Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 (NLT) The Lord will work out His plans for my life for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me for you made me. Psalm 138:8 (NLT) For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Romans 11:29 (NLT) I’ve been a writer since I was 6 years old. My first book was The Cloud Factory — inspired by an industrial plant that is about 7 minutes down the street from where I currently live. I beat out the whole school in 5th grade for a fiction writing competition - my prize was a purple bear with a pink heart that had candy in it. In college, I would do open mic nights and I also had the opportunity to write for an Argentinian magazine called El Sol De San Telmo during my semester abroad. It was fantastic. I’ve written poems, plays and songs, anything that allowed me to use writing as my creative outlet. Despite this track record with writing, after college I convinced myself that it wasn’t a feasible career path or that if I chose to write I’d find myself having some sort of pay my dues, Devil Wears Prada moment. Part of me wonders if writing for almost 15 years had me believe that while it was a wonderful way to express myself it would never be fruitful financially. After graduation I started a business, which led to my first and only corporate job and working in the field of digital marketing. This gave me a way to channel my writing skills in a way that felt close enough to the work I’d set out to do as a kid. Sure, I wasn’t writing thought pieces or tales that stuck with people guiding them through hard moments but I was still being a creative. Something happened in those earlier days of my career that I didn’t expect. I got the nudge to write a book for young black girls who were struggling to navigate through life with confidence. That book led to two others around the same topic and eventually I’d go on to write a devotional about my first pregnancy with our oldest son Jaden. As exciting as it was to have published each of these books, I had to pay for the publication. I have no regrets. I know I’ve earned back my investment at least 3-fold with the Black Girl’s Guide series. The devotional is…a story for another day. But having to pay to publish my work started creating a storyline that recurred again and again. “People won’t pay me for my writing so I need to find other ways to bring income in.” In the summer of 2024 however something switched. I realized I’d never make a living as a writer and a speaker (both dreams deferred) if I didn’t consistently show up as someone who felt like her ideas were worth paying for - if I didn’t make the effort to be paid to write and speak then I couldn’t be frustrated about the lack of offers I felt I was getting. Inspired by Matt Higgins’ book Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential, I closed down my coaching and consulting company. I didn’t immediately jump into what was next. Instead, I spent nearly a year excavating the beliefs that were underneath so many of the action I’d been taking. Beliefs around money, beliefs about worth and security. I even excavated the foundations of my faith. At one point I realized I overworked myself because I wanted to “earn my keep” rather than rest in the finished work God already started in me. During this career gap, I also chose to explore what topics I actually wanted to spend time writing about, thought pieces and devotionals like this that didn’t just address fruit problems but the root problems underneath them. Finally, after all my excavating and exploring I extracted the stories I’d lived. Ones like me passing out in my car while pregnant. As I looked across numerous experiences one thing became clear to me —I wanted to write and speak to the high-achieving, high-capacity women who were tired, burned out and worn out from overworking. I wanted to encourage the nurturers who spent so much time being accessible and available that they were constantly operating at an emotional deficit. I felt a need to connect with the builders who were so committed to seeing their vision come to pass that they never sat down to enjoy the progress they’re already making. The healers, the watchers and dreamers - these women, women like you, were and are my assignment and once that was clear I found myself asking another question. “What do these women need?” Through surveys, live conversations and simple observation that answer was also clear - they, you, we need R - E - S - T. Rest from the emotionally, physically and mentally draining labor of everything we have carried in the past and are still carrying. This process has taken 15 months and seeing where I’ve landed has filled me with an immense sense of gratitude that God did not allow me to rush the process. I see how every no I’ve encountered, was preparing me for a greater yes. Everything I thought was sent to deter me was actually putting me in alignment with my God given assignment. At the beginning of the year I was charged to create a “True North Statement” as a part of Jo Franco’s Self-Made Year program and through prayer, brainstorming and some assist from Chat this is where I landed: By the end of 2026 I will be a leading voice on rest, rhythm and sustainable leadership. I build influence and income through writing, teaching and designing frameworks that challenge burnout and help high-capacity leaders lead from a place of overflow and not exhaustion. This isn’t just a declaration of faith however, it’s a roadmap and a way to level set. Looking at this statement helps me to decide quickly if an opportunity is a no or a yes and the opportunities have already started coming in. I have a speaking engagement this weekend where I’m discussing The Power of R.E.S.T.™. I have two more speaking engagements next month, along with my first vendor event since my planner was released. I sent a pitch out to a major publication this week and not only did the editor like my pitch but they want to PAY ME! What I’ve realized through all of this is that in all my working over the years there was still a key missing ingredient of belief. Belief dictates behavior and while I could say all day long “I’m a writer and a speaker” I kept taking on roles that didn’t align with that identity. Website designs that I was proud of but took me away from where I said I wanted to be…brand strategy sessions with people who’d heard about the work I’d done with Brands by Brie. A sister on here said “Faith without works may be dead but works without faith is burnout waiting to happen.” I’m reminded of what Joshua 1:3 says: “I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses.” This shows me our dreams aren’t going to just show up on a platter and while we don’t need to overwork, we still have a responsibility to go after them. Proverbs 14:23 puts it like this: “There is profit in hard work, but mere talk leads to poverty.” We can say all day what we’re going to do but until we start moving in that direction, we can’t be upset that we’re not seeing progress. I encourage you to dust off that dream you’ve been sitting on. Have FAITH for what’s ahead. Start showing up as the person you’ve told yourself you are and be okay with the dead weight you may have to lose in the process. The answer to my question - “What do you do with a dream deferred?” Keep believing and go after it. Even if it seems like it’s taking long, it will surely come and will not delay….that’s Bible friend. And if you need some extra verses you can come back to in this season I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of them and putting them on cute printable sheets! These are the type of goodies my paid subscribers get but I’m feeling SUPER excited about all my good news so this week you’re getting free access. Please know that I’m praying for you and I’m rooting for you! Let’s make our dreams happen! P.S. If you’d like to be included in my book click here to book your R.E.S.T.™ session. I’m hosting interviews from now until March 20th. I dive deeper into my R.E.S.T. work over on my Practicing the Pause substack so if that’s your jam, join the fam! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blightbulbmoments.substack.com/subscribe
