This is the first bonus episode of PFMN; they will serve as anything extra I forgot to include or found after recording/uploading.

This bonus is part of the late Chadwick Boseman’s 2018 commencement speech at his alma mater, Howard University, about how taking the road with the most difficulty will produce the greatest results and to follow purpose above everything. I think it serves as a perfect accompaniment to Episode #5. I so greatly wish I was sharing this under different circumstances, but this video was brought back to my attention due to his devastating battle with cancer and passing. I remember feeling the excitement leading up to the release of Black Panther (2018). I remember the joy of seeing so many beautiful Black people in a world where they are powerful and intelligent and witty and brave and literal heroes. The first thing I bought for my freshman year college dorm was the Black Panther movie poster. The world has truly lost an amazing human being but gained an angel.

The day after he passed, the sky was clear and the weather was warm for the first time in a week-long string of storms. The sunset that night was one of the most beautiful and vibrant I’ve seen this year so far. I like to think that was confirmation he was received into a much better , peaceful and glorious place after putting on a brave face for us all.

Tell someone, and yourself, you love them today. Extend a little more kindness just because. If you are going through hell, keep. Going. The other side will be worth it.

Long Live the King.

Episode 5 dives into the story of how I learned to trust my gut and live in my purpose. Covering my transformative freshman year of college, I get vulnerable and share how I'v worked on myself to find out the person I'm meant to become and try to help someone else along the way.

*trigger warning* timestamps for discussions of anxiety and depression: 7:30-12:18 [7:00-7:15 9:08-9:53 10:21-11:07 11:20-11:48] 17:50-18:10, 19:30-19:44

Read the full episode description and find accompanying playlist here: 

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Episode #3 is about the lived experiences of Black women, in America specifically, and how we continually sacrifice ourselves to still be handed the short end of the stick. Listen to hear me talk about dating, self esteem, activism and knowing when we have to just save ourselves. 

Read the full episode description and find links to the video and TedTalks mentioned in the episode on my blog here

Listen to my Black girl coming-of-age playlist on Spotify here

Follow the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @PagesFromMyNotebookPod

In Episode 2, I cover the popular phenomenon I like to call the Struggle Olympics: the constant  comparison competition (c'mon alliteration!) that students participate in where they see who has it harder. Categories include sleep deprivation, essay length, grades received and more!

Why do we feel the need to one-up each other's struggles? We all know college is hard, so why do we take pride in having it harder than someone else? Listen to learn about the olympics, impostor syndrome, hustle culture and how we can use rest as resistance, just like @TheNapMinistry has taught us.

This episode of PFMN is a recitation of the essay I wrote to express my feelings after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other innocent Black people taken by the hands of police and racist violence. This is in no way comprehensive of everything I feel regarding racism (because how can you fit 400 years of generational trauma into one post) but it was what I felt called to say at the time.

This essay is a call to action to any non-black person who has ever said they are not racist. It is not enough to simply say it, you must actively fight racism, as Black people have been fighting since our birth.

The intro to Pages From My Notebook: A True-to-Life Podcast! Learn what this project is all about and has in store. Thank you for listening!