Peace. I’m choosing peace. And liberation.

I’m thinking about peace.Not as a soft ending, but as a strong beginning.What can you make peace with,so you can finally choose something different?

I pulled from my book, I’m Leaving Now: A Little Book About Big Separations—and what came through was simple, but sharp:Rest your soul.

Not someday.Today.

Find a quiet space.Breathe.Let the judgment go.Ask yourself the one question that’s become my compass:Does this bring rest to my soul?

That’s the bar now.Not the money, not the job, not the grind.Just soul-deep rest.And from that place — choosing what’s next.

#RohoRest #SoulRestMondays #RestAsCompass #PeaceIsPower #LetItBeNew

Happy Monday!

This week’s I send a gentle reminder: You were never meant to hold it all. You were never sent here to rescue everyone. And the storm you’ve been trying to fix? It’s not even yours.

We are exhausted—spiritually, emotionally, physically—often from trying to manage other people’s chaos, hold the ground steady, and “save” folks who don’t even want shelter. Stop it.

This week’s message is a call to release, to stop over-functioning, to stop spinning your soul in circles trying to anticipate someone else's lesson.

You don’t have to hold it all. You were never meant to.Let that truth set you free this week.

With love, grace and peace to you,

Michelle

This woman was about to bust my windows out and call the dog patrol—with zero context. Didn’t ask, didn’t check, just reacted.

Listen. To often we will make a permanent decision based on temporary feelings and imagined stories.

You saw something, sure. But you didn’t ask anything.We’ve all done it—seen a messy yard and assumed they were lazy.But maybe they’re getting evicted. Maybe they’re grieving. Maybe they’re fighting battles you’ve never had to face.

One piece of data ≠ the whole story.Ask some damn questions already.Your perception is not the truth—it's just your experience talking.

Let’s do better.#ThursdayRant #ContextMatters #PerceptionIsNotTruth #AskFirst

I sat through this movie that claimed to tell our story—as Black women. And instead, it reopened wounds that are already struggling to heal.

Yes, I know some folks felt seen.Yes, I know the cycle of poverty, trauma, and survival needs to be told.But what happens when the telling hurts the people it's supposed to represent?

Mr. Perry, sir...Who was this movie for?

Because I walked away feeling raw.Confused.Frustrated.Hurt.

Taraji acted her entire face off. That’s not the question.The question is:Why do we keep getting served trauma with no balm? Pain with no payoff?

Sometimes art just misfires.This one did for me.

And I’m open—maybe there’s something I missed.Maybe there’s a perspective I didn’t catch.But whew. That was heavy in all the wrong ways.

If you saw it, let me know:Did it land for you? Or did it just leave another scar?

“Try on the freedom of not caring… about the things that don’t deserve your life force.”

This week, I'm thinking about the complexity of being alive.The part of us that wants to control things… and the deeper part that just wants to feel feel alive.

Not numb.Not perfect.Not even ready sometimes.Just here. Just present. Just Alive.

Even when it’s hard.

I talked about it this week from Belize — that maybe I will just “Forrest Gump” my way through life.

Just following the next thing that presents itself.Not because I’ve given up, but because I’ve decided to stop gripping so tight.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

* Where am I trying to control what’s not mine to manage?

* What would shift if I trusted my intuitive nudges more than the expectations?

* Can I allow joy and grief, beauty and bullshit, to coexist this week?

FOR THIS WEEK:

Try this phrase: “I don’t care.”

Not in the numb, shut-down way.But in the liberated, unbothered, I’m-protecting-my-peace kind of way.

* Somebody cuts you off in traffic? I don’t care.

* That weird energy at work? I don’t care.

* Somebody tries to pull you into drama? I don’t care.

Give your spirit permission to not care about what drains you — and to care deeply about what fuels you: your body, your people, your peace.

DON’T JUST CHASE JOY— PLAN FOR IT

Planning for Lifelong Joy: A Gathering to Center What Sustains Us 🌟Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | 12:00 PM PDT | Online

Joy isn’t just a fleeting moment — it’s a practice, a choice, and a way of life. Join Joy Coach, Nacala Ayele of Joyful Practices, for her upcoming workshop, Planning for Lifelong Joy, an uplifting and interactive virtual gathering designed to help you center joy as a lifelong companion.

In this one-hour event, Nacala will blend presentation, reflection, and engaging dialogue to explore how joy can ground us through life’s many seasons. Whether you're looking to spark new joy or protect the joy you already hold, you’ll leave with tangible practices, insights, and a renewed sense of possibility.

All are welcome — especially those who are passionate about uplifting Black and Brown joy. Come celebrate, reflect, and commit to joy as a vital part of your journey.

Let’s build lives where joy isn’t an afterthought — it’s the plan.

RSVP now — joy is waiting.

Sending you all love, joy and calming peace.Michelle

This week’s rant is a reminder: if all you’ve got is outrage, you might be hammering where listening would build more. I’m not here to debate values—I’m here to start with shared human needs. That’s where change can begin. No shame. No yelling. Just strategy, grace, and a better way forward.

Just because they’re saying it with a straight face doesn’t mean it’s true.You know it’s a lie.But the part that spins you out—the part that keeps you tangled—is wondering if they know it’s a lie too.

Spoiler: They do. Or worse, they’ve convinced themselves they don’t.Either way—don’t engage.

You’re not crazy.The situation is.

And the wildest thing?They need your energy to keep the cycle going. They need your debate. Your fire. Your fight.So when you go quiet—not shut down, but still, wise, unfazed?You disarm the chaos.

Silence is not weakness.It’s strategy.It’s recovery.It’s reclaiming your peace.

No more codependence.No more spinning.

The most powerful move you can make?Stop playing their game.

There is something profoundly liberating about realizing you could leave — the job, the relationship, the role, the pattern. Even if you didn’t choose to then, you can now.

When we revisit our past with clarity instead of shame, we shift from helplessness to ownership. Not everything that happened to us was our fault — but some of what happened was shaped by the choices we didn’t make. That’s not failure. That’s information. That’s wisdom.

You are not just the result of what’s been done to you.You are also the result of what you you’ve come through and what you know now — but most of all, what you choose next.

Remember:

You don’t owe anyone your continued suffering.You don’t need a catastrophe to justify your exit.And you don’t need to explain your peace to anyone.

Your past? Grace.Your present? Power.Your future? Yours.

Practice:

* Practice choosing in small ways this week:What to say yes to. What to say no to. What to walk away from.Remind yourself, “I am not trapped. I have agency. Even it my choice comes with a lot of unknowns, at least it is MY choice.”

* Body scan check-in: Each day, ask yourself, Does this feel like a hell yes? A hell no? Or a maybe I need to sit with longer?

Have a powerful, grounded, liberating week.

In love and grace…

Michelle

Not everyone will get your decision—and they don’t need to. This rant is for the people who’ve been waiting for “approval” that’s never coming. If you’ve ever shrunk your dreams to fit someone else’s comfort zone… yeah, we’re talking about that.