Blog

After I said Good Morning to America

Jul 30, 2024 |

If you’re going through hell this is what you should do.

Many of you saw me on your television in April of 2021 featured on GMA3. I left my corporate job in 2016 to run She’s Got Papers full time and in the last 8 years I have taken a trip that Shonda Rhimes herself could not have written. There were family health challenges, a separation from my life partner of 17 years, a return to Corporate America and now, the birth of She’s Got Papers & Home. Mama has been busy!

My grandmother used to say God doesn’t close one door without opening another. I say, true. But sometimes it’s hell up in the hallway. The hallway is where the pivot begins. Where that setback meets the comeback. Where you get up off the floor and get back to business. If you’re in the hallway, let me tell you what I know works because I’ve lived it.

But before I do, let me say this. Joy cometh in the morning.It always does. read more…

I Dare You

Jun 30, 2024 |

A bird in the hand beats two in the bush. I hate that saying. The bird in the hand signifies security, except the longer you live you’re forced to realize that there is none. Not a single thing is certain in life.

Jobs go away, friendships fade, relationships fail, rifts develop in seemingly tight-knit families and children grow up and get on with their lives.

Things do and inevitably will change.

Then suddenly you’re left without the things you thought were sure.

For instance, the work that you’ve loved since college ends with a job suddenly lost in a restructuring. Your good friend Sheila becomes a person you barely recognize.

And last but definitely not least, your children. Well . . . they’re grown now. With grown lives. I’ll just leave that there.

In the midst of this hail storm you start thinking, what now? What about the business I dreamed of starting all those years ago, the hobbies I put down because life and my to-do list got the better of me, the social functions I used to attend, or the Pilates classes I once enjoyed so much. And what in the world happened to me and Sheila?

Trying to find peace in a storm? Look for the rainbow.

Jun 1, 2024 |

“When it looks like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds”. – Allyson Williams

Dr. Maya Angelou passed away in 2014 at the age of 86, but what a gift she gave to this world, through not only her poetry, but her books and the amazing life she lived. With such titles as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Heart of a Woman, and my personal favorite, Mom & Me & Mom. That last title gave readers a very up close and personal glimpse of her sometimes complicated relationship with her mother, but also spoke to how everything came together to shape and form the remarkable woman she was. read more…

It’s never too late to rebuild your life

May 30, 2024 |

Everyone can start over. It’s just a matter of deciding to do so. Several years ago, my aunt was divorced after almost 25 years of marriage. As a child, my earliest memories of her were as someone who was carefree and lots of fun. One of my favorite things to do was watch her as she dressed to go out dancing. Her black leather pants, spiked belt, and fierce shoe game were her signatures. She has always been a character of sorts, and as I grew older, I watched that spirit become a bit more subdued. And for me her light seemed to dim a bit.

I think marriage is a beautiful institution, and I was saddened to hear that she and her husband had decided to part ways. What I have seen emerge in the years that followed can only be described like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. That light came back in a major way. With her children grown, at the ripe young age of 50, my aunt got her groove back. I designed “A Brand New Beautiful You” in honor of Renee, who lovingly bills herself as “Thee Aunt.” read more…

Some things are better left unsaid

Apr 30, 2024 |

But not everything.

As children we were taught, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. It’s another one of those old fashioned rules that if we really adhered to it would prevent a lot of hurt feelings. That’s for sure.

But what about the things that really do need to be said and you never get around to it? Words like I love you,I apologize, I’m here for you and don’t give up.

Or how about the two that we carelessly forget as we run about our days. Doing this, tending to that, earning, spending, gossiping and over sharing on Facebook.

The two words that could reverse an otherwise terrible day for someone, that can turn misery to lightness and turn a smile to a frown in a matter of seconds.