08/15/2026
When I emailed the guests that attended my From the Page to the Stage event on August 8, I said that the day felt like a movie. It truly did.
Thirty-six people showed up — family, friends, former colleagues, former and current clients, and people I had never met before that afternoon. The connections were instant. They came in as individuals and left as a community. The "wear purple" assignment was understood, and I LOVED seeing it all come together.
After meet and greets, I read from my chapter in Triumph in the Trenches: The Green Book for Black Professionals, Vol.3, and we watched my TEDx talk: What Happens When You Stop Apologizing for Existing. Then we talked about it all under the guidance of my Q&A host, the BRILLIANT Paula Young, CCEP.
Paula opened our conversation with a peacock analogy. She described how beautiful peacocks are on their own, but when they fan their feathers, the light shines through, and they create a powerful aura and presence. It simply opens — fully, unapologetically, and without explanation.
She was talking about me. And I sat with that for a long time. I almost couldn't speak afterwards. Because for most of my career, I have been the one doing the describing. The one holding the mirror up for other people. The one in the room asking what do you need, what are you building, where are you going? Paula did this for me and I thank her for elevating that moment beyond anything I could imagine.
We then moved to the book signing where I had conversations and connections that were deeply felt. Then my sons showed up to support me and I couldn't be happier!
The day ended with a group photo on our back deck. There is a massive, ancient tree that is so old and so wide that my deck was literally built around it. As everyone gathered beneath it for a group photo, several commented on how we were all standing under something that had been rooted and standing long before any of us arrived, and it felt grounding.
That is what the whole afternoon was like. It was powerful, and it was fulfilling. And it was the foundation of what is to come.
I have heard from many of the guests over the past week to reflect on the day and what it meant to them personally. More is coming, and while do not know exactly what shape it takes yet, I know this room made one thing very clear: we need to do this again because we need this type of connection in safe spaces. If you want to be in the next one, make sure you are on my list.
Hope you enjoy the recap video💜
