I can’t say that God told me to start my business the way so many others say He did, and for that reason, I’ve often wondered if He cares about it. But in this season, I can honestly say I haven’t had to question it. I know He is present—and that doesn’t mean we aren’t facing challenges. But for once, I feel assured that we will overcome them. And that, My Dear, says a lot.
I am not a religious woman, and I don’t often write about my faith, especially not in my business column, CEO Chatter. On the flip side, I don’t deny my relationship with God either, though we recently came out of a long, rocky season. It was so long that I began to wonder if I should continue praying the way I do, because I wasn’t seeing any changes in my life. I felt like SwagHer, and I were simply existing—not growing in any way—but I kept showing up. I’m not even sure who I am without the magazine and PR boutique.
So there I was, questioning everything and losing faith in it all, and to be honest, I don’t know the exact moment when things shifted. But I know there was a moment right before the shift—or as it was beginning—when my family and I went home to Mississippi, and for once, I didn’t feel the gloom and doom I normally do. I felt optimistic. It was our first family trip of that kind. My brother rented a bus for us to travel from Maryland and a really nice treehouse Airbnb for us to stay in.
One day, he and I sat outside on the porch overlooking the Bogue Chitto River and talked. I shared how I’m always worried about what’s to come, even in moments where I should simply practice gratitude. There we were—two kids from Burgland. My mom had me at 14, and my brother at 16. I had my son at 14. At 18, our home was raided. Then, at 19, my mom went to prison, and by 20, I had my third child.
Yet somehow, I built a business that’s survived 15 years—one that employs other Black and Brown people, makes an impact, and has built a community of over 300k. My son is HVAC certified. My middle daughter is in nursing school at LSU. My youngest works beside me in the classroom. I still have both my parents and my maternal grandmother. And I have a loving, supportive partner.
The classroom, for now, gives me the flexibility to do what I love and the time to travel. And again, I should have been grateful. But I am the type of woman who always wants more. I admit that.
So even in that moment—in nature’s beauty and my family’s love—my desires were tormenting me. But it was my brother’s response that made me rethink things. All he said was, “Just enjoy each day, each moment that’s present.”
I’d heard it a thousand times, but in that moment, I felt it. I opened myself up to whatever other messages God wanted me to hear. I heard something say that I need to show myself more grace, slow down, and take time to enjoy those I love. Funny enough, I’d already been thinking that sometimes taking a step back is what propels us forward.
I’m not good at stepping back. In the words of Young Boy and Kevin Gates, I’m “TTG” (Trained To Go). But aging had its say, and my health chimed in too. For once, I had no choice but to listen—not just to what my brother said, but to what life and my body were telling me.
Stepping back wasn’t a grand gesture. It was quiet and slow. It looked like prioritizing myself and making decisions that aligned with those priorities. It looked like pacing myself, resting without guilt, and doing other things that matter beyond work. Some weekends I lie on my boyfriend’s couch streaming movies or listening to Audible while doing absolutely nothing—which is a big deal in my world because I am a busybody.
But those small, intentional choices shifted me into the season I’m in now. And this season—I think it’s beautiful. I look around and realize that I already have so many things I prayed for: friends who care about me and paying clients. What more could a girl ask for?
Well, I mean, my imagination could always think of more, but for right now, I am good, and I think it’s because being present allowed me to practice gratitude. That gratitude showed me that I’m already blessed, and that seemed to reinforce the blessings.
What I’m learning in this season is that in business, we talk a lot about strategy, execution, and scale. But we rarely talk about seasons—how some seasons are for planting, some are for pruning, and some are simply for being present. I’ve come to believe that presence is part of strategy. Gratitude is part of growth. And rest is a form of alignment.
When we honor the season we’re in, we make room for the season we’re praying for.
This is how I know God is present—not just in my business, but in my life.
