Before I understood the word armor , I was already wearing it. In undergrad at East Carolina University, I was a peer educator. I loved it. It was the first time I felt clear about what I was called to do — health education, promotion, and prevention work. That role shaped my career trajectory. After graduation, I secured a graduate teaching assistantship. Then another. I worked both, not for prestige, but to survive. To support myself. To help care for my sister and younger

The mask is often misunderstood. For many, it has been discernment, protection, and survival—long before emotional intelligence had a name. Worn With Intention — Part I I was in the middle of a training when someone paused and said they couldn’t find the emotional intelligence section of the curriculum. I opened the materials and walked them through it. The content was there—it just didn’t announce itself the way they expected. There were no bold headers or tidy labels declar

I’ll be honest—I’m a few days into February, and I’m just now pressing publish. Not because the reflections weren’t ready. But because this kind of writing deserves intention, not urgency . This Black History Month, I’m sharing a four-part reflection series titled: “ Worn With Intention: Armor, Agency, and the Art of Discernment”: An emotional intelligence reflection series rooted in lived experience, survival, and choice. This series was born out of my work—training, facilit

You’ve been grinding, showing up, and doing the work. Yet, something feels stuck. Your career isn’t just a ladder to climb—it’s a landscape to navigate with intention, strategy, and heart. Building your career with development strategies is not about quick fixes or following a rigid timeline. It’s about aligning your purpose with practical steps that honor your whole self—mind, body, and spirit. Let me be clear: career growth is not a straight line. It’s a dance between clar