C+RL Enthusiast: SZA Said It First I’ll be honest: when SZA dropped Ctrl, I thought she was talking to everyone but me. Because I’ve got it together. Color-coded planners, matching fonts, “just right” angles on my selfies… control is my comfort food. But the more I listened, the more I realized SZA wasn’t singing about … Continue reading

bronze skinned girl

For so long, the world has spoken in opposites: black or white.As if His image could ever be reduced to two extremes. But when I think about bronze, I see something different. Bronze is strength refined in fire.It’s warmth that carries both earth and sun.It’s a glow that doesn’t apologize for existing...it just is. If … Continue reading bronze skinned girl

Some days, I really do love my job. The kids are comedy. My lessons are starting to hit. And (on good days) I feel like I’m actually making a difference... But then there are those days: The no-water, just coffee and TikTok kind.The kind where your to-do list grows legs and sprints past you in … Continue reading

I got the inspiration to write about a Black woman "living her best life," and still wanting more. More love. More fellowship. More out of life. She visits her grandmother’s old home in Sag Harbor, and somewhere between the porch steps and the sea breeze, she finds herself falling in love with two people at … Continue reading

The difference

You spent too much time worrying about what everyone else thought… if they liked you, if you were too much, if they’d walk away.But the real loss wasn’t their opinion. It was the way you started to see yourself. That’s what passive living does. It teaches you to stay small, stay quiet, stay agreeable. It … Continue reading The difference

Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger.

Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger. Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger. Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger. Your next level of … Continue reading Your next level of life is going to require you to be more emotionally and mentally stronger.

On purpose

I don’t want to rush through mornings like they owe me something. I want to taste my coffee, not just drink it. To notice the way light filters through the blinds, how the day stretches its arms before it begins. I want to ask “how are you? and mean it, not just pass the question … Continue reading On purpose

ChatGPT mean the death of creativity/originality? I always say what bothers me about my students using ai/chat gpt, is they aren’t working their creative muscles, just relying on a computer. Short term to pass a class, great. Long term to navigate life… not so great. I think this speaks to the “you’ll never use this,” … Continue reading

note to self

Welcome back: I don’t want another year of this. I don’t want another year or making other people’s wildest dreams come true. That’s what happens when you don’t go after yours. You become the background character in someone else’s story. A supporting actor. Being your highest self means letting go of your lowest… You have … Continue reading note to self

ctrl

I don’t remember where I heard it, a podcast or in Gabrielle Union’s book… but it was said that you generally are worried about other people’s judgement of you is because you’re used to judging them. So, I’ve been asking myself… how true is this? Am I judgmental? I’ve always been hyper-aware of how others … Continue reading ctrl