The LuvvLetter
Join 50,000+ people for the weekly newsletter about all things culture, business, leadership and personal growth.
On Muzzling Mics, Masked Miracle and Mighty Manifestos
Hey Reader,Last Friday, I went for a 2 hour Thai massage. At first, I told her I wanted medium pressure (you know, cutesy, demure). And then when she touched my shoulders and felt that my knots had knots, she was like “I need to go deeper.” I said “aight.” When the lady started using her elbows on my shoulders, I knew this was gon be a good ass whooping time. And it wassss! And I needed it. 💆🏾♀️Afterwards, she was like "drink lots of water." I BETTER. All them toxins you just released.It was...
When you can’t trust a room with your name…
Hey Reader,What happens when your name becomes a reason you have to stand up for yourself? Many of us grew up with names that teachers mispronounced and kids teased. When I was nine years old, we moved to the United States, and when I was pushed into this classroom to introduce myself, I immediately knew I couldn't trust that room with my name: Ifeoluwa. I knew the kids (AND my teacher) were not going to get it right. So I changed the first name I went by that day. That’s actually how Luvvie...
On Relatable Rejection, Role Realizations and Roaring Retail
Hey Reader,THANK YOU for all the love y'all showed after my announcement about making the Inc 500 Female Founders list! 🥹😭 Your messages, comments, and shares have had me emotional that I was overwhelmed in the best way (I even cried on the internet, which omg). THANK YOU for celebrating with me. 🙏🏾Now, let's get into what's on my mind this week... RANT I don't know who told y'all that the goal was to be "relatable."So Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex' new Netflix series just dropped, and the...
On Silenced Segments, Soulful Strength, and Sonic Sustenance
Hey Reader,I need to celebrate some things that blew my mind this week. I recorded the audiobook for "Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name" (coming out May 6th!), completed writing my next Little Troublemaker book (my SIXTH total), and I'm already working on my seventh! 🤯It also blew my mind to be in the room this week at ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood. I've been attending this event since 2012, and it's one of my favorites. Looking around and seeing so many dope women in one place and...
On Comprehension Crisis, Contribution Chains and Credential Care
Hey Reader,I hurt my own feelings this week. 😭 I went back to my Instacart receipt from April 2024. A dozen eggs cost me $3.99 back then. And this last order we placed? They cost $11.99. WHAT IN THE INFLATION?!Listen, I know prices go up, but TRIPLING in just a few months?? This is robbery happening in broad daylight! I'm out here trying to make an omelet and suddenly eggs are luxury items. The way these grocery stores are acting like we're shopping at Neiman Marcus for BASIC NECESSITIES has...
On Protective Practices, Patient Pause and Privacy Protection
Hey Reader, What a DECADE January has been. 😩 I turned 40 on January 5, and that feels like it happened 2 years ago at this point. The LA wildfires began this month! And now Marmalade Mussolini got the nuclear codes again and we ain’t had not an ounce of a break. Dis tew much. Let’s just jump in. RANT Folks better not colonize cowrie shells! At Tang Tyrant’s inauguration, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson showed up wearing a cowrie shell collar, looking like the ultimate baddie that she is, and...
On Political Perils, Protecting Prose and Publishing Possibilities
Hey Reader, This week has had me knee deep in The Book Academy’s launch (shoutout to y’all for not dropping me and unsubbing with all the emails we’ve sent but this is a transformative program that I truly believe in and y’all know I do not like to send you MANY emails in one week but my Chief Strategy Officer said I wasn’t letting her do her job if we didn’t go HAM on the emails 😩 so I had to go “aight fine” but she had a point). Anyway, long story short, I’ve been busy this week while...
On Callous Comments, Community Care and Critical Callings
Hey Reader,We're only 10 days into 2025, and what a week it's been. I turned 40 on January 5th. 40 feels so grown and all I am is a babygehl 👼🏾so I'm not understanding that number. But I am so thankful for God's grace, and that we don't look like what we've been through. This is definitely giving GROWNNN and I appreciate that. I had such a great birthday and felt adored and adorned. But since then? January 6 was the 4-year anniversary of the insurrection, and Vice President Kamala Harris had...
On Mediocre Mayhem, Meaningful Mantles and Manuscript Magic
Hey Reader,We lost a giant this week. The legendary Nikki Giovanni, poet extraordinaire, truthteller supreme, and legendary literary voice has ascended to be with the ancestors, becoming an ancestor herself. A Delta Dear who dared to dream of a world where Black love flourished and justice reigned supreme. Her pen was her sword, and with it, she carved pathways through the darkness. 🕊️❤️ I, of course, wrote her an Oriki. The way it hit me when I heard the news. I had to pause and sit with...
On Societal Spiraling, Sacred Strength and Story Sharing
Hey Reader,The world is SO WEIRD right now. The vibes are completely off. And when I say the vibes are off, I mean they packed their bags, left a note, and ain't even paying their part of the rent anymore. 😩The energy is giving unhinged but let's get into what's on my mind this week... RANT We're living in dystopian times and it's wild.Listen. I try not to be one of those "end times" people who stay catastrophizing everything. But WHAT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD is happening right now? Every single...