I am a Human Systems Strategist: I diagnose the pattern and co-create alignment, whether that's one person or a whole culture. Justice & Joy in your inbox every Friday! 📥
Not Needing Permission ❌
|
Hey Reader, I planned to send this to you on Friday, I even attended a co-working sess for accountability. And instead of pushing, I allowed the day to be one of collaborative synergy that turned into an afternoon in the sun, drinking an adult slushie along with chips and gauc! 🥑⚡️😎 Even so, I’ll be honest with you—my heart has felt heavy ❤️🔥 Between Nolan Wells heavenly birthday 🕊️and the seventh Black individual found hung from a tree. As a Black mama, my heart breaks to type that sentence, and we STILL need answers. I share this first because Linkedin suppressed my post about Nolan’s birthday and it’s a reminder to me why we don't post about it. And yet, we feel it deep in our soul. 💔 And so, this is the mental and emotional context for sending this email after a weekend of deep rest and surrender… Setting Goals for the 2026-27 School YearLast week as I drove home from after-school errands, I pointed out how high the highway overpass was and began to wonder what would happen if an earthquake happened. Jaylin asked me why I always think about the worst thing that could happen. I told her the truth: Because this is how I’ve survived. I think of ALL the possibilities, I plan for it, and then I watch to see what actually happens. Yet, I didn’t leave it there, I reflected back what I've noticed about her in return, that she thinks of the best possible scenario. In fact, Jaylin dreams up the best possible version of things, and she's persuasive enough to talk herself, and usually me, into believing it can happen. I've been sitting with that conversation because it's the same both/and I keep finding everywhere else in my life, just showing up in the passenger seat this time instead of on Zoom with a client. I plan for the worst so I can protect what's mine to protect. She imagines the best so she can build toward it. Neither of us is wrong; it’s the result of breaking the cycle of “being seen and not heard.” One of my 26-27 school year goals is embracing my own sovereignty in parenting: setting the standard, centering my relationship with Jaylin over anyone else's read on how I should be doing this, trusting I don't need permission to be the parent Jaylin needs me to be. Last week, I said yes to an opportunity that was a parent and child leap of clear expectations, trust, and independence. This time around, I’m keeping the details close for her safety and my peace of mind. Yet, here’s what I’ll share 🪄 What not needing permission actually felt like in my body: a little rebellious, honestly, a little exciting. But underneath the rebellion was something steadier, centering back into my own values, and trusting that the worst case doesn't always play out. There are ways to practice safely. Holding the plan for the worst and the trust in the best, at the same time, that's sovereignty too. 👑 Justice & Joy: What surprised me…Six days into my 90-day practice, one direct ask before I open any app, I figured the surprise would be missing LinkedIn or Instagram. It wasn't. My old order was Instagram first thing in the morning, then LinkedIn to start engaging with content. Now it's Threads, and honestly, I'm not that surprised it won. Threads is just fun. It's where news actually breaks first, and the whole vibe is looser and more conversational than performative. I've had nearly 11,000 views there in the last month without trying very hard, which tells me there are more eyeballs there than I've been giving it credit for. So another part of the experiment: figuring out how to share more of my real-time perspective there, not polished, just present. If you've had a version of this too, a tool, a platform, a habit that surprised you by actually working, hit reply and tell me. I'd love to know what's winning for you right now. 🏆 It’s time to get back in the flow…
May you find sovereignty, sunshine, and joy in the weekend ahead! Rooted in love. Blooming in liberation. 🌻 |
From the Desk of Mama J Love 🫶🏽
I am a Human Systems Strategist: I diagnose the pattern and co-create alignment, whether that's one person or a whole culture. Justice & Joy in your inbox every Friday! 📥
Hey Reader, The last 7 days knocked me sideways. Last week, I wrote you a message that I planned to send after taking a nap. That nap ended up being 3 hours long and I accepted that rest was the priority. Then by Monday, I was not feeling any better and decided to test for COVID. Welp, this mama tested positive!! 16 days into the new school year, and all of my plans got smaller out of necessity instead of choice, including parenting my daughter this week. Eclipse season asked for surrender,...
Reader, from community, collaborators, and conversations with potential clients to some low-tech family time in one of my favorite spots in the world. Here’s a photo from the past so that you can imagine where I am today as this lands in your inbox: Wherever you are in this moment, let this be a moment to take a deep breath and center on what’s in your sphere of influence. Feel your feet on the ground. Or in my case, the sand in my toes. Ask yourself 🪄 What do you need now? Water? A hug? A...
Reader, this week I kept stepping out of my comfort zone and into the growth edge. Two in-real-life events. The ICAN Oakland Small Business Mixer on Wednesday evening. The Bay Area Nonprofit Breakfast Club on Friday morning. Rooms full of people I did not know on Monday, and now get to follow up with before heading out for our family camping trip before school starts. Here is what I remembered: my joy lives in community. In showing up in person. In hearing what other founders and nonprofit...