Because whew. I’m always amazed by the doors God opens. And no matter how hard I work, I’m never confused about who opens those doors. I just left a private pre-event for woman evolve and had the chance to talk to Serita Jakes at length about motherhood, grace, pressure and authenticity. Last week I had no clue that’s how I’d spend my Wednesday night. Can I share something? 👀 No judgment zone? 👀 A part of me built my own community because I needed the safety of knowing I could never be locked out of a house I built. I’ve overcome all kinds of strange experiences with people and their “stuff.” From being the only Black girl… To being teased for not sounding “Black enough” (even though that’s not a thing). I’ve been in a lot of places, but I rarely “fit.” And people make all kinds of assumptions about me—about why I’m as bold as I am. It gets exhausting. So I created the Speak Your Way To Cash® community for the woman who’s been told she’s “too much.” To remind her that she can be as much as she wants to be. People don’t just judge the quiet women— Society isn’t exactly kind to the woman who dares to speak up. But guess what? The reason we ALL need to run our own race is because we EACH have a distinct group we’re assigned to. And that group? They need our sound. I know there’s a woman reading this who was teased for how she spoke way back when— And somewhere along the way, she stopped talking. Do me a favor? Speak up again. We want to hear your voice—however it sounds. That sound has an assignment. That sound has a mission. Your voice has a purpose. My prayer is that you find yourself— And no matter what, you never let yourself go just to fit inside someone else’s box. You’re that girl. You’ve been that girl. And your voice is needed. P.S. Fellas, we see you too. Speak Your Way To Cash® is a space for you as well. If you’ve ever been silenced, second-guessed, or boxed in—we accept you, support you, and want to hear your sound too. You belong here.