Hey Reader, do any of these sound familiar? You are on the phone with your mom, who's confused about her next doctor's appointment. You are trying to stay calm while mentally preparing for your next meeting or deadline. You grab a Snickers at your desk because there is no time for a real lunch. Your stomach is growling. Your energy is crashing. Your migraine is hammering But you keep working. You are cooking dinner while helping with homework, your phone buzzing with work texts, the stove...
18 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Can I be honest with you? You're tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep fixes. The kind that sits in your bones after years of being the one who holds it all together. The one who figures it out. The one who never gets to say "I don't know what to do" out loud because everyone is looking to you for answers. You've built something impressive. You've pushed through seasons that would have broken other people. And you've done most of it alone. But lately, something feels different....
30 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, For a long time, many of us learned to keep work relationships at a distance. Not because we did not like our colleagues, but because we were taught that staying strictly professional was safer. Smarter. Less risky. But I have watched Black women navigate microaggressions at work with strength not because they handled it alone, but because they had people inside the organization who understood exactly what was happening. No explaining. No minimizing. Just recognition and support. Here...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Reader, Here's a realization that may shift your approach to 2026.The world isn't going to provide the environment we need to thrive.Not the healthcare system that leaves our communities vulnerable. Not the workplaces that tell us to "stay professional" while everything burns. Not the government institutions that were supposed to protect us.Here's What I Know About Thriving When the World Is On Fire The high-achieving Black women I work with who are actually thriving? They design their own...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Reader, can I ask you something real?When's the last time you went to bed at the same time two nights in a row?If you're sitting there thinking "uh…I can't remember," you're not alone. A recent NY times article confirms that most of us treat sleep like a negotiation. We stay up late to finish work, scroll through our phones because our minds won't shut off, or catch up on weekend mornings by sleeping in.We tell ourselves we're fine as long as we get "enough hours."But here's what your body...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
You know what, Reader, We spend hours vetting business partnerships. We analyze data before making career moves. We research coaches before investing.But when it comes to friendships? We keep people in our inner circle out of habit, history, or guilt.And that needs to stop.Winter teaches us something crucial about growth. Before anything blooms, something has to die. Before new life takes root, the ground has to be cleared.Your friendships need that same intentional pruning.Not because you're...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, As we set intentions for 2026, I want to name something plainly. This is not the year we “try” to feel better.This is the year we decide that our bodies are not collateral damage. When I shared the poll about what you’re prioritizing most in the year ahead, the message was loud and clear. Health came first. Not because you’re vain.Not because you’re giving up on ambition.But because your body has been carrying too much for too long. And I need you to hear this in the same fire I’m...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Before you jump back into the work cycle - I wanted to share a quick priority check. Last week, I shared a community poll question and the responses showed me what black women in midlife are most focused on this year. Check it out: What I hear clearly is this: Black women in midlife are no longer chasing shiny goals. You are focused on stability and sustainability. Your body came first. Not weight loss for aesthetics, but health. Energy. Sleep. Relief. Your finances came next. Not...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Guess What Reader, It can only be a Happy New Year if you start saying NO. This is not your typical "New Year, New Energy" advice but stay with me, sis. You cannot become who you're meant to be while everyone else is still using you as their emergency contact, their therapist, their savior, and their safety net.I know what you're thinking. "But Venessa, they need me."Here's what I know: They've needed you for years. And where has that left you?Running on fumes while everyone else is thriving...
2 months ago • 1 min read