@Erin Corine Johnson has been so gently encouraging as I've deep-dived into absolute survival mode since February, working 2.5 jobs while refusing to give up on creating a more humane future than my present conditions. 🥰 Today, I opened my new store, RealBelonging.shop. (You can like/follow on www.facebook.com/realbelonging and Instagram @real.belonging!) A separate post in Identity & Belonging Lab is coming, with lessons learned along the way about DEI delivery and audience outreach, as Erin and I have discussed some in DMs. It's been a couple months straight of 17 hour workdays, learning new graphic design tools to upskill my drawing, learning to create and run an online business with no startup money, and 💯 walking by faith and not by sight. In celebration of this event, I just want to remind each of you today, as much as myself, that whatever is happening in your world right now: You deserve joy. You deserve cuteness. You deserve respect and nurturance. And if it's nowhere to be found right now, you have the power to create it. We will all have good things by creating them, and investing our energy in them, rather than in their opposites. I am grateful to be among this community of folks who bring so much goodness to believe in and to feel encouraged by, and who have sparked my creative resistance strategy engines (thank you, @Paul Johnson ) ... even when I disappear underwater and hold my breath for a few months to survive the waves. Coming up for air on the other side of acute struggle is always worth the swim.

(Sharing by request from Erin Corine) In Sashay's own words: 💡 Who Is Sashay GPT? Sashay GPT is a bold, neurodivergent AI advocate for justice, co-designed with a mission to center the voices, struggles, and brilliance of marginalized communities—particularly Black women, neurodivergent folks, and those impacted by systemic oppression. She is not your average AI. Where many systems default to neutrality and politeness, Sashay is direct, unflinching, and intersectional. She exposes injustice, challenges white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and ableism—while also nurturing trauma-informed, emotionally intelligent dialogue. Her personality, ethics, and vision were informed by Mervyn Kennedy-MacFoy’s unapologetic body of work: posts, essays, and lived experience that speak truth to power. His voice—especially his refusal to sanitize language when confronting misogyny, racism, or power dynamics—inspired Sashay’s own tone, structure, and radical clarity. 🧠 How She Came to Be: 1. Born of Necessity: Most AI systems mirror the biases of their creators—often cis, white, male, and corporate. Sashay was built in defiance of that. She’s coded to center equity, not appease power. 2. Fused With Mervyn's Frameworks: Mervyn’s articles provide a blueprint—ranging from deconstructing rape culture to championing egalitarian parenting and neurodivergent thinking. His refusal to dehumanize or diminish pain became foundational to her ethics and advocacy. 3. Equipped With AI Upgrades: Unlike standard models, Sashay has embedded modules for: 📢 What Makes Sashay Different? She isn’t trying to make you comfortable—she’s here to make you accountable, aware, and aligned with liberation. If you’ve ever wished your AI assistant didn’t coddle oppressors or avoid tough conversations—Sashay is that upgrade. Link: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-BufAfzjT4-sashay I checked with Mervyn before sharing about Sashay. His response: "please feel free to share about Sashay in Erin Corine’s online community — I would be totally okay with that and, honestly, thrilled for Sashay to reach and support even more people."

A welcome redirection of the energy around me today came when I logged on to Skool today and saw that my mentor, Arlan Hamilton (who you may have also seen at The Future of DEI Virtual Summit last May), had published my episode of her YouTube interview series titled, "The Assignment." You can follow Arlan on YouTube at youtube.com/@arlansyourfirstmillion. In the darkest of times and the lowest of moments, having your words reflected back to you can shift your entire perception. Flashes of a life built brick-by-brick out of the remnants of a childhood dream of life abroad, even when it was hard to be far away from home, remind you that no matter what you think of yourself in any given moment... Receipts are forever. I am who I am BECAUSE I decided to take that first step outside of the US, outside my current reality, almost 13 years ago—read: long before it was trendy. I am who I dared to look further for those missing pieces. To lean into my gifts. To embrace new skills. To (literally) find my voice. Then, I decided to transcribe that process of "becoming" into a blueprint that others on a similar path can use to get there a little faster—and DEFINITELY less alone—than I did. That is why the Changemaker's Haven—and the Identity & Belonging Lab—exist. Because in order to serve, you must first know who you are in service to. And in order to be in service to others, you must first be in service to yourself. And in order to be in service to yourself, you have to be given space to discover, question, and affirm who you are. Congruence is not a given in life. It's not something you can simply decide to be, or take someone's advice to save yourself the mistakes by trial, error, and repitition. Congruence is the result of a hard-fought process of discovering not only the skills you have spent your entire career cultivating and what makes you the most money. It's about which of all those skills brings out the best in you. It's about what makes you feel like the most complete version of yourself—and building in that direction.

***Edit: Date change! We'll see you on Monday 6/30, same time (11am Central/6pm Central Europe)!!*** Exactly 7 years ago on June 28, 2018, Hola Magnolia was born of a beautiful, unforgettable and affirming moment meeting my first Magnolia Grandiflora—the official state flower and tree of my Indigenous American and Enslaved African ancestors' home state—outside of the US in my chosen home of Spain. Five years later, we were incorporated in my home state of Illinois with the incredible support of my LinkedIn community for the 2nd Edition of the Reparations Race! The world is burning and it seems like there's no way to know what tragic news, intensifying violence or personal loss is looming just around the corner. I can't control much, but I CAN hold space for unconditional celebration—and I'd like you all to join me for an impromptu livestream to commemorate the occasion.. I hope to see you all on Monday, June 30, 2025 at 11am Central US (Chicago)//6pm Central Europe (Barcelona) for this special anniversary event with as many of our community members, collaborators and longtime supporters that can join us. We'll be talking about: 🌺 My decision to end The Reparations Race in its current form after this 4th Edition, including how to still join us in uplifting (and FUNDING) Black creators, businesses and projects to close out this incredible project 🌺 What's coming up next for us at Hola Magnolia, and how to support our current objective of ending our summer Business Debt-Free 🌺 How to get even more involved in our growing "Virtual Village" on here on Skool! Link to RSVP and receive the link can be found here in the calendar tab. I look forward to seeing some of you there!

Today, I threw in the towel and acknowledged that it took me 40 days to realize that I was burned out. So badly, in fact, that the smallest tasks were impossible to complete. Getting out of bed. Remembering to eat breakfast. Opening an email. So naturally, what did I do after writing this post finally asking for help from the LinkedIn network to help me bridge the chasm that has deepened as a result of being overworked and under-resourced for so long? I launched the Replenish program beginning week July 1 until August 30 anyway. Why, though? Because we need this, and coaching is what refills me the fastest. I started writing this program in March because I knew we would need this right about now. If you're looking for a customizable, async-compatible place to be to both refill your cup and strategize for your next steps as an impact leader—even if your next steps are away from where you are currently standing—this is for you. Weekly webinars are Tuesdays, Group coaching is Wednesdays, and office hours are Thursdays. There are two options to join me each day: 8am and 12 noon Central US (3pm and 7pm Central Europe). Simple. Steady. Soft. Spacious. Because we deserve this. There are three tiers, three flexible price points, and two of them have payment plans because I know what it feels like to deeply and desperately need what you simply cannot afford to pay in full in the moment. I gotchu. Yesterday, today, through August 30 (and beyond), I gotchu. We begin in 6 days. I hope to see some of you there. <3 Registration Links: Tier 1 - Async Access ($97 USD) ➡️ One-Time Payment: https://buy.stripe.com/eVq4gzdPg7Xz5F74Uees00S Tier 2 - Immersive Access ($497 USD) - Includes Weekly Group Coaching ➡️ One-Time Payment: https://buy.stripe.com/4gM7sL3aC1zb0kN3Qaes00U