Hey Reader,
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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. 💆🏾‍♀️
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Afterwards, she was like "drink lots of water." I BETTER. All them toxins you just released.
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It was right on time too because this week, I’ve had two 24-hour trips and my body feels it. I’d probably be in more pain if I hadn’t done that massage.
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One of my trips was to Rhode Island, where I gave a keynote on Courageous Leadership, for such a time as this and that was so energizing to me.

So yeah, I’ve been doing stuff. Anywho, let's jump into what's on my mind this week.

RANT

Tax the podcast microphones!
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​I know the empire is crumbling and that we have important things to talk about so I have one: LET US TAX PODCAST MICROPHONES, especially for unhealed men. Like, IMMEDIATELY. 🙄
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The way podcasts are popping up every day by some ashy dude who thinks his thoughts are needed is pissing me off. Whether it’s the random white dudes in positions of power or the dude who got 25 likes on one Facebook post and now he thinks he needs to drop an episode every week… DEFUND PODCAST MICS AND THE DUDEBROS.
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Gavin Newsom, the governor of California now has one, to "have difficult conversations" or "explore nuanced perspectives" when it really means amplify garbage takes." Dude just gave air to the walking embodiment of soul rot that is Steve Bannon. 😑And Joe Rogan and his Napoleon complex spewing hot raggedy stupid white medicority every day and getting paid millions.
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Then there are the men who have podcasts talmbout “females be gold diggers…” SIR YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE ALUMINUM! Don’t worry bout anyone digging gold you don’t have, BrokeBoi. TF?!? 🤮

Folks will do anything but go to therapy. Buying microphones need to be more expensive. TARIFF THEM! Put a $5,000 surcharge on these Schure and Yeti mics and get out our faces! We do not wanna hear it, Chad! 🔇
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Ugh.
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TAKE UP LESS SPACE, FELLAS. Shut up more! Maybe shrink a little bit. 🤷🏾‍♀️

REFLECTION

Maybe the loss was divine protection.
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​This administration came in and lit everything on fire, like we knew they would. But I think what has been surprising to most of us is HOW FAST they’re moving through executing the Project 2025 plans. What is clear is this: the United States of America will never be the same again. They are doing generational damage.
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But when we zoom out, we recognize that this is a crumbling of a nation that has been on the verge for a long time. 🌏🔥

The tension in the air right now, the discomfort we all feel in our bodies is beyond the politics of it all. With each passing day, and we see another bit of catastrophic news, it's hard not to fall into despair about what could have been had Kamala Harris won the 2024 election. I wanna fight folks everyday for the fact that we’re here. Whether the election was hacked or whether these numbers we saw were true: it was all ALLOWED to unfold as it did.
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But I've been sitting with a thought for the last few months, as I’ve watched how people have moved in the face of fascism, and in this crumbling. What if Kamala Harris's loss was actually protection? 🤔💭
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The abscess that is the American empire is coming to a head. The pus in the boil of a population who has prioritized profit over people is oozing out. It stinks. It is rancid. It is painful. But it is probably beyond time.
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​Maybe Kamala didn't win because she wasn't supposed to be at the helm of the empire crumbling. They would have blamed her for 400 years of dysfunction. The ultimate glass cliff. They would have sabotaged her at every point. And even the white people who voted for her would have burned her at the proverbial stake when things got hard.

The outcome of all this might have been the same because the people and beliefs and systems that caused her loss would operate the same way. There would have DEFINITELY been violence already. And with a Black woman at the top? They would have pinned it ALL on her. 🤮 They actually might have made our lives even more of hell from the resentment that she actually made it to the top.
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​The broken arm we tried to ignore has been hit with multiple baseball bats. Can't ignore it anymore as it's hanging only by cartilage. This was not hers to clean up. 🙅🏾‍♀️
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​This is a reckoning. A necessary one. A long overdue one. And it might have actually been more cruel had a Black woman been the one in the highest office when it happened. Truly. We would have beared the FULL BRUNT. And we would have tried to put ourselves in the line of fire because of her position. Her winning might have broken us.
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So all of this I'm sitting with that. America can burn itself. 😒 It definitely cannot blame a Black woman for it. So I'll take some solace in that.

Reader, sometimes the most painful rejection is actually divine redirection. Sometimes not getting what you thought you wanted is the universe saying "I love you too much to let you walk into that storm without an umbrella." And sometimes, the loss that breaks your heart today is what saves your soul tomorrow.

We wanted Kamala to win so badly we didn't stop to consider if winning could have been its own kind of loss for her and for all of us who would have rallied to protect her from the inevitable fallout. In the rubble of what might have been, perhaps there's the gift of not sitting on the throne as the castle burns. We would have made ourselves the first responders, and might have burned with it.

RECOMMENDATION

When the world feels heavy, turn to the words that last.
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​History is written in ink. And even as they’re deleting websites, and banning books, let’s still turn to words to be our salve.
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You know what outlasts elections? Books. What transcends generations? Our stories. What remains when everything else crumbles? The words we leave behind in print. 📚♥️

So let me offer you seven books that have been medicine for my spirit. Books that remind us to feel deeply, honor ourselves (and God), be in community, fight when needed, and REST when necessary:

These aren't just books. They're love letters. They're rebukes. They're manifestos. Cuz Black women know, and not just the Black women from days past (everyone has recommended Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, so that goes without saying). But let’s not just honor the words of the Black women who are already ancestors. 📖♥️

Spend time with these offerings. Let them hold you. Let them guide you. Let them remind you that we've been here before, and we know the way forward. ❤️

Tell me: what book has been medicine for your spirit lately? 🗣️💬

P.S. A few years ago, I created a comprehensive travel checklist to make sure my trips go as smoothly as possible. Whether I'm heading out for work, play, or something in between. This is the exact checklist I use to prep for keynotes, events, and personal getaways. My team (and executive assistant) use this religiously. I dropped it in my Patreon today! Members gets it for free (and non-members can grab it too) so tap in.