There She Goes: Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud
Hello & Happy Wednesday!
I hope that this newsletter finds you well and excited to be uplifted 🙃 You’ll notice that Brooke’s Bookshelf is a bit more robust this week as we are celebrating Black History Month and there are so many resources to share!
Ahhhh I am still riding a high from the Self Love First Love workshop that I facilitated last weekend. I was amazed by the courage and connection of the group as we reflected, meditated, and visualized our way into deeper self love! Workshops like this are always a brilliant reminder of universal experiences we can connect on and how, when we lift each other up, we all win. If you’re an ambitious womxn that is interested in self development and stepping into the best version of you, be sure to follow me on Instagram and stay up to date on the latest initiatives! Make sure to DM me and introduce yourself!
Without further ado, let’s jump in!
Designs We’re Diggin’
For the last couple of weeks, Brooke has been stitching away on this gorgeous Lo Harris original artwork, “Goodnight Moon.” We are proud to have her part of the KCN family and always look forward to her latest and greatest! This kit is available on HappyStitching.Com
Songs To Stitch To, Sing To, Get You Through The Week
I. Blackstone — Clerel
II. Heartbeats (Live) — Jose Gonzalez, The String Theory
III. Aphrodite — TRESOR, Beatenberg
Set Aside Some Time This Week For Some Self-Care
I. Cleanse your energetic space by burning sage, lighting a candle, or inviting in fresh energy with something like angel cards, yoga, dancing!
II. Spend 10 minutes today journaling about what you are grateful for.
III. Rest & recharge, your way! Take a bubble bath, read poetry, or just lounge!
Soulful Salutations
I. “There's no prerequisites to worthiness. You're born worthy, and I think that's a message a lot of women need to hear.”― Viola Davis
II. “Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald
III. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud” -– Maya Angelou
Uplifting Things Happening Around The World
I. Volunteers rescued more than 2,500 sea turtles that were stunned by the cold. You can see the video right here.🐢
II. This is a story about a cat that sniffed out a gas leak, quite possibly saving his family’s life!
III. Since Mardi Gras parades were cancelled this year, some locals decorated their homes like floats!
Brooke’s Bookshelf
A couple of years ago, I decided to make the conscious effort to fill my bookshelves and my brain with stories by folx whose cultures vary from my own. Growing up, we were very unplugged. Books were my escape and taught me so many valuable lessons. They have the capacity to provide an intimate conversation between the author and the reader through a mediation of characters, allegories and truths. The following books by Black authors are what have been on my lap, shelf, audible and beyond and I am so thankful for their words. There are many more to add and I will be sure to include more next week. While Amazon can be an easy win for scoring books, I highly recommend you consider ordering them through an independent bookseller. Here is a list of 125 Black-Owned Booksellers in the US as curated by Oprah Mag last summer.
Black History is fundamentally American History and I do my best to not only learn its history, but also celebrating Black Joy, Black Artistry, Black Innovation, Black life. The following books do just that. A mix of history and trauma, a mix of storytelling, a mix of achievement and joy.
Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson
More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys
More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir by André Leon Talley
The Water Dancer by Taa-Nehisi Coates
White Tears/ Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
After learning about Tori Bell’s work through a business class with Sophia Amoruso, I was so grateful to hear that she started a mission to inform folx to be better allies. To sign up to her newsletter and catch up on her last three sessions, check out the Inclusion Unpacked Newsletter by Tori Bell via her substack!
Group Chat Realness Podcast by Venita Aspen and Sophie Gold
— written by Brooke