Deciding To Soar: Living Life Your Own Way!

Have you ever stopped to think about the people you are drawn to in this season of your life and why? After a recent session with the Reclamation Circle, I found myself thinking about how much our friendship needs can change as we change. Life experiences such as grief, health challenges, career transitions, success, disappointments, aging, COVID, relocations, family disruptions, and our own heali...

How much of your life are you really deciding, and how much has already been decided for you? In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way , I explore three powerful forces that influence how we believe, who we believe we're allowed to be, and how we believe we're supposed to live: religion, roles, and rules. None of these are inherently harmful. Religion can ground us. Roles can...

Were you taught to be loyal to everyone except yourself? Many of us learned to be loyal to our families, friends, communities, churches, organizations, cultures, and causes. But I don’t remember anyone teaching me what it meant to be loyal to myself. So what does self-loyalty actually look like? In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way, I share four practices I’ve learned thro...

“A real friend would have stayed.” Maybe. But before we accuse someone of being disloyal, there is another question worth asking: What were we asking them to stand beside? Sometimes people don’t leave because we are struggling. Sometimes staying requires them to participate in behaviors, environments, or patterns they can no longer support. In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own...

We often think boundaries are ONLY necessary when something is negative, toxic, or unhealthy. But what happens when the news is good, the invitation is thoughtful, the person means well, and you simply don't have the capacity to receive, give, or attend one more thing? In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way , I explore the emotional, mental, and spiritual weight of informati...

Have you ever received advice that sounded wise but didn't fit the life you were actually living? In this episode, I unpack an African proverb that has shaped the way I choose mentors, advisors, and trusted voices: "You see based on where you sit." Every one of us experiences the world through different "seats"—our race, age, faith, gender, responsibilities, life experiences, opportunities, and ch...

Most people think they need more courage before making a life-changing decision. I believe they need something else first. Permission. In this episode, I explore why every meaningful change begins with giving yourself permission to ask, explore, and begin. You'll learn: • Why permission often comes before courage • How small decisions become transformational moments • Why "What if?" can become the...

Years ago, after earning my MBA and building a successful corporate career, I made a decision that confused almost everyone around me. I became an aerobics instructor. People questioned the choice because they evaluated it through the lens of status, prestige, and professional success. What they couldn't see was that the experience was preparing me for everything that would come next. In this epis...

Who's really in your circle? Years ago, I heard a phrase I've never forgotten: it's not about the competence you don't have — it's about the company you keep. That statement is so true because none of us becomes our best selves on our own. In this unscripted, unedited episode, I share the 5 types of people we all need around us before making a major life decision — retirement, marriage, divorce, a...

How many times have you been told to wait? Wait until you have more experience. Wait until the timing is right. Wait until you're ready. In this unscripted, unedited episode, I share a truth that changed my life: sometimes "wait" is wisdom — but sometimes "wait" is just a socially acceptable way to say no. And I never want their N-O to override what you K-N-O-W. When no gym would hire me in the 19...

Sometimes the hardest part of change is not learning a new place. It is learning how to trust yourself in a familiar place when you are no longer the same person who left it. In this deeply personal episode, I share about returning to the gym after illness and surgery and the surprising lessons I learned about recovery, grief, courage, identity, and beginning again. Together, we'll explore six ref...

A few days ago, I shared a vulnerable video about my healing journey after chronic illness and the experience left me reflecting deeply on how people interpret growth, healing, confidence, and visibility. Three people watched the exact same video. One person said I was “showing off.” Another said I was “showing up.” And another said I was “showing the way.” That moment reminded me that people ofte...

Are you going through a layoff, a loss, or a life change that has left you wondering who you even are anymore? I want you to know that you are not broken. You are transforming. In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way , I share a framework I call the 5 Stages of Identity Transformation. Whether I am working through issues in my own life or working with clients navigating caree...

You are not starting from scratch. You are starting from experience. If you are a woman over 50 who feels like you've missed your moment, don't know enough, or have run out of time — this conversation is for you. In this unscripted, unedited episode, I walk you through 5 invisible assets you already carry — the very things that prove you are more equipped than you think. I call them the 5 E's: 1....

In my past episode, I talked about owning your strengths—about knowing what you carry. But in this episode, I want to speak directly to women in midlife. Because I’ve been hearing something too often: “I think I’m too old.” “I don’t know if I can start again.” “I feel like I’ve missed my time.” If you’ve ever felt that way, I want you to hear this clearly: 50 is not old. 60 is not old. 70 is not o...

There is a kind of tired that has nothing to do with sleep. In this episode, I am sharing something I see often—but don’t hear named clearly enough. Women who are still showing up. Still producing. Still leading. But quietly feeling disconnected from themselves. We often call it burnout. But sometimes, it is something deeper. It is spiritual depletion . In this conversation, I walk through the dif...

What happens when you stop waiting for permission—and start owning what you carry? In this episode, I share why owning your strengths is not arrogance—it’s accuracy. And in a time where so many of us are navigating uncertainty, career shifts, and personal reinvention, I believe knowing what you carry becomes one of your greatest sources of clarity, stability, and power. Trust me, I’ve seen how eas...

In this episode, I reflect on a piece of elder wisdom that has changed how I see relationships: “Don’t fall so much in love with the water that you forget to care for the well.” We often focus on what we receive—support, advice, opportunities—but we don’t always pause to honor the people who make those things possible. This conversation explores the difference between the “water” and the “well,” t...

In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way , I share one of the most powerful lessons my elders ever taught me: Your reputation is more important than revenge. For many years, I only understood this phrase intellectually. But about 15 years ago, I had an experience that forced me to understand this phrase on an emotional and spiritual level. Because around that time, someone I t...

In this episode, I explore a truth we don’t talk about enough: Black women are praised for their strength but rarely witnessed in their softness. And I believe that softness is one of the most sacred parts of our humanity. To be clear: Softness is not weakness. It is tenderness without armor. It is empathy without overextension. It is rest without apology. It is laughter and levity. In this conver...

Today, I am joined by the amazing Dr. Vikki Johnson . Dr. Vikki Johnson is a transformational speaker, spiritual mentor to many women, best-selling author, sound healer, and Founder of Soul Wealth LLC. Her mission is to guide women to live a life of dominion while manifesting abundance, ease, peace, and flow as they fulfill their Kingdom purpose. A graduate of Howard University, Dr. Vikki is the h...

In this episode, I explore the heightened importance of witnessing Black women—especially now . As we enter Black History Month, Black women are navigating disproportionate career disruption, increased responsibility, emotional fatigue, and systemic invisibility. Yet we are still expected to perform at peak strength without protection and to maintain resilience without rest. In this conversation,...

Working hard but still feeling unseen and not valued? If you’ve ever felt invisible at work, this episode is for you. In this episode, I share a powerful lesson passed down by my elders: You don’t need to do more work. You need to be witnessed. Witnessing is more than being noticed. It’s about having your truth named, your humanity honored, and your gifts invested in. It's about NOT feeling used....

In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way , I begin a new series titled What My Elders Taught Me About Work and Worth . In this 15-minute episode, I share a personal story from the early days of my corporate career, when a formal business dinner revealed deep feelings of insecurity and a sense of not belonging. What helped me move forward was not corporate training or mentorshi...

In this episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way , I explore the wisdom of the proverb “Trust your wings, not the branch.” In a year marked by job uncertainty, burnout, and shifting workplace expectations, we must remember and reclaim our power to thrive. Together, let's unpack the difference between the branches we were conditioned to trust—jobs, titles, salaries, policies, and corpo...