Blog Archive

Fabric First: How Your Wardrobe Shapes Your Skin’s Health

You moisturize, exfoliate, hydrate. You invest in SPF, serums, and maybe even the occasional facial. But here’s the question no one’s asking enough: What are you putting on your skin all day long? I’m not talking about skincare. I’m talking about your clothes. Because the truth is, your closet could be undoing all the care…
Read more: Fabric First: How Your Wardrobe Shapes Your Skin’s Health
Ready to Live Abroad? Visas that (Actually) Work for U.S. Minorities

If you’re serious about relocating outside of the U.S. in the next 6–12 months, the best path is picking a country with a clear legal route, predictable paperwork, and a supportive community once you land. Also, if you’re worried about funding your move/travels, check out my articles on this very topic here. I have others…
Read more: Ready to Live Abroad? Visas that (Actually) Work for U.S. Minorities
Protecting Your Care: Strategies for Facing Medical Bias

Health care is supposed to be a place of safety and healing, yet too often it becomes a site of dismissal, doubt, and unequal treatment for patients from marginalized communities. Long waits, minimized pain, delayed testing, and biased assumptions continue to shape medical encounters across clinics, emergency departments, and hospitals. These patterns are not just…
Read more: Protecting Your Care: Strategies for Facing Medical Bias
They’re Not Smarter Than You—They’re Just Obsessed With Solving Problems

“How do you know all this stuff? Seriously.” Well…in my case, I’m just obsessed with solving problems; getting to the bottom of things; and figuring out how to make something work even when it doesn’t make sense at first. I’m not intimidated by looking like a “fool” or on the opposite side of the spectrum,…
Read more: They’re Not Smarter Than You—They’re Just Obsessed With Solving Problems
Newly Endemic and Emerging Diseases in the U.S.—What to Know and How to Stay Prepared

As an epidemiologist, I’d be remiss if I didn’t raise a little awareness about health concerns starting to wedge into our everyday lives. Don’t worry. It’s not a threat countdown. Think of it as your friendly nerdy gal pal saying, “Heads up. Know these names, not because it’s a dire emergency, but because awareness is…
Read more: Newly Endemic and Emerging Diseases in the U.S.—What to Know and How to Stay Prepared
Beyond the Loop: How Fear, Routine, and the Past Can Keep Us Stuck

For far too many of us, work, conversations, meals, routines, and days, churn out like carbon copies from a machine, stacking neatly into years indistinguishable from one another. It’s like walking circles around a well-worn trail at the park. The ground is beaten down, comfortable underfoot. You know every turn, every shadow, every stone. But,…
Read more: Beyond the Loop: How Fear, Routine, and the Past Can Keep Us Stuck
Resources That Changed My Relationship With Money

Money used to feel like this big, overwhelming thing I’d never quite figure out. I thought I needed to be a financial expert to get it right. What I’ve learned is that it’s not about mastering everything, it’s about finding the right tools and wisdom that make money less intimidating and more empowering. Honestly, in…
Read more: Resources That Changed My Relationship With Money
A Taste of Asia in Metro Detroit: Cafés, Markets, and Restaurants That Transport You Across the Pacific

Sometimes Michigan feels exactly like Michigan: long highways, Michigan turns (womp), gray skies, and the steady hum of everyday life. But, step into the right café, market, or restaurant in Metro Detroit, and suddenly the atmosphere shifts. One moment you’re in the Midwest and the next, you’re transported across the Pacific. For me, these moments…
Read more: A Taste of Asia in Metro Detroit: Cafés, Markets, and Restaurants That Transport You Across the Pacific
How to Date Yourself Without Shame (Especially in the Detroit Metro Area)

Here’s a little secret: you don’t have to wait for someone else to prove you’re worth flowers, fine dinners, and Friday night plans. You can skip that line of thinking entirely and become your own hot date. After all, how will you ever truly know what you enjoy if you never make time to enjoy…
Read more: How to Date Yourself Without Shame (Especially in the Detroit Metro Area)
Speak Up or Regret It Later: When Trusting the Process Backfires

There’s a certain freedom that comes with realizing: no one can read your mind. If you don’t speak up for yourself, you’ll often end up with the exact opposite of what you wanted, whether it’s your nails, your makeup, or even how you show up in life. When Detroit Glam Turned Into Detroit Drama Just…
Read more: Speak Up or Regret It Later: When Trusting the Process Backfires
You’re Not the Black Sheep. You’re the Blueprint.

Being pegged as the “black sheep” isn’t always about mistakes or rebellion. More often, it happens because you stand out. Maybe you think outside of the box, are intelligent, creative, attractive, fearless, or nonconforming. Maybe you carry a confidence that others haven’t yet found for themselves. Instead of being celebrated for those qualities, you become…
Read more: You’re Not the Black Sheep. You’re the Blueprint.
Unwinding at Night: My Full Shower & Skincare Routine

There’s something grounding about ending the day with a shower, especially at night after moving my body, whether it’s a late cycling class, kettlebell reps, cardio with And8 Fitness, or miles on my treadmill. It’s not only about washing away sweat; it’s about creating space to reset, restore, and prepare for rest. I’d love to…
Read more: Unwinding at Night: My Full Shower & Skincare Routine
Guard Your Womb Like Your Life Depends On It (Because It Does)

Your womb is not just a physical organ. It’s a power source. A sacred vault. A generational gateway. Whether or not you ever have children, your womb is the seat of your intuition, creativity, and deep ancestral wisdom. Yet, too often, women are conditioned to treat it like a revolving door, allowing people in who…
Read more: Guard Your Womb Like Your Life Depends On It (Because It Does)
Preparing to Leave the United States Quickly: A Practical Guide

Whether it’s political instability, natural disasters, or personal circumstances, many people are quietly asking themselves: “What would I do if I needed to leave the U.S. in a hurry?” The answer is not to panic, but to prepare. Having the essentials in place can turn chaos into clarity if you ever need to make a…
Read more: Preparing to Leave the United States Quickly: A Practical Guide
Best Resources to Learn a New Language with a Quickness

Learning a new language is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. Between grammar rules, pronunciation, and actually having the courage to speak, many people wonder: What’s the fastest way to get from “I know a few words” to “I can actually hold a conversation”? For me, the journey started early. I began learning French…
Read more: Best Resources to Learn a New Language with a Quickness
How I Manage Anxiety and Stuttering in Public Speaking

Public speaking used to feel like standing at the edge of a cliff. My body betrayed me: palms sweating (*cue Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”*), voice catching, thoughts racing so fast I couldn’t keep them in order. Sometimes, I’d stumble over my words. Other times, an anxiety attack would creep in and my mind would go completely…
Read more: How I Manage Anxiety and Stuttering in Public Speaking
Benefit from My Mistakes: Read His Intentions in Record Time

When it comes to dating, one of the most powerful tools you have is discernment. Despite the noise, the memes, and the think pieces, a man’s intentions are rarely as complicated as they seem. If you’re paying attention, and especially if you’re looking for something serious, his actions will tell you everything you need to…
Read more: Benefit from My Mistakes: Read His Intentions in Record Time
When Ghosting Crosses the Line—And When It Sets One

I used to think ghosting was never acceptable and that no matter how uncomfortable it was, people deserved directness. But, experience has taught me that life isn’t always that clear-cut. Modern dating, especially, makes disappearing easy. One day you’re swapping playlists, the next you’re staring at blue bubbles and wondering what went wrong. Ghosting has…
Read more: When Ghosting Crosses the Line—And When It Sets One
If You’ll Go All Out for a Job, Go All In for Yourself Too

Many of us have done it. Set the alarm at 5:00 a.m., skipped meals, answered emails at dinner, and poured every ounce of energy into being the most reliable, available, high-performing employee in the room. The problem isn’t that you work hard. It’s that you’ve been taught to give your all to something that would…
Read more: If You’ll Go All Out for a Job, Go All In for Yourself Too
How to Finance Your Move Abroad as a Person of Color (Without Draining Your Savings)

Moving abroad sounds romantic, but passport stamps, new beginnings, and scenic views don’t come free. For many Black and Brown folks dreaming of a life outside the U.S., one of the biggest barriers isn’t desire, it’s dollars. But, what if funding your international leap isn’t as impossible as it seems? Whether you’re escaping burnout, political…
Read more: How to Finance Your Move Abroad as a Person of Color (Without Draining Your Savings)