Friday | Hope Showed Up When I Stopped Waiting for Permission After the separation, I was terrified. Not just of being alone—but of wanting something for myself. I felt selfish for even thinking about what would make me happy. Like I didn't deserve to pursue my passions if it meant disappointing someone. Like my happiness was conditional on everyone else's approval. But here's what changed everything: I stopped waiting for permission. I started asking myself: What if happiness wasn't something I had to earn? What if I could choose it on purpose, every single day? That's when H.O.P.E. was born. Happiness On Purpose Everyday. Not happiness that happened by accident. Not happiness I'd get to someday. Happiness I chose—intentionally, unapologetically, every single day. Today's Reflection: You don't need permission to pursue what makes you happy. Journal Prompt: What would I do if I stopped waiting for someone to tell me it's okay to want it? Why This Matters: Hope isn't something you find. It's something you decide to live by.

Thursday | The Weight of Being Everything to Everyone For years, I thought being enough meant being everything. The perfect mom. The supportive wife. The dependable friend. The one who never said no. The one who figured it out, even when I was falling apart inside. And the truth is—I was good at it. Really good. So good that I forgot to ask if it was what I wanted or just what everyone else needed from me. The breaking point didn't come with a big dramatic moment. It came in the quiet realization that I had built a life where everyone was happy—except me. I was drowning in to-do lists, expectations, and the pressure to keep it all together. And somewhere along the way, I stopped dreaming. I stopped hoping. I stopped believing there was more for me. Until I couldn't ignore it anymore. Today's Reflection: Being everything to everyone means being nothing to yourself. Journal Prompt: What am I holding together right now that's slowly breaking me? Why This Matters: You can't pour from an empty cup. And you've been running on fumes for too long. With HOPE Always, Wakeitha

Alright, let's get real. This week, I'm doing something I've been nervous about but it's time. I'm about to share some things I don't talk about often. The truth behind My Journey to H.O.P.E, The cost of losing myself. And what it really took to choose happiness on purpose everyday. Today through Saturday, you're getting the unfiltered story. Then Sunday? We're kicking off a new weekly series to help YOU rediscover the woman beneath all the roles and titles you've been carrying. Each day, you'll get a post designed to help you: ✨ Release the pressure ✨ Reclaim your identity ✨ Reconnect with what makes YOU happy, empowered, and revived This isn't just content. This is a movement toward living with clarity, peace, and purpose. If you're ready to stop performing and start reclaiming yourself welcome home. Scroll down for today's post. 👇🏽 Wednesday | When You Don't Recognize Yourself Anymore There's a moment that happens quietly. You're going through the motions making dinner, answering emails, getting everyone where they need to be and you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. And you don't recognize her. Not because you look different. But because you can't remember the last time you did something just because you wanted to. The last time you chose yourself without guilt. The last time you knew what made you happy that had nothing to do with a title or a role. I know that moment because I lived it. After 27 years in a relationship, 10 of them married, I found myself seperated and asking a question I hadn't asked in decades: Who am I when I'm not someone's wife, mother, or everything to everyone? I didn't know. And that terrified me. Today's Reflection: You don't have to have all the answers right now. But you do have to start asking the question. Journal Prompt: When was the last time I felt like me, not a role, not a title, just me? Why This Matters: Rediscovering yourself starts with admitting you've been lost. You're not alone in this. – Wakeitha