Medium is mainly a writer’s platform.

I get that.

But during the quarantine I had a lot of time to think about how I can better utilize my resources.

With so many avenues for cross-platform functionality I do not want to waste any opportunity to reach my audience scattered on the internet.

What I Did And How I Did It

I started a podcast about mental health because as a Caribbean woman I know how taboo the topic can be. I couldn’t find resources because of accessibility and affordability, which are two things I talk about in my Medium story “Black Women Deserve Therapists Who Look Like Us.”

…

Now, before you draw the daggers, hear me out.

The internet is a helpful place filled with endless resources. But let’s be honest. During the last few years, especially during the pandemic, there’s been a resurgence of the get-rich-quick money-making scheme.

It’s reared it’s head in the form of blessing looms, MLMs and my personal favorite: the online course that keeps on giving.

I respect the hustle.

I do.

But most importantly I respect course creators who provide value — who’s initiatives don’t teach you how to teach others to make money by teaching them to teach others to make…

Fear of rejection. The desire for validation and approval is what drives most of our decisions. I don't know where we learned this, but I do know it can be unlearned. Actually, I DO know! We're pitted against our siblings as children. We compete in class and seek rewards and awards all throughout life. For some people the rejection drives them - motivates them. For others it's a brutal and lingering blow. We fear asking because we anticipate rejection. How much simpler would life be if we simply embraced the "no's" as we do all the positive answers.

The biggest misconception I had as a teenager was that I’d have everything figured out by my mid to late twenties.

I was so, SO wrong!

I imagined I would have a well-paying, fulfilling career. I would be engaged to the love of my life, building my dream home while donning pantsuits all week.

Instead, I constantly second guess my career choices, am currently intentionally single, and live at home with my parents. …

I assumed I’d be halfway to the altar by now. Guess what? I’m not even close. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t manifest my husband. Or pray for one.

As bummed as I should be, quarantine allowed me to toy with the idea of perpetual singleness.

It’s a mindset I thought I’d never have. One my ultra-conservative friends find depressing, but my feminist pals? They’re shelling hi-fives all around.

Oh, dear.

Pining for human connection during self-isolation isn’t uncommon. In fact, it’s understandable. Yet here I am, relishing the quiet that quarantine brings.

A few years ago, I was happily preparing…

The minister slept with the deaconess on Wednesday nights. On those nights, he anointed her body with his spirit’s oil. His was the broken vessel that left his wife’s dwelling every mid-week. And for over a decade, he ministered to other women in both body and soul. Practicing tongues, laying hands, and being the great physician’s hands-on assistant.

Nothing usually went awry at his baptismal visitations. This evening was different. The horror that etched across his face when Noni caught them in the act was paralyzing.

Noni, 14, was the deaconess’ only daughter whose father died in the Middle East…

People value an authentic story. Or rather, they value an unapologetic storyteller. It doesn’t matter what’s said, or how it’s told. This is why Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016. Why comedians, despite their uncensored jokes, will never be muted. And the reason social media personalities like Cardi B flourish.

I don’t share the same hysterical fondness that other millennials have for Cardi B. But that’s what makes her the best case study.

The definition of success is a relative one. But…we can narrow it down to: monetary wealth and recognition in your field.

I’ll…