Do you remember what being passive feels like? Neither do I, LOL!
If you’re anything like me… you’ve been on the path to success ever since you decided to grace this earth with your presence and the only breaks you take, come in three-to-seven-day spurts if that! (boss baby image)
I’ve always dreamt big and am grateful that almost all that I’ve set out to accomplish has been realized, you know, just like Beyonce said “I dream it, I work hard, I grind ’til I own it”, I’ve been in FORMATION for a long time. Ahh! (Megan Thee Stallion voice)
For the things that have yet to be realized… they are in progress or have spurred a major and much needed PIVOT in my life.
Ready Set Pivot… one of my favorite refrains and now the name of this curious little place on the internet where you’ll find my thoughts on all things personal development, self-realization and manifestation. I’ll speak candidly and challenge your current perception of reality and hopefully inspire you to Pivot right along with me, to make all the changes necessary to experience your definition of success!
Now that you know why you’re here, it’s only right that I tell you how I got here. Right?! Well in order to do that I gotta tell you where I’m from and introduce you to the pivots that made me who I am!
I’m the first born child of Selia and Patrick, the big sister of David and Rachael, the fur momma to Belle and Beau and the plant mamma to Boluwatife “Bolu”, Laolu ”LaLa 2.0”, Fisola “FiFi”, and Snake.
I was born and raised in the ATL, birthplace to some of this nation’s and the world’s most recognized leaders. The rich history, ever present and visible representation of Black leaders really shaped me… I’d like to think that leadership is a hallmark of my journey and this path I’m blazing to success and since we’re pretty similar, I’m sure leadership has been a key factor to your success too! As a matter of fact, my first major leadership moment ever was private, yes, it was also my first major PIVOT… I was at a high school where there were one too many distractions if you know what I mean 😉
I knew in order to achieve the definition of success I was prescribed, I needed to be in a school where I could be laser focused. So, I did what any boss babe would do, I found a magnet program applied, got my parents to sign the papers and I transferred into an environment that was more agreeable with the plan! I was ruthless with mine ya heard me? There could be no trains hopping off the tracks or deviations from the path.
I’m curious…how much of your post-graduation plan was yours, your parent(s)’, your community’s or society’s at large? Mine was largely prescribed by my parents and I constantly tried to customize it to make it work for me until I broke it, lol! More on that later 😉
As my graduation from high school approached… I knew staying in Georgia was not an option. I wanted to break away from my parents and everything that had defined me up to that point. I had to get out of Georgia…now, there were plenty of respectable HBCUs in the state that I left, but it wouldn’t have felt like the change I was craving. I remember receiving my acceptance letter to Xavier University of Louisiana, I was excited and scared all at the same time. I had heard so much about New Orleans, the crime, the voodoo in the French Quarters and of course I watched the entire Real World New Orleans season on MTV so I got a sneak peak of the Mardi Gras debauchery, lol!
Nonetheless, I was ready and when orientation week came, I knew there was no turning back, New Orleans would be my home from now until graduation plus my parents made it very clear that any missteps would result in my immediate return to Atlanta. I’m so grateful that I had the fortune to experience NOLA pre-Katrina and I never knew how much I wanted so badly to be back in there until Katrina changed all our lives in 2005. I found myself right back in the very place I was so ready to leave a year ago. I lived in Atlanta for the 6 months it took the city to reopen. I enrolled at Georgia State and started with a full schedule, only to realize about 2 weeks in that I was mentally and emotionally unable to keep up with the demands of the load, so I decreased the load to 2 classes. When I got the email that classes at XULA would resume in January of 2006, it was as if I had been revived from the dead! I went on to complete 3 semesters in one year and then came another pivot.
All of my pivots are personal, but this one was extra personal. I had experienced the pains of what being vulnerable with people who don’t share your same fervor for authenticity can do to you on a small college campus. I dove headfirst into the city of New Orleans and all that it had to offer and let me tell you, I’m glad I did. As a matter of fact, I’m especially grateful for all of the events that reminded me that I am my own validator! Not being overly occupied with campus life allowed me to volunteer for local events that opened the door for me to attend exclusive city events that I didn’t have to pay for 😉
I eventually graduated from pharmacy school, and I moved to dirty Jersey to start my big corporate gig and you couldn’t tell me nothing (Kanye voice). That quickly changed as no one in the office was impressed with the body of work I had amassed prior to starting my role. Within my first seven months on the job, I had lost every shred of self-confidence, and stick-to-itiveness I ever had. With no family near, no faces that looked like me in this space, I found myself seeking the validation of peers who seemed to have the same lack of confidence as me. I definitely had a come to JESUS moment where I asked myself, what did I sign up for and did I make the right decision coming to work here…the answer was YES, I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
One day I heard an audible voice ask me, “Who are you trying to impress?” and when I realized that I was expending a ton of energy trying to please others that I was missing the entire purpose of this… GROWTH, needless to say, what happened after the voice note from the Universe was in a word, poetic. The North American President of our business took note of my work and I continued to climb the ladder of success and with every rung I cleared, it became clear to me that the same folks I met in my first role exist at every stage of your professional career and will constantly present growth opportunities for you to maintain and display your authenticity regardless of the fear laden sentiments that rule every “how to be successful” guidebook.
As a pharmacist who has never dispensed a pill a day in her life, I’ve grown into a corporate non-conformist who loves to heighten the contradictions. I enjoy the response I get when I invite people to join me as their whole selves. I love being able to hold the space for authenticity no matter where I find myself as I’ve come to learn that muting oneself is the ultimate disservice to the individual and the world that is waiting to benefit from your talents!
I hope this abbreviated summary gives you a flavor of who I am, how I got here and the experiences I bring to the work I’ll do with you!