Episode 22! For this one we travel back a decade and are in 2015, May 3rd to be exact.

I called this one, "I've Always Had a Slingshot" and then a subtitle of "Opal Ellyse Tomashevska is out of poverty for good: in JESUS name!! Coming out of a poverty mindset was one of the biggest hurdles for me. It's a hurdle for many and it's not as easy as it looks, even though it looks hard as hell! Why do you think there are so many rags to riches stories? Because it is one hell of an adventure, and most don't make it!

At the time I wrote this, I had been a comfortable-ish paycheck to paycheck for about a year. Bills are paid, on time for the most part, my credit however sucked because there was nothing extra to put toward anything and no one really willing to give me a card to help build. Shout out to Fingerhut though, because they were the only ones and were there when I needed them. High prices and all, but they let me build credit when no one else would. I still keep the account just off of GP!

I want share this entry with you because it was a milestone on my journey and I think sometimes we think things need to be perfect or impressive before you can give a testimony and that's the exact opposite, you praise Him and you enjoy and you continue to get BLESSED, BEYOND MEASURE!!

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Count up your blessings, who are your Jonathans? In the Bible, Jonathan was a model of true friendship and loyalty.

· Trading in what you have now for your next!

· Wealth mindset is a real thing! You don't just shift to get out of poverty or into riches, you keep needing to shift it at every level. It's absolutely a faith thing; you move then God exceeds you. That's it. Sounds simple but it's also some Jedi shh LOL

· Rich forever. Trust in GOD, He's got you. Also, it's Manna, don't waste it trying to store it up. Trust and go BIG, baby!!

A queen doesn't live in lack, she lives in abundance. Know who you are and what you require, then add what you desire and make it so. It's your queendom!

- Are you living in abundance in all areas of your life?

- If there are areas where you feel lack, what is the root cause, what limiting beliefs are you holding onto?

- What does your next look like? What about your next after that?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

In this 21st episode we visit the year 2000 for an entry called "Not Chains, Change". This entry is the final entry in my last 1990's journal and it appropriately revolves around my goals for 2000.

The air was buzzing, change was alive, and we could feel it. It didn't feel like just another year or decade, it was a new millennium, and we embraced the change and wanted it to change us too.

Not Chains but Change when it comes to perspective is the power we all have to use this as a catalyst to become who we are created to be and honor and ENJOY who are right now. Because right now we are already so much, so blessed and so incredibly beautiful and part of that beauty is knowing we are becoming so much more. . .by choice. We have to let go of the chains, real and imaginary, societal and self-inflicted and become more free than we have ever been, regardless of circumstances. There are two things I am feeling wholeheartedly right now; one is getting back to the basics, and the other is freedom over illusion.

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Get way closer to God and improve my lifestyle accordingly. Then and now, then it was more about changing behavior, now it's about shifting my mindset.

· Get my niceness back to when it was at its peak. As I read this now, the irony is now and in recently years I feel I am too nice, especially when it comes to business and especially when it comes to my time.

· Don't let people put limits on you and don't you put limits on what God has for you.

· Only eat healthy. . .who isn't trying for this right now. This is one of the key components to getting back to the basics.

· Never put myself or anyone else down, this goes with the nice piece above. And words have so much power.

· Stay away from people who don't make me feel good and can't add to me.

· Present myself the way I want to be seen at all times.

· Learn from my mistakes quickly, yup I was doing this before corporate America made it OK.

· Qualify for every one of my '95 goals. Yup crazy sexy cool is in full effect, 30 years later!!

A queen isn't bound by anything but herself. . .make any and every change necessary to make that your reality.

- What are the goals you have for yourself now?

- Which one(s) of your goals are lifelong goals for an ever evolving and continuously elevation you?

- How will you adjust your language once you understand that words have power?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

We are at the 20th episode, already!! Yass thank you all for rocking with me!

This entry is called "In the Studio" and it's from 2015 when I hadn't been in the studio for a bit and I had just got done recording some heat!! It was so validating because it was one of those times where current life takes our focus off our dreams for a minute and we wonder if our big dreams were wrong, moments like this remind us of who we are and that our destiny isn't going anywhere!

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Pay attention to the moments, places, and people that fill your cup, and those that leave you more energized than you were when you started, that's your path.

· I CAN IN NO WAY ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE TO CONTROL THE PACE OF MY DREAM AND CREATIVE PROJECTS.

· Don't let people put limits on you and don't you put limits on what God has for you.

· To whom much is given, much is expected. This is my life, always.

· Pivots and opportunities are blessings, they always seem to come when you have other plans but let them. They come to bless us and grow us into who we are supposed to be, and it's never just for the one area it appears to be in, work, personal or otherwise.

· Manifestation is all up in this, 10 years ago I'm calling out music and books and acting. Now I've done them. Look at God!!

Queens are born, and if you look back you'll see your royal traits all a long.

• Where can you take back the control of your dreams and destiny
• What things have you called into existance that are now a reality?
• What and who give you the most energy?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

For this 19th episode I we are transported to the year 2000!

This entry is called "So Good" and it's right on time because I am just coming off a monster performance and speaking engagement run and this entry was about me just starting to dip my toe in the performance arts and it's so cool to see how far I've come and that some of the same joys and principles remain. It's also fuel for me to KEEP GOING!! I have so much more I want to do and be, this reminds me to continue going after my dreams, I hope it does the same for you!

For that and so many other reasons, I'm not giving up on my talents, ever, and I hope you don't either, God is so good!

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Put yourself in position to see what can be and expose yourself to things that are different or BIGGER than what you are used to.

· Your dream is tied to someone else's destiny.

· Friends who support you matter, keep those people as your tribe.

· Small gestures can lead to so much more, feel it out, but be open and say yes!

· Some things remain the same and it's so cool to be living a brand that was built so long ago knowing that these pivotal moments felt small, but they led to who I have become and who I am still becoming.

· The overwhelming joy that comes from having a body of work is something I wish all creatives could experience. Good news, we can!

· Next episode is our season finale!! I give a little sneak peak on what it will be at the end of this episode.

Queens are born, and if you look back you'll see your royal traits all a long.

- What have been some of the pivotal moments in your life that may have seemed small or insignificant at the time?

- What is your brand, is it built? When did it start?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

In this 18th episode we are back in the 90s!!

1999 to be exact, and this one is about knowing better and doing better, I simply called "Know".

Everything in this entry goes along with all I am feeling right now and lessons I am learning as well as blessings I am receiving so it's right on time. Hoping it blesses you as well.

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Know better so do better. Often it just comes down to what you are prioritizing because more often than not, the knowledge is there.

· It's the little things that add up and make your life, they make your health, your wealth, your aesthetic, they make everything. When you let them slide, it begins to show, and more importantly you feel it. Love yourself enough to make the time and prioritize you. The little things are often the biggest things for you.

· Patience and grace required for the learning curve. Remember that it is all happening for your greater good, for your evolution and that you will be just fine.

· Remember OPP. They are NOT your problems, don't make it your stress.

· Appearance matters. Hate it or love it, it does!

· What you know is what it is, don't try to make excuses or paint things how you wish they were. If you know deep down, than you already know, trust that!

· Right where we are supposed to be at all times. . .trust the process, trust your destiny, enjoy your journey.

One of the gifts Queens have is "knowing", yes we be knowing!!

- What is your soul telling you? What is your life telling you?

- What do you know for sure? ß follow that!

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

In this 17th episode we visit Easter, 10 years ago. Recorded on Easter 2025, we visit Easter 2015 for this episode. For me, Easter is my spiritual new year, and this entry was on point for what I am feeling and experiencing right now.

There have been so many wonderful things for me in this season, I've been able to do so much for my art over the past few weeks and it has been pure joy! I just wrapped up a couple performances last week, I have one this week which is so cool that I wrote and recorded voice for and I'll be in-person to watch it on the big screen and the jumbotron at the Kohl Center, and I am rehearsing for 4 upcoming shows and I'm MC'ing an event next Saturday. All great things, all God things and all on my right path. I am being bold, and obeying God is this season and letting go of the things and habits that no longer serve me. I am living my best life, and this is definitely my spiritual New Year season!

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Spiritual New Year's.

· The other foot doesn't drop, it steps up! God's plan!

· It's not too late! Who taught you/told you that? God's timing, not yours.

· First Only Different (FOD) Word to Shonda Rhymes

· The importance of dreams and taking the time to find meaning.

· Don't give 'em too much!

· Enjoying the journey is the fastest way to your destination.

· Stop caring about what you think other people are thinking about you. . . what other people think of you is none of your business.

· Easter, cross over!

Queens sometimes need a refresh and a reset. It's how we stay regal and stay royal.

- What are you doing to renew in this season?

- What cross are you carrying that needs to be over?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

For this 16th episode, this one is a little different. As every now and then, since about 2008, I make my entries live online on BlogSpot!! Yup, bet you didn't even know I bloged, I guess it was Queen Shh before Queen Shh.

Anyway, this one is a GEM that is SO appropriate for RIGHT now!! It's the move, it's the wave, it's the reminder. I was in a space the night I recorded this that completely filled my soul and it was in complete alignment with the message. #StarsAligned

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Use media, don't let it use you! I learn from everything! Formal education, on the job experience, books (fiction and non-fiction) music, and of course TV!! If you're not familiar with the show 2 Broke Girls, get familiar, and thank me later. It's hilarious and full of lessons.

· Challenge your default perspective. Someone taught you those defaults, do they really fit you now, do they fit your future and your destiny? Can you change them, is there more to what you think you have always known?

· BIGGER, think, feel, know, see, and expose yourself to bigger!! That's the message, lound and clear.

· Take the leap, JUMP!!! YOU have to be obedient, and it starts with what you believe is possible, then taking that down to what you believe is possible for you. Two very different things. The DOPE part, you can keep leveling up on this, you think you're at the pinnacle, but you have no idea!

· Look for the teachers in your life you may be overlooking because you have put them in a box. Sometimes we assume we know the meaning of something, and we overlook everything else it could be. Sometimes we are too close to people, or we have known them too long so we don't see all of them anymore and can miss what they came into our lives to teach us. People are beautifully infinite and infinitely beautiful. How dare we think we can limit them to one small schema in our minds, one descriptor or category. See your teachers for who they are, lean in and then learn some more. Don't forget, you're also teaching every single person you meet, so carry yourself accordingly.

Queens sometimes need other queens to remind them who they are. It's important that we gather. Doesn't matter if its virtually, in-person, on a phone call, we just need to share real-time space with each other to remind us of who we are and what we came to do.

- What are you doing, thinking, dreaming that needs to be BIGGER?

- Who are you great teachers in life?

- Who are you teachers in this season?

- Is there something you have been thinking about all wrong? Are you missing the point of something that keeps repeating in your life?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

This 15th episode we go 10 years back in time and land in 2015, and touch on so many ties into right now. Dreams, decisions, destiny, all the big things and the small things that take up mental real estate.

As a creative I often battle with how much I give my 9-5 vs. how much I give my art. Whether I love my job or not, this struggle is real. What I have come to learn though is, it's even harder when you love your job! And I wouldn't trade loving what I get paid to do for the world, but I must be super intentional about making sure I leave time and space for my God given gifts and destiny. Who can relate?

I wake up, go to be, and spend all the time in-between thinking about my art, my music, my writing, my poetry, that is what I am here for. Now that doesn't mean I don't have other purposes and roles that matter and that I love, because I do, but at the essence of who I am, at my core, I'm an artist.

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Use your drive instead of having it use you. This was my prayer, this is my prayer, still. One thing I am super grateful for is my awareness, and I can most often tell when it's getting to be too much, or if I am too off balance. I challenge the myth that balance can't exist.

· Seek out clues, best practices, and tips for balance from those who are intentionally doing it well and find what works for you. It's never one-size-fits-all, even for you and your life, so spend some time figuring it out and know it will likely evolve over time.

· Dreams, when I tell you this is on time, this is on time!! I just had a dream last night that was super telling! Now, shameless plug for my dream journals (available on amazon and my website) but you can see 10 years ago I was not only writing down my dreams, but I was dreaming about writing down my dreams. Dreams are often our first line of defense, or one of the first places we need to listen to the whispers, although most of the time they are not whispers at all they are loud and clear! Dreams can help us see parallels or look for them in our waking life.

· Don't get distracted by what other people want you to do and forget what you came here to do. This is your life and your purpose and journey are unique!

· Signs, if you let it, if you listen to the whispers, if you are open, you will see so many signs. Everything in life is coming to meet you and teach you. We tend to put art lower intellectually than other things, when in fact creation is the highest form of intelligence.

Queens need to tap into, listen to, and have confidence in their inner voice, infinite wisdom and connection to Source.

- What are your dreams telling you?

- What part(s) of your purpose are you neglecting?

- Where in your life are you not being obedient to the voice of God and to the truth you know deep in your soul?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

This 14th episode is one I wrote in New York City. If you peep the date, it was a month and 3 days before 9/11 in NY and it was my first time in NYC and it had always been a dream of mine to go there, what a blessing for me to see it and feel it before that happened.

This trip to NYC was truly divine intervention, my friend Anisha (RIP), said that she was going to NYC with her mom, because her mom was moving back from there and they were going to get her stuff. Almost jokingly I said, "Can I come, I've always wanted to go to NY", instead of laughing she said, let me ask my mom. And that was it, I was going to NYC like the next day.

After dreaming about this city, spending hundreds of hours in my adolescence watching countless music videos and movies that took place in this city, TV shows like NY Undercover, the Cosby Show, Living Single, I was finally in that city! Let me tell you it was all I ever wanted. I was cracking up as I found this entry because of course I brought my journal and found time to write in it on the trip.

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· One theme of my life is having great friends, great people in my life who have been a part in making dreams come true for me. People have made what seemed impossible happen just like that, and I am so grateful for how God has blessed me through the amazing people in my life. I am forever grateful to Anisha for this trip to NYC.

· Dreams come true, be ready for them.

· Some things you just need to experience, and I've said this before in other episodes, but some things really are what you imagine, and the serendipity of it all was amazing.

· Realizing you are enough, another thing from this entry was just me realizing that I could hang in NY, that as cool as I thought it was, I was cool enough. This theme is a constant, most of the time we get it, but a reminder is always nice. I mean even my little piece about the guy I had met, ha like I was enough. I just love that because I know that and was coming into my own.

· I've been to NYC so many times since this, I still get energized from this city and it's still kind of like a dream every time and each time I am there I am reminded that I belong wherever I go and that I can hang with the best. Cheers to us always meeting our moments!

Queens know they are enough at all times and wherever they are, they meet their moments and understand how it shapes them and all they touch.

- What moments have you met lately?

- Are you ready for your next? If what you say you want was a reality tomorrow, are you ready for it?

- Who in your life has made dreams come true for you? How can you do that for others?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1

In this 13th episode we spend some time in 2014, and we get into one of my favorite topics. . . money. And hitting on one of the reoccurring themes of my life and many people's lives. . . confidence.

Key themes from reflection on this entry:

· Money and mindset, HUGE!! It starts in your mind. Might sound crazy or whatever but it's so true. YOU have to think differently about money and wealth before anything can change for you. and it makes sense on a spiritual plane.

· Pulling in images to visualize and channeling others to be what you need for yourself in the moment. See it and be it. This can be a tremendously powerful tool.

· Not shrinking! I had this epiphany about me and how I shrunk myself because I thought I was not worthy at the time around people with money. When I call out that I did not shrink in this office no matter what they were going to say about my finances this was huge. Not shrinking is part of the game!!

· You can do it yourself. Sometimes the test is to just go and do! Show God how much you want it and how much you believe, be obedient and see what great things happen!

· Don't get stuck in anyone's comfort zone, including your own. You can make the whole word and beyond your comfort zone, so why be restricted for even one more minute?

Queens need resources and queens can't afford to shrink. They must continue to evolve and rise to all occasions and levels.

- What makes you shrink?

- What are your limiting beliefs around money?

- What gives you confidence? Who or what intimidates you or makes you question yourself?

Author, poet, spoken word artist and emcee Opal Ellyse has been keeping handwritten journals since 1995. Each week she shares an entry and ties it to current events and relevant topics of conversation. Royalty is living in your legacy while you're still here. Understanding your past and bridging it to the present (and future) is a gift. Join Opal as she shares wisdom from the past as it becomes present day epiphany and a blueprint for all that is next.

Enjoy!

www.opalellyse.com

Music: DJ Pain 1