Celebrate, Anyway
Happy July! This month marks an incredible moment. Ten years ago this month, I made the hard (but necessary) decision to come home.
Stressed, overwhelmed and burnt out, I stepped away from “my dream life” and the story of success I envisioned, and worked so hard towards, since I was a little Black girl watching all those 90s sitcoms. With no clear plan—but a deep faith and loving family and friends who assured me they would be with me every step of the journey, I started over.
Once home, I enrolled in a local community filmmaking class. It was part curiosity, part survival. And in that low season, I started filming my mom and my aunties—capturing their stories, their wisdom, their presence—hoping it might help me find my own.
I didn't know it then, but that small act of storytelling was the seed.
The work I do now was already stirring, quietly taking root.
That very first documentary I created was called:
"It Starts With Me." Check it out here!
And, as I proudly rewatch the beautifully bold and brave version of me 10 years ago, what I've learned in the years since is this:
“It starts with me. But it grows with we.”
So much of what I thought I had to figure out alone, I've now learned to carry in community. That's the heart of this work. And that's what we're celebrating.
This month, I'm marking three milestones:
My birthday
The 4th anniversary of Hey Auntie!
And a full decade of becoming the woman I didn't know I could be..
Honestly? My goal was to have a whole set of polished, deep reflections to share with you by now, lol.
But the truth is: it's still unfolding. And, you know what? I'm learning to embrace it.
So instead, I'm doing what I've learned to do: I'm choosing to celebrate, anyway.
What does it mean to celebrate anyway?
It means honoring your resilience, even when you're tired.
Noticing beauty in the middle of your healing.
Making space for joy—even if your heart is still catching up.
You don't have to have it all figured out.
You don't need everything to be perfect.
You are still becoming—and that's worth pausing for.
Monthly Reflection Question:
What could you celebrate right now, exactly as you are, where you are?
You don't need a party to be worth celebrating.
Celebrate the small wins.
Celebrate the becoming.
Celebrate, anyway.
Over the coming weeks and months, I'll be sharing more reflections as they unfold—the lessons that shaped this work, and the stories I'm still living into.
But today, I just want to say:
Thank YOU for walking this road with me.
For helping build something real—and still becoming.
This moment matters, even in progress.
Because joy doesn't wait for perfect. And neither should you.