Girl, What’s Been Going On?

Whew. It’s August. Which means school is starting up again soon, the world is about to become a haze of fall smells and colors, and before you know it we’re going to be in the holiday season. But if you know me, you know that fall is my favorite season, and I’ll take the dog days of August and remnants of summer in September, just to reach my ideal destination of hoodies, jeans, and flip flops weather. 🍁

If you missed me in your inbox at the beginning of the month, I hope you understand that I needed a bit of a break. I thought about not sending an issue at all this month 🫣, but I decided later was better than never. So here we are, in the last couple of weeks of August, and I’m writing to you still feeling like I need a break, but I’m energized enough to tell you what I’ve been up to and how school is going.

For my followers on social media, you know that a couple of weekends ago I attended the Black Health Connect Conference in Washington, DC and had an amazing time! It was a time filled with friendship, recognition, connection, and more. I went into the weekend feeling a bit stressed, but walked away with a renewed sense of self and an awesome appreciation for being among Black people. There’s something so damn special about us. Our energy. Our communal love. Our being. ✊🏾

If you’re not familiar with Black Health Connect, you should get yourself familiar with them because I think this conference was the first of many to bring together Black health care and public health professionals to discuss topics like innovation, financial literacy, social media, executive leadership, and more. I attended the conference as an inaugural 40 Under 40 Honoree, for which I am thankful and humbled. I left the conference as a two award shawty, having received another inaugural award from Acclinate, the Health Equity NOW Award. 🤯 While both awards are meaningful, there’s something about receiving an award for being authentically me: a good troublemaker, a space-taker, and a force when it comes to all things health equity, that just hits differently. It makes you smile a bit wider and walk with a bit more oomph in your steps. It makes me proud in a way that I’ve needed over the past few months as I’ve been navigating waters that feel uncertain and choppy at times.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t do the work that I do for the recognition. I don’t do it because I think one day I’ll receive an award. I do it because it’s my passion for life and my driving force to wake up in the morning. It took a really long time to get here, but now that I am here, I know that it is divine and I will accept whatever the universe has in plans for me.

If you’re interested in learning more about me, check out a free trial of the HEJ Inner Circle. Members of the Inner Circle get access to exclusive AMAs, a more personal newsletter, and more exciting features to come.

I TOOK A BREAK!

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Well not a full break, considering I still finished two courses over the summer, but I decided to drop my third course and allow myself time to breathe over this past month. This summer I planned to take three courses:

1. Mixed Methods for Research in Public Health

2. Social Justice: Policy, Practice, and Research

3. Teaching, Learning, and Leading

But, like I said… I needed a break. School starts up again in just a couple of weeks and I’ll be back on the grind with official and unofficial classes (I’m trying to place out of prerequisite courses).

Next term I’ll be in one course: Qualitative Research Theory and Methods. (There may be a proposal planning course that I take as well, but I’ll let you know when I know.)

It’s been a while since I talked about my mental health, and while I’m doing much better than I was six months ago, I am still struggling some days. It would have been so easy to just power through and complete another course, but I knew that if I did that, I would be sacrificing my own mental health and for what? Because I want to finish in an arbitrary self-imposed timeline? Because I am still unpacking the perfectionist/failure complex I have? 🤷🏾‍♀️ All the things.

Over the past few months of my mental health journey, I’ve been unlearning the idea that worth is tied to productivity. I’ve been teaching myself that embracing a soft life means resting when I need to, and providing my whole self with the grace to know when a rest is needed. And whether it be a nap, a break from work/school/responsibilities, or an entire disconnection from the world for a bit, that’s okay. I am okay. I am worthy of it.

If you’re like me (and I suspect many of you are), you likely have a hard time resting. You have been wired to think that productivity is the best indicator of worth and value. You tell yourself that you should work until the job is done, no breaks, no stop. You tell yourself that only quitters stop and success is dictated by your constant drive. Now what if I told you that was all a lie? And not just a small lie, but like one of the biggest lies we’ve ever been told as a society. Would you be shocked if I told you that in my times of rest, I have been more successful than I ever have been when in constant motion? Yep, I excel when I give my body time to rest, to dream, to be. It’s counterintuitive I know, but it’s reality. We are not meant to be in a constant state of go. It’s crippling to our nervous system and our bodies desire to find homeostasis. Thankfully there are a lot of great people talking about rest now, including Tricia Hersey. If you haven’t heard of Rest is Resistance and The Nap Ministry, now is your time to get acquainted. It’s time we all took a rest.

What Are You Doing For Fun?

I’m still spending all the time I can with my friends. Last year I embarked on this idea of radical friendship, which for me means intentional connection, love, and appreciation for my friends. It means setting up a calendar to connect with them one on one, virtually and in person, and being honest that I need their support as I venture into the new facets of my life. Radical friendship means honesty with love, new adventures, and soul-shaking laughter. It means that I’ve healed from my days of feeling like a bad friend because of depression and anxiety. I accept my friends for who they are and they likewise accept me for who I am. Platonic love is beyond beautiful and I’m so thankful that my friends have allowed me to try out new things with them all in the hopes of a greater bond. I am blessed.

Speaking of friends, meeting pandemic friends in real life is my favorite pastime and thanks to the Black Health Connect Conference, I got to meet quite a few of my pandemic friends. There’s always a concern that the vibes are different in person than online, but honestly, I have had the best experience with finally getting to hug and be in the physical presence of my friends. Again, I am blessed. 🥰 

Now that I’ve set the stage, let me share a few photos from the conference, so that you can feel the love radiating from the images.

Wait, What’s Next?

Are you listening to Health Equity Mondays? If the answer is no — why not?! 🤦🏾‍♀️ You can find our podcast by searching “Health Equity Mondays” on all podcast platforms. Not into podcasts? Don’t worry. You can watch us on YouTube!

AND - because I’m not busy enough, I am a co-host of a brand new podcast, The Conscious Tokens (TCT). TCT is all about three “token” black friends navigating the Black experience personally and professionally in America. Join us as we continue breaking stereotypes and discuss all things impacting the culture from everyday life, entertainment, health, wealth, and more. If you’ve ever felt like the “token”, then this podcast is for you! You can find TCT on Apple & Spotify podcasts.

I’ll be back in your inboxes in September. If you miss me - you know how to get more of me.

Until next time, always remember to take up as much space as you need.