Hey Reader,

Sooooo my PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER podcast season 5 WON TWO WEBBY AWARDS!!! 🏆🏆 Not just one, but TWO! The judges chose it as "Best Limited Edition Series in BUSINESS" and then Y'ALL showed up and voted for it too! I'm filled with gratitude about it and I’ll tell you especially why below.

Last weekend, I got to spend time with some absolutely brilliant Black women at ExcelerateHer Conference and it filled my cup!!! The way Black women pour into me, is unlike any other and I insist on being present in these rooms because conversations, the energy, the FITS, the wisdom shared. Whew, I was inspired!

But yeah, let's jump into what's been on my mind this week. 👇🏾
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RANT

Y'all leave those Carter children ALONE.

What in the actual entire hell is wrong with people?! 😡 This week, Beyoncé launched her Cowboy Carter tour, and blessed us with the return of BLUE IVY CARTER, the family manager who we do not play about. And thennnnn she introduced us for real to Rumi, her 7-year old daughter, who stepped on stage and immediately captured our hearts when she geeked out and hugged her mom during PROTECTOR. She is PURE JOY, PURE INNOCENCE, PURE LIGHT. And I’m obsessed. THAT’S NIECEY POOH OFFICIALLY!

And what did people do? They showed up on BEYONCÉ'S ACTUAL INTERNET to declare that Rumi is autistic. Based on what? A few seconds of a 7-year-old being... wait for it... A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD. 🤦🏾‍♀️

We are NOT doing this. We are not diagnosing children we don't know from short clips. We are not speculating about the neurodiversity of BABIES. We are not turning precious family moments into opportunities for armchair psychology.

These are CHILDREN. Who didn't ask to be born to famous parents. Who deserve privacy and grace and the basic human decency of not having strangers on the internet discuss their bodies and brains.

And even IF Rumi or any child is neurodivergent, it is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is none of our raggedy business. So to everyone who thought it was appropriate to analyze Rumi Carter from a stage appearance: Delete your accounts. Touch grass. Reconsider your life choices. And maybe, just maybe, let Black children exist without your commentary. 🗣️

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REFLECTION

Divine Surrender can lead to rewards.

As I shared earlier, last week I found out that my podcast won 2 WEBBY Awards, in the BUSINESS category. But that's not really what this reflection is about. That's just the hinge. The lesson is what I want to share. 🙏🏾

When I found out that Professional Troublemaker season 5 was nominated for a Webby Award, I put it in an email and posted about it on social media once, asked for votes, and kept it moving. In fact, a few days before the results were announced, someone DM'd me and said, "Hey, I just voted for you in the Webby Awards, but you must not care about it much. You haven't really been posting."

And I basically let them know that it’s not that I didn’t care or didn’t wanna win.I just didn't have the capacity to do a full press court. Between the book launch for "Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name" (which is out next week!!), running my business, and trying to stay grounded, I couldn't go hard for it.

So when last week when I found out I had won, I absolutely squealed and was floored. I was geeked about it. And then I sat with it. I sat with what that win really meant. 🥹

It hit me that this was a divine lesson in expansion and ease.

Most times, when I want something, I go after it HARD. I map the strategy, do the work, push the plan. But this time? I didn't chase. I didn't strive. I let it be.

And I won. I still won. 🙌🏾 In spite of my lack of effort. It re-affirmed a lesson I’ve been trying to absorb:

You don't always have to grind for what is already yours.

Reader, you don't always have to exhaust yourself to be rewarded.

You don't always have to force a door open. Some doors swing wide when you simply stand in your assignment. 🗣️

This moment spoke directly to the season I've been in. Rebuilding a company. Rebuilding my spirit. Letting go of the pressure to hold everything up by my own strength. And realizing that some of the most meaningful wins come from surrender, not struggle.

This was one of those wins. It felt like God saying, "I got you. You don't have to chase this. It's yours if you want it." 👀

So here I am, so full of gratitude because this is a message that keeps coming back to me. The striving season is over. It is time to simply receive what is yours.

Reader, your worth isn't measured by your exhaustion. Your value isn't tied to your overwhelm. Some blessings are meant to find you exactly where you are, not where you've hustle yourself to death to be. 🤌🏾

Thank you for voting for me. Thank you for riding with me. Thank you for reminding me that sometimes, I don't need to do more. I just need to be. 🥹❤️🙏🏾

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RECOMMENDATION

Help us fulfill our mission of getting 10,000 kids seen, with Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name.

Next week, my second children's book "Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name" is out in the world. It's my fifth book overall. So related to my reflection, on how I don’t always have to go so hard all the time, I’m moving with pure ease in this launch. By now, I'd usually be deep in press tours, obsessing over hitting that New York Times list. But just like my Webby win affirmed to me that surrender can be more powerful than striving, this book launch is about leaning into what actually matters.

Getting dope credentials and hitting the New York Times bestselling list is not the real prize here. Getting this book into the hands of 10,000 kids by the end of this year is.

I wrote “Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name” from a personal place, and for the children who have spent their lives being frustrated, bullied or dismissed because of their names.

Divine surrender means I trust this book will reach exactly who needs it. I'm not forcing the door open. I'm simply walking through. 🚪

Here's how you can help me walk through the doors I might not even know exist to knock on:

📘 Buy your copy – for your kid, your godchild, your friend's kid, or your local library

📚 Sponsor copies for classrooms – we're matching donors with teachers

📖 Invite me to read at your school – I'm trading press tours for story hours

Every dollar spent on this book is energy redirected. From criticism to creation. From analysis to affirmation. From questioning children to empowering them.

What does divine surrender look like in your life right now?

With ease and purpose,
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P.S. In my Patreon this week, I did a BIG 25-book giveaway, as I’m clearing my shelves. I love passing books on that are worth spending time with. Join us over on Patreon to get in on my next giveaway. 💫