Protect the Bag

Happy New Year Ladies.....now that we have made it past the Christmas holiday we can move on to thinking about all of the things that we didn't get for Christmas and people we didn't see. We can look at Christmas decorations and decide when we are going to take all of this crap down. Or if you are like me...you rejoice in the fact that you didn't decorate and you didn't have to play Santa to some littles. But, you did have a wonderful and restful time with friends and family. You had some quality time with your Bae. Speaking of Bae. Ladies I am for the very first time in my life maybe in a healthy relationship. YAY ME!! However, being in any relationship takes some effort and energy. This relationship has revealed a lot of dysfunction. I have had to spend time unpackaging and processing issues that have bubbled to the top. I am sharing this with you because I know one of the things WWRS are guilty of is pushing things down to the basement. When those things come out we typically avoid dealing with those issues. Well because I am in a healthy relationship I have been forced to deal with the basement dwelling bullshit. Whew! it is emotionally exhausting and Bae bless his heart is the one who has to deal with my process. However, he is so gracious in the way he does all of this. We are friends. My friend listens and laughs with me. My man pushes and encourages me to strive for more and better. Bae does both...and might I add exceptionally well. Not to mention he is not hard on the eyes. Actually Bae is fine as hell. I just want to say a word here to the sisters who have decided that next year they are gonna be wearing matching pajamas with somebody's son or daughter. My advice to you is take the time to work on you, Neither me nor Bae were looking for a relationship. It blindsided us and we are still trying to recover. LOL! But, I had made a decision to let go of some pain and toxic people and I got up and moved. In my transition I made a promise to myself to get healthy and shed these pounds I had gained over time. I started to make some progress and when I saw Bae I was feeling my damn self. My confidence was through the roof. Ladies don't let the lack of having it all together keep you from making some baby steps. No matter if it is physical, emotional or spiritual just make a move. I am currently trying to figure out what my career and professional life will look like. I know many of you work in male dominated fields so I decided to do a feature.

I want to spotlight a young lady that I discovered through one of the alumni groups I am a part of on Facebook. Paige Brown is an author, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, an Engineer, and a Women Who Runs Shit. Paige authored a book "Conqueror: A Black Woman's Guide to Conquering Challenges in the Workplace." I was interested in purchasing Paige's book as a gift for my daughter who is also an Engineer. I think Paige has a word for any women of color who work in a male dominated workplace. This book was written out of Paige's own challenges she experienced in the workplace. The obstacles she faced and overcame empowered her to be a voice for other women. Sis! Sometimes we need to hear from someone who has been in the same situations we face daily. This is in essence one of the reasons I started this blog. One of the quotes from Paige's book stood out to me and reminded me of a previous blog post...."I was in shock...did he really just say what I thought he said?" Sheesh! How many times have we as WWRS said this about a co-worker, supervisor...hell a guy we went out on a date with. Please pick up a copy of Paige's book. Support this sister in her endeavor while you build up your toolbox of resources. This book will allow you to:

Explore the current state of the country as it relates to the treatment of African Americans and how it translates into the workplace

Find out how Paige responded to several incidents of mistreatment and harassment

Learn what it means to be a Conqueror in the workplace

Discover strategies for defeating challenges in the work environment

Learn how you can help others facing adversity in the workplace

You can order Paige's book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Conqueror-Womans-Conquering-Challenges-Workplace/dp/1726784169/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544567551&sr=8-1&keywords=paige+brown+conqueror

I can't wait for you ladies to hear from all of the ladies I have chosen to share their voice and experience in the month of January. Now let's take 2019 and kick this Bih in the ass!! Let's live our very best lives on purpose and with purpose.