meet her alive.’ Before I knew it, I heard, ‘Happy Birthday!’ Huh? She’s here? Why don’t I hear crying? I couldn’t see anything beside the ceiling, doctors moving around. ‘Is she breathing? Is she?’ Tears were flowing from my eyes. She smiled at her brother and her daddy. She waited until we got one more kiss.”

Sophia San Filippo -

‘A flu-like bug started spreading. ‘You’re black and strong, nothing will happen to you.’ The healthy white girl got her own room instead.’: Dancer powerfully explains ‘I will never color my shoes’

“The makeup artist takes 30 minutes to figure out my foundation color. The theaters ask me to find my own flesh-toned tights and undies because ‘they don’t know where to get my color.’ I do my own hair because the ladies don’t know what to do with my curls. I will NEVER COLOR my shoes.”

Sophia San Filippo -

‘I hired a private detective. ‘For a few hundred more bucks, I can bring you face to face with your mother.’ Every time the phone rang, I hoped it was her missing me.’: Woman details life with addicted mother, ‘I vowed to be the best mom I can be’

“The doorbell rang at 6 a.m. I opened the door to see my mom standing between two policemen, muddy and handcuffed. She’d call me ‘Bucky,’ knowing I was self-conscious about my teeth. When I was 19 and getting married, no mom. When I was 20 and having my first baby, no mom. I had the same phone number for several years, but she never dialed it again.”

Sophia San Filippo -

‘You’ll probably never see me again, but I wanted to say thank you for your service.’ He was about to move 3,000 miles away. My heart took over.’: Woman meets love of her life in Starbucks after act of kindness

“My jaw dropped as he walked in. ‘Wow, he is handsome!’ I brushed it off, knowing it wasn’t going to happen. People would ask, ‘When are you two getting together?!’ Days later, Chaz texted me: ‘Hey, let’s talk.’ I knew this was it. The ball was in his court. I was eager to know if there was an ‘us.’ I did everything I could to avoid sobbing right there, in the middle of Starbucks.”

Sophia San Filippo -

‘I saw you pushing a stroller with a pink princess backpack hanging off your shoulder, your daughter giggling as you made silly sounds.’: Woman pens ode to black fathers, ‘Your love is as endless as your potential’

“I saw you verbally tap dance when the police pulled you over, carefully annunciating every syllable and narrating your movements. We locked eyes. Black father, you walk through a world where you’re stereotyped to death, but you still rise.”

Sophia San Filippo -
 Share  Tweet