Leading With Love and Compassion
This blog is for the individual that desires more of themselves + the people in their lives.
Rest and joy have become my guiding lights, my ministry. I discovered their transformative power during one of the darkest periods of my life, right after my first marriage ended. With my kids' father gone, I faced the daunting task of starting over. In that turbulent season, it was reading and seeking joy that sustained me. I vividly recall the relentless pursuit of happiness, finding reasons to smile even when it felt impossible.
Read MoreAs we celebrate Pride Month, I want to take a moment to share a bit about my journey as a Queer Black woman navigating the intersections of life. For many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community, our experiences are diverse. Some navigate the world freely, while others live their lives more anonymously. Yet, a shared experience for many of us is the need to come out multiple times, even after our initial coming out.
Read MoreDiscover how finding out that I have ADHD later in life has been a game-changer in how I love, work, and care for my family. By learning more about my condition and developing new strategies for managing it, I've become a more effective and present parent and spouse. I've also gained a greater appreciation for the unique strengths and challenges that come with having ADHD and have found ways to leverage my creativity, energy, and spontaneity to benefit my family and my work. Join me as I share my story and offer insights into how others with ADHD can thrive personally and professionally.
Read MoreThis year I turned 44, and wow, what an entrance into the double digits in the upward 40s group. I have been quite enthralled in “life,” and for me, that looks like chasing my purpose (God teaching me), loving my wife (learning how to be in partnership), and raising secure kids (nurturing my inner child), all simultaneously. While getting older is fantastic for many reasons, it is also sobering; yet we are born knowing that life is precious and should be treated as such. The problem is that by the time we genuinely understand that sentiment, life has lovingly grabbed us in a choke hold, smashed all our unfortunate realities in our faces, and we are grasping for pieces of ourselves that we have gathered through just living ‘life”.
Read MoreI used to struggle understanding how someone could withstand so much pressure; yet find peace to bestow love to others. Its a learned skill that requires patience + devotion. Not at the same time; but consistently acknowledging the duality of both. Every evolution begins with a problem + for me it was my trauma. I have learned to embrace those parts of myself that were meant to be a hinderance. I have cultivated every lesson as something to pass on to others. I recognize that people crumble underneath the symptoms of trauma much quicker than just confessing the disease. Nothing is more sobering than the sound of your truth on someone else’s lips. I guess that’s why I am not afraid of being broken in an effort to be great.
Read MoreI used to carry the weight of not knowing about the things that plagued my parents. I watched my mother crawl into bed everyday + wrap the burden of a disease un-diagnosed around her for security. We often choose religion instead of science to keep the lie our families tell us. We suffer in silence afraid to live a better quality of life. We suffer in quietness scared to let down the very people that often put us in these positions. I want to be the story that everyone desires to read because I found freedom is releasing myself from the shame of suffering.
Read MoreI wish I could be surprised at how pervasive hate is distributed daily. How it lingers in dark spaces waiting to dismantle souls and glorify the same fear it unleashes onto innocent human beings. I am convinced that self-deprecation is a substance that people ingest when they desire to make others a target. Somewhere in America an individual is utilizing self- destructive behavior to create the most heinous war on black people that even their mere presence is a battlefield.
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There is a saintly aura that transcends my life every time seasons change. I can feel it in my bones, my back aches + my mind tries to coerce my spirit into thinking this feeling will pass, but the flesh won’t allow it to subside. It is no surprise that I am deeply introspective + probably more honest than others care for me to be. Blame it on my tragic beginning, all the hearts I broke, the lies I told + the trauma I ingested. I gather my mistakes + rinse them daily because unlike most people I see myself clearly because I like my coffee dark with lots of self- reflection. I sit in every choice + every regret until I can cover every circumstance in forgiveness. Lately I’ve experienced all kind of loss which reminds me that I’m still learning how to let grief take a seat until its ready to vacate my sanctuary.
Read MoreNo one escapes the perils of life that pierce us to the point of anguish. Unfortunately for black people, we know this sentiment all too well + are reminded daily as we maneuver our blackness while carrying the weight of our history. It’s complicated! We carry success like a tamed beast; proud but ferocious. We are loving at first glance, appearing to have it altogether but underneath we are tortured by our past. Carrying the weight of having to make it + then free everyone else. Despite our list of accomplishments, black people share a sobering emotional attachment to overcoming mental illness. Often labeled as “crazy” by our own when we vocalize that we couldn’t “pray it away”, therefore resigning to suffer silently rather than reach out for help.
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