I always felt like the (literal) black sheep growing up. I lived in a predominately white neighborhood, and I was the only black kid in my entire school (at least until my younger siblings aged in). I always felt different and not completely included. On top of being black, I…

Locs can teach you if you’re open to receive it — For many people, a loc journey is about more than just the style. Some people go into their loc-ing process with specific intentions. Whether that be to finally commit to something in their life, to improve upon their spiritual journey, or challenge beauty standards and show the world an alternative…

Quieting the Mind to See Life More Clearly. — Just before the Tokyo Olympics, I wrote an article titled, Letting Go of My Beast Self, about how I was exploring a new way to motivate and compete with myself. I found it harder and harder to compete from a place of anger and lack. I instead moved towards a…

Questions to guide your yearly reflection — Every year around this time I like to reflect on what I’ve experienced in the last 365 days. I intentionally sit and remember it all… the good, the bad, the amazing, and the worst. …

Lessons from my near-death experience — Was there anything left I’d wished I’d done? Was there someone I wanted to see one last time? Had there been a word left unsaid? The oxygen mask was wrapped tightly around my face as I looked death in the eye. …

It’s time for another fresh start — Point of view: It’s a gloriously sunny day. Not too hot where I’m dripping sweat and my forehead shines from a mile away, but warm enough where the sun just kisses my shoulders and the light breeze fills my lungs refreshingly. I’m waiting at the crosswalk in the city, any…

I left the track in shock, asking myself, “What did I do wrong? Is this really how the story ends?” — I had just competed in the qualifying rounds of the women's triple jump at the Tokyo Olympics. The auto-qualifying mark wasn’t one that I couldn’t have easily done any other year, yet on this day, I was far from it. No one pursues a dream for a decade and expects…