My Experience As A Essence E-Suite Speaker!

Imagine being 21 years old, in your first apartment that you live in with your 3-year-old son. It’s not lavish at all. It’s a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment in a low-income area. That was my reality in 2010. It was the first place I could afford by myself and call my own. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my sanctuary though. Unbeknownst to me, it was the apartment that renewed my reason for existing.

To be clear, I was working part-time and in school full-time. But I could only work so much so I could be ‘poor enough’ to qualify for state-paid childcare. And while we can make our home what we want, the environment was out of my control. I lived in a complex of maybe 15 apartments, side by side, in the shape of a U. There was one way in and one way out. In fact, if you had a car, your driving in reverse skills improved after living there. I’m pretty sure I was the youngest tenant. On the left of me, there was a white couple that loudly had domestic disputes and obvious use of cocaine. On the right of me, I learned was a drug dealer after police swarmed in with a helicopter overhead to arrest him.

I’m not sure how I kept my sanity honestly. But I knew this couldn’t be where I needed to live forever. My son and I deserved more. I couldn’t afford much. But I treated myself to an annual subscription to ESSENCE magazine. At that moment I learned just why this publication was so important for Black women. I began to read the magazines from front cover to back cover and left feeling rejuvenated, with clarity on my next steps in life.

I identified two goals, I wanted to start my own blog, and I wanted to write for magazines. In a week, I sent out a mass text to friends simply encouraging them. They were so moved and it moved me. So I started my blog to be a platform of inspiration. In less than 6 months, I became a writer for a national publication which opened my eyes to so many possibilities in life. Shortly after, I got hired at a hotel as a front desk rep and moved out of that apartment and onto a greater path in life.

Why am I sharing this? Between the abundance of affirmations published in ESSENCE, and me also finding myself closer to God, this girl had another chance at life.

And this same journey is what I shared at my first speaking opportunity at the 2022 Essence Festival!

I presented on Parenting During a Major Career Shift.

I highlighted my journey navigating as a single teen mom, to working in corporate to the nonprofit sector then entrepreneurship, and now living a life I could never imagine.

Additionally, for my upcoming recap, I also provided links to resources nationally distributed straight from Black women from St. Louis. Pouring back when and however I can. 🖤

It was a moment I will forever cherish. I advise anyone who loves and appreciates Black culture, to attend Essence Fest. We all enjoyed it and the New Orleans love.

Video recap coming soon!

Shout out to me never giving up. Whoever needs to read this, I’m sending you virtual hugs and a burst of encouragement to go after your wildest dreams. There’s a stage waiting on you to inspire someone else, trust me.