The Great It Girl Migration

Happy Labor Day my loves. I hope this newsletter finds you in the most aesthetically comfortable and emotionally safe space. We're way over due for a catch up sesh. You may have heard, that I've recently done a thing It Girlies & Guys. Your girl is writing you from her new home, in Atlanta, Georgia. 'Finally' has been the common reaction. lol But yeah, I have reached Wakanda. This move has taken up a lot of my time and energy, so I've been a bit quiet lately. But, I wanted you guys to be the first to hear the details about the big move; This community that I adore so much! I'm not the only one making moves though. All of us are moving towards something greater. Not particularly in a way that I can show you in a performative display of curated social media pics. But, when I'm interacting with y'all in real life, I'm genuinely taken back with the strides you are taking and making. Man. I'm just so proud of you! I remember, when I started writingUndiscovered It Girl, how I was praying so heavily to connect with people on a similar path. Those who were emotionally intelligent. Who made it a priority to be healthy, both mentally & physically. And those who were secure in themselves. Even if they wanted to make improvements. I am honored to say this movement has attracted exactly that. You have helped me get here too. So thank you for sharing your wins with me. I consider it a privilege. Undiscovered It Girl is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Since I last wrote to you, I've received messages from many of you about the progress being made 'Solo-Together'. Some of us are relocating out of places we no longer find a fit for this stage of life. Some have new jobs, healthier habits, more accountability for personal goals, planning weddings. These are all real accomplishments I've heard just in the last month or so. For others, movement looks like creating more space for our mental & emotional health. Even my Mom, at 80 years old, has started her own journey with therapy. Which I couldn't be prouder of. I commend anyone who's not just complaining & absorbing life's disappointments. It takes courage to actively make the small changes daily to live a more vibrant life. Especially when it doesn't look like the life that was handed to you. We don't acknowledge enough that it takes time to live, so we can learn. That's if we're lucky. But one thing I pride myself on is being consistent, in the most non-conventional way. I pray it creates a path to all of you doing the same thing, or at least a little support to know you're not doing it alone. My next book,Skindred 101is coming to completion. This one is all about skincare. I've done all of the trial and error for you, over 30 years of research. So, You can expect it to be concise and to the point. I wanted it to take all of the marketing fluff out of the basics of skincare and get down to what really matters. Plan on seeing it next month in October. I'll be sharing someSkin Foodrecipes too to keep your skin glowing & keep us healthy and well! Sardine Ceviche' Jujube Tea Broth Bowls Survival of the Ittiest I decided to do this transformation without an audience. In my Survival of the Ittiest workbook, I mention that we always have the option to rebrand, to make shifts & to change in privacy. No one is entitled to our evolution. In this day and time it almost seems rebellious to not share your every move and take a photo to prove the value of whatever it is or was. I won't insinuate that this workbook is the sole reason that people are making progress. But I will say how beautiful it is Letter from the Editor This is one of those newsletters that I imagined would feel so deep & profound. To be honest, the words are coming out a little more like getting a bad buggy at the store. That one wheel that is just stuck & annoyingly speaks the whole time. This change is moving a lot slower than I fantasized. My place here in ATL is so much bigger than my last place in New Orleans. There's more space, not only to furnish, but I would say to invite people into. In this new home, I genuinely desire to have the people I love in it with me. Sharing the good food, taking in all of the intentional decor from travels and life experiences. A soft space for all of the people close to me to enjoy. I'm even looking forward to having my Mom visit, when I get it all together. I don't have to tell y'all that's a refreshing change for me. I needed every bit of the healthy selfishness that I experienced in New Orleans to arrive here. There was nothing wrong with the city itself. I made this move simply because I was ready for progression. To make one more step towards my ideal life. But what I loved about this move is that there is no anxiety this time. No dramatic exit or stormy situation to escape from. Just a decision from good for me to even better for me. The slower pace, in reality, is kinda luxurious. It's giving me time to savor the blessings of it all. If New Orleans is for comfort & pleasure, then Atlanta is for progress & community. That's what they represent for me anyway. New Orleans was something I always wanted to do! I adore that city and I always will. She was all mine and what she gave me, helped me expand, heal and gave me that comfy space to accept some hard truths. Truths about my own life and about the world. I can confidently say, I personally couldn't have chosen a better city to complete my cycles of grief. For losing my Dad, for unprocessed trauma of my youth & for the often times excruciating & ancestral honor of being a black woman in this world. It is because of that personal evolution, that I made the decision to get even closer to the romantic life I've always pictured for myself. There are few places in this country and under this administration where black progress is normalized and Atlanta is surely one of them. Seeking perfection isn't the goal. We all know how unrealistic that is but there is maturity in learning how to play the cards I was dealt, with precision. I'm still learning every day. Which allows for mistakes, losses & disappointments. I can admit now, it's so much easier to take hits without critical people watching your every move. No one really knew I was moving. Only my closest friends & closest family. Those I feel safest with and have proven, with time and mutual effort that they want my genuine happiness. I'm sharing it with you, this curated community of like minds. I've always been one to share my lessons. And strategically, I will continue to do so. I'm so grateful to share this energetic space with you. I feel so lucky that you really see me. I'm honored for every chance I get to reciprocate that to you too. So when I say, 'It Girl Migration', it is to affirm and reassure you, the movements you are making in the world are also headed in the direction of progress. Like me, they may be a bit slower than the fantasized version. But they are no less divine. I've been thinking a lot about The Harlem Renaissance. That photo of 'The greatest day in Harlem' and aaalll of the years in between. How much life, was lived. The romances, the money that came & went, the reputations shattered and mended again, the unfiltered joy and humbling experiences. After the reconstruction era, before the civil rights movement. It's a photo that speaks volumes. Here in ATL, I've reconnected with quite a few friends and colleagues from my more creative past. The makeup and photoshoot days. The parallels insist on arriving in my mind. What it must have been like? What I've my friends, colleagues and I have survived and are still living in present time? It can't be coincidence that we all ended up here. The Langstons, the Zora's, the Josephine Bakers, Dubois and so many others with lesser known names and equal impact. Just living their lives and sharing it with each other, with the world. Just imagine that just living our lives right now could be shifting the culture for generations to come? If so, I think it's all worth it. Do me a solid and send this to someone else moving toward a life they love as a confirmation. Undiscovered It Girl is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.