everyone's "moving in a different direction" and I'm walking confidently in the direction of my dreams

I didn’t get the job, but I got something better: clarity, conviction, and a whole lot of words.

Wednesday Wisdom

“Hey, sis. Before you start spiraling, remember: You are liberating yourself by making room for something that doesn't feel forced.” ~

Alex Elle

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Morning Musings

Snapshot of Chasity and I putting in that work at Soul Good Coffee

Well, y’all, I didn’t get it. Three weeks after my final interview and just as many follow-ups on my part, I finally received the rejection letter: “After careful consideration, we have decided to move in a different direction with this role, and it is no longer available. While this may not be the outcome you were hoping for, please know that your profile and experience left a positive impression on our team.”

Given the radio silence over the last few weeks, I’d already mentally resigned myself to the fact they weren’t going to extend an offer. The actual email was basically a formality.

Was I disappointed? Yes. Distraught? Eh, not so much. Sure, I’d worked myself into many an anxiety spiral over the last month or so, but when the news finally came, it almost felt like a relief. To top it all off, I also got word that a corporate client was “moving in a different direction” (sensing a theme here?), so I did some reflecting.

In my book, Stop Waiting for Perfect, I write about how rejection is often redirection (and God’s protection). After reading the rejection letter, I took a few moments to (internally) scream into the void, work out my angst on a Peloton ride, took a shower while blasting Beyoncé and then I opened my laptop and got to business working on my infertility memoir.

I called myself getting a head start on

Jami Attenberg

’s popular #1000wordsofsummer challenge, wherein writers from all over the world sit down to write 1,000 words per day for two weeks. I’m not a big stickler for the word count as I am ensuring I sit down to work on a personal project. This year that project is INFERTILE BLACK GIRL.

This, my friends, is the working that I’m meant to be doing, much like how Beyoncé was meant to be be well, Beyoncé. And no, I’m not comparing myself to arguably the greatest living entertainer. What I mean by that is Beyoncé is so clearly walking in her purpose and doing the work that God intended for her to do. And I should do the same.

It was during Week 2 of The Wait that I worked myself into a full-on frenzy. All the mindfulness apps and devotionals in the world weren’t powerful enough to pull me out of that anxiety spiral. Because a lot was on the line. Invoices were overdue. And my bank account was running on E. This job, I thought, was my golden ticket out of freelance hell. This job, I thought, would offer some consistency in a current uncertain economic climate. This job, I thought, was meant for me. Well, I guess I was wrong.

what happens when a health & wellness reporter burns out

When I left my staff role as a health and wellness reporter back in 2023, I told myself, “freelance for now and maybe freelance forever.” I was open to working another journalism job if a less toxic newsroom came around. Because as good as I am at nonprofit communications, editorial will always have my heart. It really sucks to love an industry that doesn’t love you.

Btw, I use the term industry loosely…it’s not like I love media, but I do love writing and getting to tell stories that matter. And yes, getting paid for it (though never quite as much as the comms jobs, why is that?!). Media and I have what you might call a love-hate relationship and yet I’ve been doing some form of it for nearly 20 years now so help me, God.

During one such panic session, I opened my Spotify to play Kirk Franklin while I journaled. And, in true Spotify form, the algorithm then started playing similar songs. Eventually it landed on Antoine Bradford’s “Trust In You.” I’d never heard the song before, but the lyrics caused me to stop my pen in its tracks.

“‘Cause when I trust in You

I do the thing I was made to do

To life a life that fully rests in You

And all Your promises for me”

Did I trust God to know better than me? I’ll be honest, not at the time. But when the rejection email came, I knew what to do. The conviction to sit down and write had never been stronger. THIS is what I made to do. And let me tell you, the words flowed so easily! When my self-appointed work block was over, I looked at the word count to realized I’d exceeded the 1,000 words goal and written 1,108 words.

A couple of days later, I met up with my homegirl

Chasity Cooper

of

Bright + Balanced

for an in-person #1000wordsofsummer meetup and ended up writing 2,497. You know how Beyoncé easily hits those runs and makes it all look so effortless? Yea, that’s me and writing. And it’s not even a humblebrag. I am THAT girl when it comes to writing and it’s high time I act like it.

So everyone can keep “moving in a different direction.” I’m moving confidently and purposefully in the direction of my dreams. LFGGG!!! 🎉🎉🎉

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Next Week: Raise Your Rates Workshop 💰

Raise Your Rates is an hourlong virtual workshop designed to help creatives—especially women, nonbinary folks and freelancers of color—price their work with confidence and communicate their value without flinching. We’re talking strategy, mindset, and a little tough love (with a lot of grace).

You’ll leave with:
💸 A downloadable rate-setting cheat sheet
💼 A framework for building aligned pricing
🗣️ Scripts and strategies for those awkward money convos
🗓️ Wednesday, June 11 at 12 PM CT
🎟️ $27 to attend (replay included)

Let’s stop playing small with your pricing and start owning your value. You in?

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Upcoming Events

June 17: Author Talk with Be Rooted. I’m so excited to join my favorite stationery company for a candid conversation about my book, Stop Waiting for Perfect. This FREE webinar dives into the deeply relatable struggle of perfectionism, particularly among high-achieving Black women, and how it can keep us stuck in comfort zones that no longer serve us.

June 28: Unfiltered & Unapologetic: A Book Launch & Conversation. Join me for the Chicago book launch of Judy McCutcheon’s book, Unfiltered and Unapologetic: A Woman’s Guide to Live, Love, and Lead with Boldness. I’ll be serving as the moderator for this event, which includes heavy hors D’oeuvres, beverages and authentic networking. Get your ticket starting at $30 here.

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What I’m Reading

1. It Should Not Be Controversial to Plead for Gaza’s Children (The Atlantic)

2. Libraries, Criminalization and Organizing (

   Prisons, Prose & Protest
   )

3. From reckoning to backlash, Black women reflect on the stakes of the moment (The 19th)

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Now Hiring

1. Host, Audio for ProPublica

2. Social Media Manager for Substack

3. Senior Graphic Designer for Therapy for Black Girls

4. Communications Officer for Girls Not Brides

5. Philanthropic Communications Specialist for Global Fund for Women

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